A cocktail of monoclonal neutralizing antibodies developed by Brii Biosciences Ltd. has become “the first locally-discovered and approved SARS-CoV-2 target-specific treatment in China, through a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial,” Rogers Luo, president and general manager of greater China at the company, told BioWorld. The NMPA approved a combination of Brii’s amubarvimab and romlusevimab as a treatment for both adults and pediatric patients, ages 12 to 17, with mild and “normal type” COVID-19 at high risk for progression to severe disease, including hospitalization or death.
Cansino Biologics Inc. has entered a development and commercial supply partnership with Aerogen Ltd. for an inhalable version of its COVID-19 vaccine, Convidecia, also known as Ad5-nCoV. Cansino will combine Convidecia with Aerogen’s vibrating mesh aerosol drug delivery technology to produce a consistent droplet size for optimal lung deposition. The technology delivers up to six times more medication to the lungs compared to jet nebulizers. It also enables consistency and drug denaturing to improve efficacy. Cansino and Aerogen did not disclose the deal’s commercial terms.
Shanghai Henlius Biotech Inc.’s self-developed Hanbeitai (bevacizumab biosimilar) has received marketing approval from China’s NMPA. It was approved for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer and unresectable, locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer.
Pharmaceutical companies in China will cut the prices for more than five dozen drugs by an average of 61.7% to get them on the latest version of the country’s National Drug Reimbursement List. The National Healthcare Security Administration released the new list on Dec. 3, 2021. The new list includes 74 new drugs, the vast majority of which are branded products without generic versions in China. Only seven of the new drugs on the list have generic versions.
Abogen Biosciences Co. Ltd. has raised $300 million in a series C+ round to support the development of its mRNA products, specifically to support the development of its COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and expand to the global market.
Pharmaceutical companies in China will cut the prices for more than five dozen drugs by an average of 61.7% to get them on the latest version of the country’s National Drug Reimbursement List. The National Healthcare Security Administration released the new list on Dec. 3, 2021. The new list includes 74 new drugs, the vast majority of which are branded products without generic versions in China. Only seven of the new drugs on the list have generic versions.
With large amounts of cash in hand from exponentially higher sales related to COVID-19, some Chinese med-tech companies are now implementing plans to continue growing in a post-pandemic world.
Abogen Biosciences Co. Ltd. has raised $300 million in a series C+ round to support the development of its mRNA products, specifically to support the development of its COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and expand to the global market.
Alphamab Oncology Co. Ltd. has won conditional marketing approval from China’s NMPA for KN-035 (envafolimab), the world’s first PD-1/PD-L1 antibody to be administered by subcutaneous injection. The drug was cleared for use in treating adult patients with advanced solid tumors who have unresectable or metastatic advanced microsatellite instability-high phenotype/mismatch-repair deficiency. That includes patients with advanced colorectal cancer who have experienced disease progression after previous therapy with fluorouracil, oxaliplatin and irinotecan.
Bright Peak Therapeutics Inc. has licensed rights to use Livzon Mabpharm Inc.’s anti-PD-1 candidate, LZM-009, to develop its own PD-1 targeted immunocytokines (PD-1 ICs). Bertolt Kreft, chief scientific officer for Bright Peak, told BioWorld that Livzon’s phase II anti-PD-1 “exhibits a promising initial safety and efficacy profile, making it well-suited to the task.
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