VANCOUVER, British Columbia – With some positive early data for an antibody to block the COVID-19 virus, San Diego-based Sorrento Therapeutics Inc. is now looking to test a product in a few dozen intensive care patients by the end of July or early August and move into a much broader pool of patients by October.
SUZHOU, China – With the outbreak tightly contained, business activities are starting to get back to normal in China. Opening in Suzhou on Thursday, the Enmore Bio Conference 2020 is one of the first industry galas to take place since the coronavirus hit the country. In the opening session, Chinese biotech insiders pointed to a bumpy road ahead for Chinese companies in the post-COVID-19 era.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Ashvattha, Basilea, Bird Rock, Cardiff, Cerecor, Chiesi, Immodulon, Macrogenics, Moleculin, Orpheris, Phasebio, Protalix, Roche, Theraly.
As the FDA continues to shift its limited resources to the development and review of COVID-19 therapies and vaccines, other drugs in the pipeline may be delayed. In a question-and-answer guidance released late Tuesday, the agency acknowledged that, going forward, it may not be able to sustain its current performance level in meeting all its goal dates for new drugs and biologics.
Within a month of disclosing a CA$175.6 million (US$124.7 million) award from the Canadian government to use its antibody discovery platform for the analysis of patients who have recovered from COVID-19, Abcellera Biologics Inc. closed a $105 million series B financing aimed at expanding its capacity and investing in new technologies that complement its antibody discovery engine.