4/29 Taiwan Life Sciences Biweekly Newsletter
2024-04-29 |
| Taiwan Life Sciences Biweekly |
| Cabinet approves two bills on regenerative medicine 26 April, 2024 The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. More... |
| ITRI Sweeps 2024 Edison Awards with Four Groundbreaking Innovations [including for its Novel Dual-Targeted Therapy for Glaucoma] Press release 24 April, 2024 The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) triumphed at the recent Edison Awards™ in Fort Myers, Florida, securing recognition for four exceptional technological breakthroughs: the Novel Dual-Targeted Therapy for Glaucoma, Key Functional Cell Identity (KFCI), PureTex Sustainable Decolorization Solution, and the High Resolution Full-Color Micro LED Display. Out of 400 nominees, ITRI garnered one gold and three silver awards, the third-highest number of wins among the global contenders. This extends ITRI's winning streak at the Edison Awards™ to eight consecutive years, placing it alongside industry giants like Dow, Corning, and DuPont. More... |
| EverFortune. AI obtains Singapore license and secures contract for 200 software sets 23 April, 2024 EverFortune. AI. announced recently that its EFAI Cardiosuite SPECT Myocardial Perfusion Agile Workflows system had been notified by Singapore's Health Sciences Authority (HAS) that it had obtained a medical device license, and through its Singapore representative had secured a contract for 200 software sets. With this approval, EverFortune. AI has already obtained a total of 14 Taiwan TFDA, 10 US FDA, and 9 other countries' medical device market approvals, totaling 33 licenses. On the back of these approvals, the company achieved a record high revenue of NT$21 million in March, a year-on-year increase of 407 percent. More... (in Chinese) |
| Taiwan Is Indispensable in Preparing for Future Pandemics 23 April, 2024 As the WHO debates a new global health governance framework, Taiwan is left out of the discussion - to the detriment of future anti-pandemic efforts. More... |
| Abnova launches CellTX cell therapy reagents, expanding into cell therapy markets 22 April, 2024 As the pharmaceutical industry shifts towards cell and gene therapies, the application of cell therapy technology is expanding. With its unique therapeutic mechanisms and large potential, cell therapy technology has garnered widespread attention in the global scientific community. In 2017, the US FDA approved the first CAR-T product for the global market, marking the entry of cell therapy technology into a new era of rapid development, especially in the field of cancer treatment. More... (in Chinese) |
| DHA could prevent catheter-associated infections: NTU research 22 April, 2024 Research at National Taiwan University (NTU) has concluded that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) combined with a small molecule medicine eradicates bacteria biofilms on catheters, which could help prevent catheter-associated infections common among hospital inpatients. More... |
| Next-Generation gene sequencing included in National Health Insurance reimbursement from May 1st, 2024 22 April, 2024 The Department of Health's National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) announced that next-generation gene sequencing (NGS) tests for 19 cancer types will be included in national health insurance reimbursement starting from May 1st this year, with an estimated total reimbursement of about NT$300 million in the first year. Genetic testing companies such as TSH Biopharm, KIM Forest, Genomics, Bionet, Sofiva, ACT Genomics that will benefit from this policy expect that the NGS testing market will eventually exceed NT$1 billion. More... (in Chinese) |
| Utilizing MetaTech's stem cell technology, National Taiwan University Hospital develops bladder weakness treatment 8 April, 2024 Led by Dr. Chang Shang-Jen from the urology department at National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), a team of urology specialists utilized MetaTech's patent-pending high polymerized human stem cells to treat the common problem of bladder detrusor muscle dysfunction (commonly known as bladder weakness) often seen in elderly patients. They found a clear trend of improvement. The clinical research findings were presented at the recent European Association of Urology (EAU) conference and were awarded the Best Paper Award. Originally an electronics components company, in 2017 MetaTech transferred cell sheet culturing technology from Japan, and formally entered the regenerative medicine business. More... (in Chinese) |
| PharmaEssentia's Ropeg granted special import approval by the Colombian Food and Drug Administration 21 April, 2024 PharmaEssentia (TW: 6446) announced that its drug Ropeginterferon alfa-2b (referred to as Ropeg, also known as P1101) has been granted approval by the Colombian Food and Drug Administration (INVIMA) under the Named Patient Program (NPP) for the importation of medicines for personal use by patients with urgent medical needs. PharmaEssentia stated that its supply chain team has been closely collaborating with its authorized partner in Latin America, Pint-Pharma GmbH, to arrange shipments as quickly as possible to benefit more patients. More... (in Chinese) |
| EVA Air recertified for pharmaceutical air cargo operations 19 April, 2024 This past week EVA Air and Evergreen Airline Services Corp, both part of the conglomerate Evergreen Group out of Taiwan, were recertified by the International Air Transport Association’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma). Only a few airlines carry this certification which is one of the main global standards for cold transport of high-value pharmaceuticals by air. It sets baseline trust for companies seeking to transport valuable pharmaceuticals and components across the world as part of supply chain operations. More... |
| Pharmosa Biopharm announces development of new integrated drug-device nebulizer 19 April, 2024 Integrated drug-device company Pharmosa Biopharm announced that it has developed a new generation of advanced nebulizers, marking another milestone for the company in its development of a unique nebulizer technology and product platform. According to the company, this new product was developed with mesh nebulization technology and suitable for inhalation administration of nano-liposomal drugs, featuring respiratory entrainment, ultra-low residual volume, and utilizing a mesh module that is unclogged, highly efficient in delivery, without compromising sustained-release effects. More... (in Chinese) |
| TCI Gene announces partnership with Malaysia's Alpro Pharmacy 19 April, 2024 TCI Gene (TW: 6879) recently announced a strategic cooperation with Malaysia's Alpro Pharmacy, the country's leading chain pharmacy. TCI Gene has granted exclusive agency rights to Alpro Pharmacy for its genetic testing products and will sell them through the chain's 300-plus outlets in Malaysia, with the service launching in April. More... (in Chinese) |
| AI healthcare application jointly developed by two Taiwan hospitals to optimize workflow, save time 19 April, 2024 To reduce the burden of manual tasks on hospital personnel, Taichung Veterans General Hospital (TCVGH) together with National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) announced that over the past year the two hospitals have been developing an AI healthcare application, Healthcare GPT. According to the announcement, this large-scale tool, developed using de-identified medical data, can be used in preparing medical records, consultations, and email responses, among other uses, saving the time of medical staff, optimizing processes, allowing for more precise clinical decisions, with an estimated monthly reduction of 60,000 minutes. Through deep learning and natural language processing techniques, Healthcare GPT can generate fluent text output and answer complex questions. More... (in Chinese) |
| TaiGen Biotechnology's anti-Influenza drug TG-1000 meets endpoints in Phase III clinical trial in China 18 April, 2024 TaiGen Biotechnology announced recently that it had received notification from its Chinese cooperation partner, Health Elements Pharmaceuticals, that the Phase III clinical trial results of the anti-influenza virus new drug TG-1000 met its trial endpoints. Health Elements Pharmaceuticals intends to apply for TG-1000's new drug inspection and registration in mainland China, according to TaiGen. More... (in Chinese) |
| ICARES Medicus acquires US-based MBI for NT$800 million 18 April, 2024 Ophthalmic technology company ICARES Medicus, having originally held shares in US-based eye products company MBI, announced that it will now acquire 100 percent ownership of MBI, which will become a subsidiary of the group. The case will proceed pending approval of ICARES Medicus shareholders at its May 31 meeting. More... (in Chinese) |
| Government procures 6.88 million doses of influenza vaccine from local and international providers 17 April, 2024 The Ministry of Health and Welfare's (MoHW) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced results of its public tender for the quadrivalent influenza vaccine. In addition to Taiwan firms Adimmune, TTY Biopharm, and Medigen Vaccine, and French company Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has been included for the first time, with a total procurement of 6,882,000 doses. Adimmune secured the bid for 3.2 million doses, accounting for almost half. More... (in Chinese) |
| Scientists Develop Biofortified Rice with High VitB1 Content Without Affecting Yield 17 April, 2024 A team of scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), ETH Zurich, and Taiwan's National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) have successfully increased the Vitamin B1 content of rice grains, a significant achievement in the fight against vitamin B1 deficiency, which is associated with a rice-based diet. More... |
| MegaPro Biomedical's anticancer drug new formulation obtains overseas patents 16 April, 2024 MegaPro Biomedical (TW: 6827) announced that its new formulation of Sanofi's next-generation anticancer paclitaxel drug, Oncotaxel, named MPB-1734, and developed under the company's nanomicelle technology platform, had obtained separate patents in the United States and Japan. MPB-1734 has currently received approval for Phase I/II clinical trials from the US FDA and Taiwan's TFDA. The first part of the trial has already enrolled 11 participants across the first three dose groups, with enrollment for the fourth dose group (30 mg/m2) underway. More... (in Chinese) |
| Merdury Biopharmaceutical collaborates with SCI Pharmtech, signs MTA for new drug formulations and dosage forms 15 April, 2024 Merdury Biopharmaceutical (TW: 6932) announced that it has signed a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) with SCI Pharmtech (TW: 4119) to collaborate on the development of drug formulations and dosage forms. The first drug to be developed under this agreement is a derivative of fatty acids and an antiepileptic drug. According to the announcement, SCI Pharmtech will supply the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), while Merdury Biopharmaceutical will use its patented Stackdose technology platform to develop the antiepileptic drug. This involves utilizing special encapsulation technology to extend the duration of drug action and attempting to reduce the concentration of the API in use. If the initial development is successful, Merdury Biopharmaceutical envisages future licensing agreements with overseas pharmaceutical companies. More... (in Chinese) |
| Inventec announces utilization of its automated circulating tumor cell detection system in Thailand and Malaysia 12 April, 2024 Electronics firm Inventec's subsidiary, Good Future Biomedical Technology, announced that it had collaborated with its group partner, Inventec Appliances, to develop an automated circulating tumor cell detection system, CircuXin. Dr. Lin Chi-peng, the head of Good Future Biomedical, stated that this system has already been deployed in overseas markets such as Thailand, Malaysia, and other regions. More... (in Chinese) |
| Revisiting his Billion-dollar Cancer New Drug Fund pledge, VP Lai Ching-de calls for national effort to fight cancer 11 April, 2024 With the average life expectancy in Taiwan exceeding 80 years, unhealthy years of that total are estimated to be at least eight, according to a speech by current Taiwan Vice President Lai Ching-de at a recent cancer forum. As he assumes the presidency, Lai said he hopes he can contribute to the health of the Taiwanese people with his Billion-dollar Cancer New Drug Fund, that he first announced during his presidential campaign, and called for a national effort in the battle to combat cancer. 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 2024 (24-28 July, 2024) ========================================= Taiwan Bio Industry Organization (TBIO) Room C229, Bldg. C, No.99, Ln. 130, Sec. 1, Academia Rd., Nangang Dist., Taipei, Taiwan (11571) ========================================= |