6/19 Taiwan Life Sciences Biweekly Newsletter
2023-06-20 |
| Taiwan Life Sciences Biweekly |
| Taiwan's Biotech Industry Shines at the 2022 BIO International Convention 12 June, 2023 The annual BIO International Convention hosted by Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) is the world's largest industry gathering. It brings together thousands of global biotechnology industries, biopharmaceutical leaders, and related organizations from over 30 countries. As the innovation hub of the Asia-Pacific region and a crucial link between Europe, the Americas, Japan, and Asia-Pacific markets, Taiwan is actively promoting precision medicine and digital health developments. More... |
| DCB, New England Medical Innovation Center sign MOU to create Taiwan-US biomedical ecosystem 11 June, 2023 The Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the New England Medical Innovation Center (NEMIC), located in Rhode Island, USA. The collaboration aims to advance innovation and development in medical technology and precision health, and will include exploring and selecting Taiwanese biotech startups, supporting startups and entrepreneurs in the field of medical technology, and jointly building a medical technology ecosystem in Taiwan. In 2022, through NEMIC, DCB's Nankang Biotech Incubation Center (NBIC) had already established connections with biomedical resources in Rhode Island. With the signing of the MOU between DCB and NEMIC, the collaboration will focus on three aspects: exploring Taiwanese biotech startups, supporting startups and entrepreneurs from both sides, and establishing a medical technology ecosystem in Taiwan. More... (in Chinese) |
| Novartis: Innovating to Enhance Patient Health Interview 9 June, 2023 Novartis, the leading pharmaceutical company in Taiwan and much of the East Asian region in terms of sales, views its mission as developing breakthrough treatments to extend and improve people's lives. In its focus in Taiwan on the fields of oncology, hematology, cardiovascular, neuroscience, and immunology, the Swiss-based multinational "puts the patient at the center of everything we do," says Fran Milnes, president of Novartis (Taiwan). More... |
| Midge bite vaccine patch developed 9 June, 2023 Taichung Veterans General Hospital yesterday said it has developed the world's first vaccine patch to treat bites from the Forcipomyia taiwana, a biting midge also known as the "little black mosquito," which is responsible for many irritating bites in the summer. More... |
| Taiwan-based Lotus Pharma inks US$350M deal for bipolar depression treatment 9 June, 2023 Taiwan-based Lotus Pharmaceuticals, and American firms Alvogen and NRx Pharmaceuticals have entered into a global collaboration agreement. The collaboration aims to develop and commercialise NRX-101 specifically for the treatment of suicidal treatment-resistant bipolar depression (S-TRBD) in global markets. Moreover, this collaboration aims to address the therapeutic needs of patients with suicidal treatment-resistant bipolar depression (S-TRBD), a condition for which effective treatment options are limited. More... |
| Pythia Biotech partners with Merck Taiwan to propel "ongan-on-a-chip" technology 12 June, 2023 Pythia Biotech, an organ-on-a-chip company, announced on 9 June that it will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Merck Taiwan, a company specialized in healthcare, life sciences and electronics, to explore a new generation of drug development and testing platforms that will replace traditional cell-based and animal-based tests by building microenvironments that accurately simulate human physiology through a proprietary "organ-on-a-chip" technology. It is hoped that this will lead to a revolutionary breakthrough in the development of new drugs. More...  |
| Merdury Pharmaceutical makes another move into the US market 7 June, 2023 Merdury Pharmaceutical is actively expanding into the US market and recently announced a partnership with the US CDMO company Biokey. In addition to providing related testing services for Merdury Pharmaceutical's drug development, Biokey will also rent is facilities with US GMP qualifications to facilitate Merdury Pharmaceutical's use of 3D printing technology for setup, demonstration, and US GMP manufacturing. Merdury Pharmaceutical anticipates that this collaboration will facilitate the validation, manufacturing, and sales of their developed drugs in the US. It will also promote their world-leading 3D printing pharmaceutical technology and equipment in the US. Leveraging Biokey's global business expansion capabilities, Merdury Pharmaceutical aims to achieve product licensing agreements with third parties, thereby gaining access to additional licensing fees. More... (in Chinese) |
| iXensor Advances Smart At-Home Testing with Innovative Solutions 7 June, 2023 iXensor, a leading pioneer in the mobile health industry, will be participating in Medical Taiwan 2023, held in Taipei from June 8th to June 10th (Booth P0312). This year, iXensor's visionary CEO, Dr. Carson Chen, has been invited to deliver a compelling speech on the topic of "The New Era of Mobile Health Smart At-home Testing on the Rise," as part of the highly anticipated 2023 Health+ Conference. With a focus on women's health and at-home testing hub and management, iXensor will be showcasing its diverse product lines and introducing its new contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services. More... |
| NSTC Joins Forces with Taiwan Biomedical Start-ups to Rise to the World Stage, Showcasing Innovations at US BIO's Demo Day 7 June, 2023 With the aim of supporting the international export of Taiwan's biomedical industry and effectively attracting capital and attention from international companies, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) held the Taiwan Smart Health Demo Day at US BIO in Boston on June 6, with presentations by 20 biomedical start-ups and active participation by over 100 representatives from renowned venture capitalists, multinational pharmaceutical companies, public associations, and the BIO International Convention. More... |
| Acepodia Secures $100 Million Series D Financing to Advance First-in-Class Cell Therapies with Antibody-Cell Conjugation (ACC) Platform Press release 6 June, 2023 Acepodia, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class cell therapies with its unique Antibody-Cell Conjugation (ACC) and allogeneic gamma delta 2 T-cell platforms to address gaps in cancer care, today announced a US$100 million Series D financing led by Digital Mobile Venture with participation from additional existing investors. The funds will be used to progress the company's pipeline of enhanced cell therapies for solid tumors and hematologic cancers, including ACE1831 and ACE2016. ACE1831 is an anti-CD20 armed allogeneic gamma delta 2 T-cell therapy currently being studied in a Phase 1 trial for patients with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. ACE 2016 is an anti-EGFR armed allogeneic gamma delta 2 T-cell therapy targeting EGFR-expressing solid tumors. More... |
| Oneness Biotech's diabetic foot ulcer new drug receives Indonesian NDA 6 June, 2023 Oneness Biotech (TW: 4743) announced that FESPIXON, its new drug for diabetic foot ulcer with the trade name ON101, has received NDA approval from the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM). According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) statistics, Indonesia had an estimated diabetic population of around 19.5 million in 2021, projected to increase to 28.6 million by 2045. The related complications, such as foot ulcers and amputations, are on the rise, posing a significant healthcare burden. With the acceptance of FESPIXON's registration application by BPOM, if approved, it will provide a new treatment option for diabetic foot disease patients in Indonesia. More... (in Chinese) |
| BRIM Biotech announces three business focus items for the rest of 2023 5 June, 2023 BRIM Biotech (TW: 6885) held a corporate briefing and announced three key focuses for the second half of this year. First, the Phase III clinical trial for dry eye disease drug BRM421 is expected to be completed by year's end, with data to be released in the first half of next year. Second, the Phase II clinical trial for neurotrophic keratitis drug BRM424 is expected to commence enrollment as early as June. Third, BRIM Biotech has entered into a collaboration with a yet-unnamed international pharmaceutical company, and has recently submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for a new anti-cancer drug. For BRM421, in addition to pursuing licensing opportunities in the US market, BRIM Biotech will also initiate one to two regional licensing collaborations this year. More... (in Chinese) |
| Officials from 22 countries gather in Taiwan to learn about smart healthcare Press release 5 June, 2023 The International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) organized the Smart Healthcare and Application Technology Workshop where healthcare officials from 22 countries across five continents came to Taiwan to study the local development of smart healthcare. On the 5th of June, the group visited Taichung Veterans General Hospital and received an overview of the hospital's smart healthcare development, achievements in artificial intelligence research in the field of immunology and rheumatology, results of artificial intelligence predictive models in the intensive care unit, and the information system architecture supporting smart healthcare. More... (in Chinese) |
| Taiwan's biotech looks to raise a record NT$30B in 2023 5 June, 2023 Biotech stocks have taken advantage of this year's stock price boom to raise funds. As of the end of May, at least 30 companies have announced fundraisings totalling over NT$30 billion, setting a new record for annual fundraising in the biotech sector. More... |
| CancerFree Biotech selected to participate in MassChallenge Switzerland's 2023 accelerator program 5 June, 2023 CancerFree Biotech announced its successful selection for the prestigious MassChallenge Switzerland's 2023 accelerator program. CancerFree Biotech is the only Taiwanese company selected for this top-tier program and the sole representative from Asia in the biotech industry. This year, MassChallenge Switzerland selected 112 startup companies out of over 1,220 global applicants for the program, representing the top 9 percent of global applications. As the exclusive representative from Taiwan, MassChallenge Switzerland invited over 300 independent experts to provide feedback to each startup company, helping them improve their business models. The selected startups come from 36 countries across four continents, all committed to sustainable development. More... (in Chinese) |
| Locus Cell collaborates with Japan掇 CellFiber to introduce cell encapsulation and amplification technology to Asian markets 5 June May, 2023 Locus Cell announced that through the introduction by the former CEO of global CDMO giant MINARIS and current director of Locus Cell, Mr. Hisashi Koseki, Locus Cell has obtained the exclusive global license for the cell encapsulation and amplification cultivation technology from CellFiber in Japan, which can amplify cells up to 10 times. This technology will be exclusively authorized to Locus Cell for the Asian market. More... (in Chinese) |
| PharmaEssentia Selects Pint-Pharma as Commercial Partner for BESREMi (ropeginterferon alfa-2b-njft) in Latin America Press release 2 June, 2023 PharmaEssentia Corporation (TPEx:6446), a leading fully integrated biopharmaceutical company in Taiwan, today announced that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Pint-Pharma GmbH for the registration and promotion of BESREMi (ropeginterferon alfa-2b-njft) for the treatment of polycythemia vera (PV), a rare blood cancer, in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico. More... (in Chinese) |
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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) ============================== |