12/19 Taiwan Life Sciences Biweekly Newsletter
2022-12-19 |
| Taiwan Life Sciences Biweekly |
| 1. BioNTech to work with Terry Gou's foundation on cancer immunotherapies 17 December, 2022 The YongLin Healthcare Foundation will partner with BioNTech to develop mRNA-based cancer immunotherapies, according to Terry Gou, founder of the foundation and manufacturing giant Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. In a post on his Facebook page Friday night, Gou said BioNTech is also planning to set up a clinical trial hub in Taiwan for mRNA-based cancer immunotherapies as part of its Asia-Pacific expansion. More... |
| 2. Lotus acquires Alimta in Taiwan from Lilly Press release 14 December, 2022 Lotus Pharmaceuticals (TW: 1795, the 'Company'), a multinational pharmaceutical company, today announced that its Board of Directors has approved the acquisition of the trademark, marketing authorization, and manufacturing know-how of Pemetrexed 100mg and 500mg under the brand name of Alimta in Taiwan for US$62 million from Eli Lilly and Company ('Lilly'). More... |
| 3. 12 Taiwanese biotech companies reap profits of November 12 December, 2022 With the high season for pharmaceuticals and the Double 11, pharmaceutical companies saw their November revenue soar, with 12 companies including Yung Zip Chemical, TTY Biopharm, Synmosa Biopharma, Grape King Bio, ShinyBrands, Ever Supreme Biotechnology, United Orthopedic, and Onyx Healthcare hitting new highs. More... |
| 4. Acepodia may be listing in Taiwan instead of Nasdaq 12 December, 2022 The San Francisco-based biotech company Acepodia, co-founded by US-based biomedical giant Patrick Yang and cell therapy expert Sonny Hsiao, has recently been rumored to be abandoning its Nasdaq listing in the US in favour of listing on Taiwan's capital market. The shareholders behind the company are all very influential, including the founder of the Hon Hai Group, Terry Gao, the chairman of Sonix Technology, Samuel Chen, and Yahoo founder, Jerry Yang. It is expected that once the company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, it will drive capital into the regenerative medicine and cell therapy sectors, creating a new wave of biotech investment in Taiwan stocks. More... |
| 5. Handa Pharma's multiple sclerosis drug clears US FDA's new drug review and is approved for marketing 12 December, 2022 Handa Pharmaceuticals announced that its subsidiary Handa Neuroscience's new 505(b)(2) drug Tascenso ODT, 0.5mg, for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, has passed the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) New Drug Application review and has officially received Final Approval. Handa's General Manager Toshiyo Chen recently revealed that the drug is expected to be officially launched in the first quarter of next year through its licensing partner. More... |
| 6. U-Neuron Biomedical's new drug will start clinical trials in Taiwan, United States next year 9 December, 2022 Regenerative medicine development company U-Neuron Biomedical, which focuses on amniotic fluid stem cells, announced recently that it is developing a new drug to treat erectile dysfunction after prostate cancer surgery. Clinical trials for this drug will commence in Taiwan and the United States in the third quarter of next year. More... |
| 7. PHL expecting healthcare technology transfer from Taiwan after MoU signing 8 December, 2022 The Philippine healthcare industry could benefit from technology transfer following the signing of an agreement between Taiwan掇 Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry (IBMI) and hospitals in the Asia-Pacific, a Philippine hospital industry official said. More... |
| 8. Health Big Data Platform Program takes on responsibility to drive precision medicine in Taiwan 7 December, 2022 The completion of human genome sequencing has given rise to the trend of precision medicine and prompted governments worldwide to formulate the relevant healthcare policies. Meanwhile, Taiwan's healthcare standard, and information and communication technology industry rank among the best in the world. As such, in 2021, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) joined forces to officially launch the "Health Big Data Platform Program," in the hope of using Taiwan's niche advantages to build a comprehensive healthcare database fundamental. Furthermore, the effort also sought to combine digital technology with biomedical research to enhance Taiwan's international competitiveness. More... |
| 9. AmCad BioMed enters the Korean sleep detection market, expects to ship in 2023 6 December, 2022 AmCad BioMed (TW: 4188), a developer of ultrasound Computer-Assisted Detection (CAD) devices, mentioned last week that it had signed an exclusive agreement with a distributor in South Korea and expects to complete local certification and start shipping in 2023. The company said that there are more than 8 million sleep apnea patients in South Korea, and with AmCad BioMed's devices able to quickly screen out patients in need of treatment the business potential in the Korean market is promising. More... (in Chinese) |
| 10. ScinoPharm Taiwan and Nano Targeting & Therapy (NTT) Biopharma collaborate on drug delivery technology 6 December, 2022 Specialist API manufacturer ScinoPharm Taiwan (TW: 1789) and drug delivery technology development company Nano Targeting & Therapy (NTT) Biopharma announced that they are cooperating on a development project using mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) delivery of docetaxel (docetaxel) for brain cancer treatment. Nano Targeting & Therapy (NTT) Biopharma's nanobody drug delivery technology platform has many advantages, which are expected to improve the efficacy of drugs and bring hope to many treatment limitations. ScinoPharm Taiwan said that its cooperation with Nano Targeting & Therapy (NTT) Biopharma marks the company's entry into the field of drug delivery and the more profitable innovative and improved new drug 505(b)(2) pathways. More... (in Chinese) |
| 11. Moderna to conduct trials for its new mRNA products in Taiwan 6 December, 2022 Moderna sees Taiwan as a crucial site for clinical trials necessary for refining its mRNA technology, and will include it as a site for its multicenter trials, said Patrick Bergstedt, a senior vice president of Moderna, on Tuesday during his first visit to the country. The multinational pharmaceutical company has launched an initiative called "mRNA Access," which aims to make its technology platform available for use by researchers worldwide, including those in Taiwan, to facilitate their research into nascent transmissive diseases, Bergstedt said at an event in Taipei. More... |
| 12. Institute for the Biotechnology and Medicine Industry inks MoU with hospitals in APAC 5 December, 2022 At the Healthcare+ Expo, held at Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei, Taiwan, from 1st to 4rth December 2022, the Institute for the Biotechnology and Medicine Industry (IBMI) signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with hospitals in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. The MoU signing ceremony involved the presence of Yang Pan-Chyr, VP IBMI; Tsai Chang-Hai, VP IBMI; Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh, President, Association of Private Hospital Malaysia; Dr Pongpat Patanavanich, Board of Mahachai Hospital chain; Dr Edmundo B. Lopez, President, Philippine Hospital Association; Dr Nguyen Van De, Chairman, Vietnam Private Hospital Association; Dr Iwan Dakota, President Director of National Cardiovascular Center Harapan Kita. More... |
| 13. Healthcare+ Expo Taiwan lays emphasis on cross-collaboration 5 December, 2022 The Healthcare+ Expo, held at Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei, Taiwan, from 1st to 4rth December 2022, witnessed an extravagant opening in the presence of the country's President Tsai Ing-wen. "The Taiwan Healthcare+ Expo is an important platform for public- private co-operations in the development of next-generation health industry. It is also a key venue for showcasing the impressive results of Taiwan cross-disciplinary collaboration across healthcare, biotechnology and digital technology", the President said. More... |
| 14. UBI Asia's COVID-19 vaccine completes Phase III clinical trials, will apply for UK and Australia approval 5 December, 2022 UBI Asia announced that its UB-612 COVID-19 vaccine, sponsored by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and pegged to be a component of UBI's affiliate Vaxxinity's vaccine program, has completed Phase III clinical trials with results released on December 2. UB-612 is expected to submit a conditional/provisional approval marketing application to the UK Medicines and Medical Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in the first half of next year, with the company aiming for the vaccine to be included in the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency use list (EUL). More... (in Chinese) |
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| Taiwan Bio Industry Organization | TEL: 886-27836028 | Email: biotaiwan@gmail.com |
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