The Australian government has begun its closely watched independent review of the health technology assessment (HTA) process in the country, and it delivered a first peek at what it will consider. This independent review of the HTA system is the first of its kind in nearly 30 years.
The discovery of two new sarcoma-specific pathways and 14 new genes that predispose people to heritable sarcomas could pave the way to managing cancer risk early via detection of these mutations for this rare type of cancer. Sarcomas are rare connective tissue malignancies mostly derived from embryonic mesoderm and affect younger people.
Vaxxas Pty. Ltd. and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) signed a partnership agreement to develop Vaxxas’ vaccine-patch delivery technology in a project that could end the need for frozen storage of mRNA vaccines.
Following Therapeutic Goods Administration approval of its first-generation donor-derived microbiome-based therapy, Biomictra, for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection, Australia’s Biomebank is scaling up to meet increasing global demand for fecal microbiota products and is developing a more scalable second-generation synthetic product.
Immunos Therapeutics AG has received full ethical institutional approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) and regulatory approval from the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to conduct a phase I trial of its lead program IOS-1002 in Australia.
Following Therapeutic Goods Administration approval of its first-generation donor-derived microbiome-based therapy, Biomictra, for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection, Australia’s Biomebank is scaling up to meet increasing global demand for fecal microbiota products and is developing a more scalable second-generation synthetic product.
Immunotherapy company Cartherics Pty Ltd. is leading a consortium that received a AU$5.4 million (US$3.6 million) grant from the Medical Research Futures Fund to develop a new approach to enhance cancer therapy by engaging the patient’s own immune system to complement CAR cell therapy.
The Australian government delivered an early Christmas present to the biopharma industry in the form of a new National Medicines Policy giving voice to major industry goals – among them a clear vision to “achieve the world’s best health, social and economic outcomes for all Australians through a highly supportive medicines policy environment.”
Investment in the fourth quarter of 2022 was dismal in Asia Pacific, as the global venture community focused on preserving capital. And the region faced other challenges throughout the year, as leaders in Australia and across Asia became acutely aware of the vulnerabilities in their supply chains. But the year also saw some big deals and collaborations involving companies across Asia Pacific, along with advances in regenerative and digital medicine.
Investment in the fourth quarter of 2022 was dismal in Asia Pacific, as the global venture community focused on preserving capital. And the region faced other challenges throughout the year, as leaders in Australia and across Asia became acutely aware of the vulnerabilities in their supply chains. But the year also saw some big deals and collaborations involving companies across Asia Pacific, along with advances in regenerative and digital medicine.