Weekly in Asia｜Dec-1

20191209-1215

Biocon and Equillium Expand Collaboration to Australia, NZ

India headquartered Biocon Ltd and US based Equillium Inc., announced on December 13th that they have expanded collaboration and license agreement for itolizumab, a novel first-in-class humanized anti-CD6 monoclonal antibody used to treat severe plaque psoriasis.

Under the agreement, Equillium will receive rights for developing and commercializing itolizumab in Australia and New Zealand.

Itolizumab was developed and launched by Biocon under the brand name ALZUMAb™. In 2017, Biocon partnered with Equillium to develop solutions for a wide range of autoimmune disorders.

About Biocon Biopharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd

Biocon Biopharmaceuticals Private Limited was founded in 2002. The company’s line of business includes the manufacturing, fabricating, or processing of drugs in pharmaceutical preparations for human or veterinary use.

About Equillium Inc.

San Diego, California based Equillium, Inc. is a biotechnology company that develops products for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders.

Solasia and Maruho Pharma Announce License and Capital Alliance

Solasia Pharma K.K., a pharmaceutical company based out of Tokyo, announced on December 10th that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Maruho Co., Ltd., for commercialization of Solasia’s SP-04 (PledOx®), a therapeutic agent for chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy which is currently undergoing Phase III clinical trials in Japan.

Based on the license agreement, as soon as Solasia completes developing the product, Maruho will commercialize it in Japan. Maruho is expected to make an upfront payment and may also receive milestone payments depending on achievement of development and commercialization milestones.

In addition, the two companies have entered into a capital alliance agreement whereby Maruho acquired Solasia shares with a view to maintain a close business relationship going forward.

About Solasia Pharma KK

Solasia Pharma K.K. is a Japan-based pharmaceutical company mainly engaged in the development, sale, importing and exporting of pharmaceutical products targeting commercialization in Japan, China and other Asian countries.

About Maruho Co Ltd

Maruho Co., Ltd. manufactures and develops pharmaceutical products. The Company also offers pharmaceutical research, investigation, pharmaceutical international trade, and other services.

Immunotherapy Imfinzi Approved in China to Treat Stage III NSCLC patients

Stage III Non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is estimated to affect nearly hundreds of thousands of patients globally. Stage III is the phase when cancer has metastasized throughout the body. The majority of Stage III NSCLC patients are diagnosed with unresectable tumours. No new treatments beyond chemotherapy and radiation therapy (CRT) had been available to patients for decades. AstraZeneca announced on December 12th that it has received marketing authorization from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for Imfinzi (durvalumab) for the treatment of patients with unresectable, stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease has not progressed following concurrent platinum-based CRT.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, for the treatment of diseases in Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism (CVRM) and Respiratory.

Eisai‘s Global Drug Discovery Center Tsukuba Research Laboratories is Reaching Out for the World

Since the opening in 1982, the Tsukuba Research Laboratories has led the creation of innovation by discovering cutting-edge drugs.

Recognized as the next generation innovation center of Eisai, Tsukuba Research laboratories announced on December 10th that it is undergoing a major renovation to connect human, data and the world, to realize Eisai’s medium-term business plan “EWAY2025.”

This renovation aims to accelerate the connection between patients and researchers at the Tsukuba Research Laboratories, for the further digitalization era. Eisai is also planning to introduce an energy management system. The renovation is gradually carried out while maintaining the research function. The final completion is scheduled in the year 2022.

About Eisai

Eisai Co., Ltd. is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. The company positions oncology as a key therapeutic area and is aiming to discover revolutionary new medicines with the potential to cure cancer.

Hangzhou Qiming IPO to Become the First Medical Devices Company to IPO in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) supplier Hangzhou Qiming Medical Devices Co., Ltd. (Qiming Medical) was listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on December 10th, and has become the first medical device listing company in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on the biotechnology sector.

In terms of financing, Qiming Healthcare has experienced at least five rounds of financing. In April 2012, Qiming Medical received millions of dollars in Round A financing from Qiming Ventures, United Express, etc., and in November 2014, the company received tens of millions of dollars in round B financing, with investors in Sequoia Capital China and DNV Capital. In December 2015, Allianz Capital participated in its B-plus round of financing, and in March 2016, Goldman Sachs Group invested $37 million in the company’s C-round investment. In May 2018, Qiming Medical completed the latest round of strategic investments, with the joint investment of DCP, Cowin Capital and Cyzone Capital.

About Hangzhou Qiming Medical Devices Co., Ltd.

Qiming Medical was founded in 2009, headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, mainly engaged in the development and industrialization of minimally invasive treatment of heart valve disease.

References

1. https://www.biocon.com/biocon_press_release_20191212.asp
2. http://solasia.co.jp/en/news/1384.html
3. https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2019/imfinzi-approved-in-china-for-the-treatment-of-unresectable-stage-iii-non-small-cell-lung-cancer-based-on-the-phase-iii-pacific-trial-12122019.html
4. https://www.eisai.com/news/2019/news201991.html
5. https://news.sina.com.tw/article/20191204/33540102.html

Author

GeneOnline