GC Genome plans $30M IPO to diversify genomic products, suppliers
GC Genome Corp. priced a Kosdaq offering of 4 million shares at ₩10,500 per share May 27, entailing a gross ₩42 billion (US$30.5 million) raise in early June. The Yongin, South Korea-based genomics subsidiary of GC Biopharma Corp. fixed its shares price to the top of its ₩9,000 to ₩15,000 price band May 27 after conducting demand forecasting on domestic and international institutional investors from May 19 to May 23.

GC Genome plans $30M IPO to diversify genomic products, suppliers
GC Genome Corp. priced a Kosdaq offering of 4 million shares at ₩10,500 per share May 27, entailing a gross ₩42 billion (US$30.5 million) raise in early June. The Yongin, South Korea-based genomics subsidiary of GC Biopharma Corp. fixed its shares price to the top of its ₩9,000 to ₩15,000 price band May 27 after conducting demand forecasting on domestic and international institutional investors from May 19 to May 23.
Adalta sees promise in new 'East to West' strategy for T-cell therapies
Adalta Ltd. is outlicensing all of its internal products and focusing instead on inlicensing early stage T-cell assets from Asia, mostly from China, Adalta CEO Tim Oldham told BioWorld. Dubbed its “East to West” strategy, Adalta is integrating Asia's prowess in T-cell therapy development with the efficiency and quality of Australia's clinical and manufacturing ecosystem to create a pathway connecting Eastern innovation in cellular immunotherapies with Western regulated markets and patients.
Alteogen merges two subsidiaries, forming Alteogen Biologics
Alteogen Inc. completed a merger between two subsidiaries – Altos Biologics Inc. and Alteogen Healthcare Inc. – branding the new entity as Alteogen Biologics Inc.
Annji's phase I/II positive in spinal, bulbar muscular atrophy
Annji Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s rosolutamide (AJ-201, JM-17) achieved positive results in a phase I/II trial in adults with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy, also known as Kennedy’s disease.
Samsung Biologics to spin off biosimilar subsidiary Samsung Bioepis
Samsung Biologics Co. Ltd. plans to establish a new holding company and to spin off its biosimilar division, Samsung Bioepis Co. Ltd., by October. The corporate restructuring will draw clear lines between Samsung Biologics’ CDMO operations and Samsung Bioepis’ biosimilar business.
AP Bio heads to phase I with bispecific for HER2-resistant tumors
Although HER2-targeted therapies have become a mainstay in cancer treatment, some tumors evade them by stripping away the portion of the HER2 receptor that most therapies are built to recognize and bind to, but Taiwan’s AP Biosciences Inc. is developing bispecific antibody AP-402 to address treatment-resistant HER2+ cancers.
Cancer drug specialist Immuneoncia raises $24M in Kosdaq listing
Immuneoncia Therapeutics Inc. raised ₩33.9 billion (US$24 million) from its Kosdaq listing May 19. Shares closed at ₩7,500 – 108% higher than its offering price of ₩3,600 per share. Immuneoncia, a joint venture founded in 2016 between Seoul, South Korea-based Yuhan Corp. and San Diego-based Sorrento Therapeutics Inc., noted that the funds will support R&D operations until 2026.
SY-9453 shows efficacy at treating tumors with MTAP deficiency
About 15% of all cancers have co-deletion of both the MTAP and CDKN2A genes, which results in sensitization to MAT2A inhibitors, thus opening a therapeutic window in these cancer types. MAT2A inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy in MTAD-deficient cancers. Shouyao Holdings (Beijing) Co. Ltd. has developed and released data for their MAT2A inhibitor SY-9453 for the treatment of MTAP-deficient cancers.
A novel inhibitor of FAK for treating multiple cancers
In their ongoing search for effective small-molecule inhibitors of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), researchers at Beijing Normal University and collaborators started from a promising lead compound that they previously described.
News in brief
BioWorld Asia briefs for May 27, 2025

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Analysis and data insight

Atzumi and Vanrafia among 3 NMEs approved by US FDA in April
Regulatory
The U.S. FDA approved 20 drugs for market in April, slightly down from 22 in March, 16 in February and 12 in January. This brings the total number of FDA approvals for the first four months of 2025 to 70, a decrease from 77 in the same period last year but higher than the 50 drugs approved during...
South Korea urges US to exempt pharma, allies from tariffs
Regulatory
South Korean government and biopharmaceutical industry representatives urged American policymakers May 7 to refrain from imposing tariffs on pharmaceutical imports, and to spare allies if pharma tariffs are deemed necessary. Both Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare on May 4 and the Korea...
US legal issues to track in pharma, biotech
Conferences
Ongoing policy issues in the U.S., including the Inflation Reduction Act and recent proposals under President Donald Trump’s administration, have wide ranging implications for the global biopharmaceutical industry, speakers at Bio Korea 2025 said May 8, including a heightened need for all biotechs...
Korea pharma stocks rally; Celltrion welcomes US drug pricing
Regulatory
Korean pharmaceutical stocks rose across the board May 13, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump signed off on the most favored nation executive order, a drug pricing policy expected to benefit biosimilar makers in the U.S., according to Celltrion Inc.

Financings

Hengrui to raise up to $1.27B in Hong Kong listing
IPO
Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. announced a global offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to raise up to $1.27 billion to advance its growing pipeline focused on oncology, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, immunological and respiratory diseases, and neuroscience.

Australia

Cynata’s MSC cells show positive results across variety of delivery systems
Clinical
The promise of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to heal heart disease could be around the corner thanks to a new delivery method tested by regenerative medicine company Cynata Therapeutics Ltd.

Immutep’s efti shows strong survival data in head and neck cancer
Clinical
Immutep Ltd. announced strong median overall survival of 17.6 months in cohort B of the TACTI-003 (Keynote-PNC-34) phase IIb trial that evaluated eftilagimod alfa in combination with Merck & Co.’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as first-line therapy in recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell...
Australia follows Canadian lead; Labor win a sharp rebuke to Trump
Regulatory
Australian biopharma stakeholders welcomed the reelection of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who promised to expand Medicare and to invest more in Australian research.

China

China’s NMPA gives thumbs up to Remegen’s ADC targeting HER2
Regulatory
China’s National Medical Products Administration has approved Remegen Co. Ltd.’s antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), disitamab vedotin (RC-48), for treatment of HER2-positive advanced breast cancer in patients with liver metastasis.
AACR 2025: D3 Bio, Immvira present solid tumor, brain cancer data
Clinical
Shanghai-based D3 Bio (Wuxi) Co. Ltd. showed positive results for its lead candidate, next-generation KRAS G12C inhibitor, D3S-001, also known as elisrasib, in patients with KRAS G12C mutation cancers, including patients previously treated with first-generation KRAS G12C inhibitors. Presented at...
Innovent’s IBI-302 meets phase II endpoints in neovascular AMD
Ocular
Innovent Biologics Inc.’s efdamrofusp alfa (IBI-302) met the primary endpoint in phase II, showing a gain of 10 or more letters in visual acuity from baseline at one year in Chinese patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
Akeso hot with FDA cancer win, nods in China, new data
Clinical
The intriguing VEGFxPD-1 bispecific antibody space gained oomph with phase III results disclosed April 23 by Akeso Pharmaceuticals Inc. related to Harmoni-6, testing ivonescimab in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy compared with Tevimbra (tislelizumab, Beigene Ltd.), a PD-1 inhibitor...
China adds Ascentage's lisaftoclax, olverembatinib to guidelines
Regulatory
Ascentage Pharma Group Corp. Ltd. said two of its novel candidates have been included in the 2025 Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology Guidelines, including its in-house developed Bcl-2 selective inhibitor, lisaftoclax (APG-2575), which is under review in China and could be the first domestically...

Regulatory

Fujirebio Alzheimer’s test wins first FDA clearance
Diagnostics
Fujirebio Diagnostics Inc.’s Alzheimer’s disease assay received the U.S. FDA’s first clearance for a blood test for the debilitating neurodegenerative disease. Fujirebio’s Lumipulse G pTau217/ß-Amyloid 1-42 plasma ratio is indicated for the early detection of amyloid plaques associated with...

Newco news

Japan’s Regcell launches in US with $45.8M to advance Treg platform
Financings
Japanese-founded Regcell Inc. has raised $45.8 million and is redomiciling to the U.S. to accelerate clinical development of its pioneering regulatory T-cell (Treg) platform for autoimmune diseases and transplantation.

Astellas-Yaskawa JV to build robot-based cell production platform
Deals and M&A
Astellas Pharma Inc. is setting up a joint venture with Yaskawa Electric Corp. to develop a new cell production platform using Yaskawa’s dual-arm humanoid robot called Maholo.
Harbour Biomed newco HBM Alpha pens $395M hyperplasia drug deal
Analysis and data insight
HBM Alpha Therapeutics Inc. signed a potential $395 million licensing deal Feb. 26 with an unnamed “business partner” for its endocrine asset, HAT-001, adding another contender to the congenital adrenal hyperplasia space.

Science

Commander proteins linked to lysosomal dysfunction in Parkinson’s
Neurology/psychiatric
Genes associated with lysosomal dysfunction increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to a study led by scientists at Northwestern University. The discovery also explains why some people who carry a pathogenic variant of the GBA1...
Australian researchers discover new compound to treat long COVID
Infection
Researchers have developed a new compound that can prevent long COVID symptoms in mice that could lead to a future drug for the debilitating condition in humans. Developed by researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research...
Pandemic potential is plentiful, but the next bug’s specifics are known unknown
Conferences
Compared to other forms of prevention, a unique issue for pandemic preparedness is that it is forever unclear what pathogen, exactly, the world needs to be prepared for. There are an estimated 300,000 viruses that infect mammals; add in birds, and...
Ten days of normal survival of a pig liver in a human being
Drug design, drug delivery and technologies
Transplanting an animal organ into a human is now a closer reality following the successful xenotransplantation of a genetically modified pig liver into a patient diagnosed with brain death in China. The operation was intended to evaluate organ...
Long COVID science is progressing, though therapies have not yet followed
Conferences
In 2020, the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) was the first scientific conference to move from in-person to virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the fifth anniversary of the virtual conference, and the pandemic,...
At CROI, HIV cure trials raise hopes for broader applicability
Conferences
At the 2025 meeting of the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. On the first full day of the conference, reports from the first HIV cure trial conducted in Africa, the...

podcast microphone, sound waves on purple background Breakthrough medicines, billion-dollar deals, spectacular clinical successes and crushing failures all play a part in biopharma’s dynamic story. Developers make scientific advancements with the potential to change everything, only to face regulatory conundrums and ever-fluctuating markets. BioWorld tracks key events in the fast-moving sector every business day. Now, the BioWorld Insider podcast lets you hear directly from the movers and shakers whose collective work is changing how we all live. Join us each week for a new conversation.

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