Chinese patients will soon have wider access to newly approved cancer drugs following the publication of the 2024 National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) that added 126 new drugs to the list. Price cuts to drugs averaged 61.7%. The additions and cuts are in line with the previous year.
Japan-California startup Shinobi Therapeutics Inc. has emerged from stealth mode with a $51 million series A round to advance its first off-the-shelf induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS)-T cell therapy against glypigan-3 (GPC3)-positive cancers toward the clinic.
Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd. plans to progress NNZ-2591 to phase III trials following positive top-line phase II results in children with Phelan-McDermid syndrome, a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder for which there are no approved treatments.
If the COVID-19 pandemic shocked countries to build self-reliance in biomedical ecosystems, the re-opening of borders in 2023 kickstarted international collaborations to grow major biohubs in Asia. Countries in the Asia Pacific region – including Singapore, China, Japan, Korea and Australia – increasingly drew overseas investors and collaborators, helping each country grow national biotech capabilities and expertise.
Respiratory imaging technology company 4Dmedical Ltd. is acquiring Imbio LLC for $45 million to create a comprehensive portfolio of cardiothoracic imaging technologies. The news comes on the heels of U.S. FDA clearance of 4Dmedical’s computed tomography lung ventilation analysis software in November 2023.
Japan-California startup Shinobi Therapeutics Inc. has emerged from stealth mode with a $51 million series A round to advance its first off-the-shelf induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS)-T cell therapy against glypigan-3 (GPC3)-positive cancers toward the clinic.
China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved Zhejiang Jingxin Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s dimdazenil (EVT-201) for short-term treatment of insomnia. Jingxin filed the NDA in China in April 2022.
Prescient Therapeutics Pty Ltd.’s PTX-100 met primary safety endpoints and showed preliminary efficacy in a phase Ib trial in patients with relapsed and refractory T-cell lymphomas that exceeded the standard of care, and the company hopes to advance to a phase II registrational study in 2024, Prescient CEO Steven Yatomi-Clarke told BioWorld.
Systimmune Inc. and Bristol Myers Squibb Co. have joined hands in a co-development deal for bispecific antibody drug conjugate (ADC) BL-B01D1 in a deal worth up to $8.4 billion. The deal falls on the heels of BMS acquiring Mirati Therapeutics in October 2023 for $4.8 billion to add to its oncology pipeline.