As investment in Asia biohubs continues into 2024, Merck KGaA’s Milliporesigma is the latest to drop more than €300 million (US$328 million) into a new bioprocessing production center in Daejeon, South Korea. Other big pharmas, including Switzerland’s Novartis AG, Denmark’s Novo Nordisk A/S and China’s Wuxi Biologics (Cayman) Inc., are also making multimillion-dollar investments in the Asia-Pacific region, according to company announcements made in March 2024.
Surgeon, CEO and founder of Hutom Corp., Woo Jin Hyung, is working to level the playing field in the operating room with artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, leveraging digital technology to optimize surgical outcomes.
Chinese biotechs Biotheus Inc. and Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. partnered again under a new potential ¥5 billion (US$698.98 million) deal to develop bispecific antibody-drug conjugates (BsADCs), using Biotheus’ EGFR-cMet bispecific antibody.
China’s Pegbio Co. Ltd. is planning a Hong Kong IPO to advance PB-119, its main glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist for diabetes nearing domestic approval, as it hopes to transition to an operating profit.
Hyundai Bioscience Corp. is set to become the largest shareholder of ADM Korea Inc., a Seoul, South Korea-based contract research organization (CRO) firm, by purchasing 5.02 million shares for ₩20.4 billion (US$15.5 million) – a 23% stake.
Samsung Life Science Fund, created jointly by Samsung Biologics Co. Ltd., Samsung Biopeis Co. Ltd. and Samsung C&T Corp., said it invested in Waltham, Mass.-based antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) developer Brickbio Inc. on March 18, as its fifth biotech investment.
Chinese biotechs Biotheus Inc. and Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. partnered again under a new potential ¥5 billion (US$698.98 million) deal to develop bispecific antibody-drug conjugates (BsADCs), using Biotheus’ EGFR-cMet bispecific antibody.
The U.S. FDA approved Orchard Therapeutics plc’s BLA for gene therapy atidarsagene autotemcel, making it the first treatment option for metachromatic leukodystrophy in the U.S. The one-time treatment, branded Lenmeldy, is indicated for children with presymptomatic late infantile, presymptomatic early juvenile or early symptomatic early juvenile disease.
Medical Korea 2024 opened to a large audience in Seoul, South Korea for a two-day run to highlight advances in the medical field, including those in radiotherapy.
