2/20 Taiwan Life Sciences Biweekly Newsletter
2023-02-21
| Taiwan Life Sciences Biweekly |
| 1. GlycoNex Inc. kicks off its trial for cancer drug GNX-102 in Taiwan 18 February, 2023 GlycoNex Inc. announced on 17 February that it has recently launched a Phase I human clinical trial in Taiwan for its new cancer drug GNX-102, following a successful Phase I clinical trial in the United States. It has completed its first patient intake with two Taiwan medical centers to accelerate the trial process. More... |
| 2. Taiwan stages precision health symposium 16 February, 2023 A symposium on precision health was staged by Taiwan in the northern county of Miaoli Feb. 15, spotlighting the government's commitment to advancing the development of the precision health industry. Organized by the National Health Research Institutes, the daylong event brought together domestic and international experts from Japan, Singapore and the U.S. Participants exchanged research results in the fields of population genomics, precision medicine and big data analysis. High-profile attendees included Sytwu Huey-kang, president of the NHRI; John Chambers, chief scientific officer of Precision Health Research Singapore; and Tan Ee-Shien, head of Genetics Service at KK Women's and Children's Hospital in Singapore. More... |
| 3. Formosa Pharmaceuticals Announces Development Collaboration Agreement with Eyenovia 15 February, 2023 Press release Taiwan-based Formosa Pharmaceuticals (TW: 6838) announced today it had entered into a collaboration agreement with Eyenovia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYEN) for the development of novel ophthalmic therapeutics. The foundation of the collaboration lies in the combination of Formosa's APNT formulation platform with Eyenovia's Optejet delivery system. More... |
| 4. PharmaEssentia's new drug for polycythemia one step closer to approval in China 14 February, 2023 PharmaEssentia (TW: 6446) announced that the New Drug Application for its new drug Ropeginterferon alfa-2b (P1101) for the treatment of polycythemia vera (PV) had received the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approval. The company explained that according to China's Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE), the review of drug marketing authorization applications is about 200 working days after acceptance, excluding the time for supplementary documents. The actual review time and the approval of the drug certificate will be subject to the official notification from the competent authority. More... (in Chinese) |
| 5. Taiwan limits use of Eucalyptus globulus leaf and extract to food flavorings from Jan 2024 14 February, 2023 The Ministry of Health and Welfare is limiting Eucalyptus globulus to use in food flavorings after re-assessing its safety and medical properties. More... |
| 6. PlexBio to expand market in Japan 13 February, 2023 Denka Co., Ltd., Japanese chemical products firm, will invest more than 1 billion yuan to collaborate with PlexBio Co., Ltd, a Taipei, Taiwan-based clinical cancer diagnostics developer, to expand the Japanese market as well as to enter the European and American markets. More... |
| 7. MiiS AI-DR Software Enters Japanese Market 10 February, 2023 Press release Today, the smart healthcare company, MiiS (TW: 6796), announced that it had signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Clairvo Technologies, a subsidiary which is responsible for digital healthcare businesses in Marubeni Group. According to the agreement, Clairvo will sell and market MiiS' eye fundus camera with edge computing AI-based software in Japan. This is a major milestone for MiiS' product to penetrate the Japanese market and endorse the company's commitment to explore the new markets. More... |
| 8. NatureWise's new brain cancer treatment to begin Phase Ib/II clinical trial 8 February, 2023 Botanical drug developer NatureWise Biotech & Medicals (TW: 4732) announced that following the approval of the US FDA for a Phase Ib/II clinical trial of its new cancer drug NBM-BMX for the treatment of brain cancer glioblastomaits, the company had applied to the Taiwan TFDA for Phase Ib/II trial. At stake is a slice of the global market predicted to value US$4.2 billion in 2028. NBM-BMX is a novel small-molecule chemical drug that can specifically inhibit type VIII histone deacetylase. Both in vitro and animal experiments have shown that it can effectively inhibit the growth of cancer cells and tumor angiogenesis. The company planned the Phase Ib/II clinical trial targeting brain cancer after its Phase I clinical trial achieved the expected results. Glioblastoma is the most common primary adult malignant brain tumor, which can quickly endanger the lives of patients. There is still no suitable drug treatment, and it is one of the diseases with the highest unmet needs in the tumor treatment market. More... (in Chinese) |
| 9. Enimmune's EV71 vaccine sees demands from ASEAN 7 February, 2023 After obtaining the drug approval for its EnVAX-A71 vaccine, Enimmune Corp., a subsidiary of Adimmune Corp., has been approached by a number of international manufacturers for the vaccine to enter ASEAN countries through clinical trials, while the parent company has benefited from the export of influenza vaccines to Eastern Europe and the second automated aseptic filling and packaging line has been certified by the European Union. More... |
| 10. NTU's artificial cornea attracts interest from Harvard University 7 February, 2023 Currently, optic nerve repair is limited and difficult, and relies on the use of expensive drugs, many of which are unapproved in Taiwan. The team of National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University (NTU) has spent seven years developing the "electrospun" artificial cornea. Today, they published the results of animal experiments which showed that the electrospun cornea is not only easy to transplant, has no side effects such as inflammation or rejection, but also promotes the regeneration of corneal nerves. These results have attracted the attention of Harvard University in the United States, with development cooperation announced. NTU teams estimate that this technology will enter clinical trials within one or two years. More... (in Chinese) |
| 11. Taiwan's eye care industry sees business growth following Covid restriction lifted 6 February, 2023 With the gradual lifting of the ban in various countries and the excessive use of eyes in the 3C era, Taiwan's eye care industry is seeing strong business opportunities. Contact lens manufacturers, including St.Shine Optical, Pegavision, Visico Vision, VIZIONFOCUS and Brighten Optix, surgery-and-optometry-focused Universal Vision Biotechnology (UVB), as well as ophthalmology AI diagnostic systems and testing equipment supplier, Crystalvue Medical and Medimaging Integrated Solution (MiiS), will see their operations rise in 2023 and have the opportunity to enter high profitability. More... |
| 12. Taiwan-based Lotus Pharma launches drug for multiple myeloma in Brazilian market 6 February, 2023 Taiwan's Lotus Pharmaceutical has announced that together with Adalvo, the company has partnered with Eurofarma, to launch Lenalidomide in the Brazilian market under the brand name Nuvyor. Nuvyor is the first similar molecule in the Brazilian market and is used in the treatment of multiple myeloma - a disease that affects plasma cells, bone marrow cells responsible for the production of antibodies that fight infections. More... |
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| Taiwan Bio Industry Organization (Taiwan BIO) Contact: Daisy Tsai Tel: +886 2 27836028 ext 14 FAX : +886 2 27836027 Mobile: +886 933-139647 | Line ID : daisy222 Email: daisy@taiwanbio.org.tw BIO Asia-Taiwan July 26-30, 2023 ============================== Taiwan Bio Industry Organization (TBIO) Room C229, Bldg. C, No.99, Ln. 130, Sec. 1, Academia Rd., Nangang Dist., Taipei, Taiwan (11571) ============================== |
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