Results from a phase III study comparing Celltrion Inc.’s biosimilar VEGF ligand inhibitor CT-P16 to Roche Holding AG’s Avastin (bevacizumab) in patients with metastatic or recurrent non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) found it to be similarly effective and as safe compared to the reference drug. Incheon, South Korea-based Celltrion presented the results at the 2022 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. The company now plans “to speed up the approval process through consultation with regulatory authorities in each country,” a Celltrion official said.
Semiconductors chips, a key component in many medical devices, continue to be in short supply as COVID-19-driven supply chain disruptions continue. The shortage comes at the worst possible time, with demand for the chips on an upward trend. Nano-x Imaging Ltd.’s (Nanox) solution to the shortage was to open a semiconductor chip fabrication plant in Yongin, South Korea, to produce Nanox.source, a semiconductor chip that replaces the filament in the analog X-ray tube.
Pfizer Australia Holdings Pty Ltd. has made an offer to acquire digital health company Resapp Health Ltd. in all cash offer worth AU$100 million (US$74.25 million). The two companies have entered into a binding scheme that is contingent upon shareholder agreement and regulatory clearances in Australia. Shareholders will vote on the proposed acquisition in June, and directors have unanimously recommended that shareholders vote in favor of the acquisition.
The National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) of Taiwan has teamed up with Taiwanese computer manufacturer Asustek Computer Inc. and American cloud computing company Nvidia Corp. to build Taiwan’s first supercomputer for medical research.
Truscreen Group Ltd. completed its largest clinical trial to date that showed its cervical cancer screening device surpassed liquid-based cytology (LBC) screening in 15,651 women across 64 hospitals in nine provinces in China over three years.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has issued draft rules to permit U.S. auditors to examine U.S.-listed Chinese companies on April 2, 2022, following a provisional list by the U.S. SEC.
Elix Inc. has teamed up with Shionogi & Co. Ltd. to validate a retrosynthetic analysis model for drug discovery that will employ chemical reaction data from Shionogi to explore various routes to synthesizing new molecules.
Health tech firm Qure.ai Technologies Private Ltd. has secured a $40 million investment from investors including Novo Holdings and Healthquad to expand its portfolio of automated artificial intelligence (AI)-based imaging diagnostics. The company’s suite of technologies incorporates deep learning and AI to interpret radiology images such as X-rays, CTs, and ultrasounds in less than a minute.
Elix Inc. has teamed up with Shionogi & Co. Ltd. to validate a retrosynthetic analysis model for drug discovery that will employ chemical reaction data from Shionogi to explore various routes to synthesizing new molecules.
Nalagenetics Pte. Ltd. has landed $12.6 million in a series A round of financing. The Singapore-based company wants to use the capital to expand on its genetic testing solutions to implement predictive and presymptomatic testing for prevention geared towards chronic conditions in Asia.