5/13 Taiwan Life Sciences Biweekly Newsletter
2024-05-13 |
| Taiwan Life Sciences Biweekly |
| Formosa Pharmaceuticals Announces Licensing Agreement with Tabuk Pharmaceuticals, for Commercialization of Clobetasol Propionate Ophthalmic Suspension for the Treatment of Inflammation and Pain Following Ocular Surgery Press release 9 May, 2024 Taiwan-based Formosa Pharmaceuticals (TW: 6838) announced today that the company has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Tabuk Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Company for exclusive rights to the commercialization of clobetasol propionate ophthalmic suspension, 0.05 percent (APP13007), a patented innovative medicine for the treatment of inflammation and pain following ocular surgery in key regions of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Clobetasol propionate ophthalmic suspension, 0.05 percent (APP13007) was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 4, 2024. The licensing agreement includes upfront, commercialization milestones, and sales milestones, with additional considerations throughout the term of the agreement. More... |
| Bio Preventive Medicine's DKD Diagnostic Test Kit Approved for Market by Vietnam's Ministry of Health 7 May, 2024 Following the completion of the exclusive agency agreement with a Kuwaiti company for the Middle East and North African regions, Taiwan's Bio Preventive Medicine (TW: 6810) has received more good news regarding its Southeast Asian expansion. In an announcement made recently, the company disclosed that its self-developed innovative diagnostic test kit (IVD), DNlite-IVD103, has been granted market approval by the Ministry of Health of Vietnam. The indicated use is for predicting the risk of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in type 2 diabetes patients. More... (in Chinese) |
| Lin BioScience invited to present further analysis of clinical trial of new drug LBS-008 at ARVO 7 May, 2024 Lin BioScience (TW: 6696) announced that Professor John Grigg, the principal investigator of its subsidiary Belite Bio's clinical trial program, has been invited to present further data analysis of the Phase II clinical trial of Tinlarebant (LBS-008) for juvenile Stargardt disease (STGD1) at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). Clinical trial results show that LBS-008 oral medication has significant potential to slow down disease progression for both STGD1 patients and patients with advanced dry macular degeneration. More... (in Chinese) |
| NaviFUS to work with Italian ultrasound contrast agent firm Bracco 6 May, 2024 NaviFUS (TW: 6872) announced that it had signed a cooperation agreement with the leading brand in ultrasound contrast agents worldwide, Italian-headquartered Bracco. Bracco will provide microbubble contrast products to be paired with NaviFUS's NaviFUS system, serving as a technical platform for opening the blood-brain barrier. NaviFUS will conduct clinical trials and registration inspections for various brain cancer or neurological disease treatments, and following the launch of the NaviFUS system, Bracco will supply the microbubble OEM product to NaviFUS. NaviFUS also stated that the NaviFUS system combined with Bracco's microbubble contrast products will initiate Phase III clinical trials in the second half of this year at National Taiwan University Hospital and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma. More... |
| Leadgene Biomedical teams up with Standard Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical to develop chronic kidney disease treatment 30 April, 2024 A collaboration between Leadgene Biomedical and Standard Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical has brought a glimmer of hope to the prevention and prognosis of kidney disease, according to local reports. From risk assessment of kidney disease progression to tracking the efficacy of nephrotoxin treatment, Leadgene Biomedical's indoxyl sulfate detection reagent kit can be applied. Coupled with Standard Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical's next-generation probiotics product to regulate intestinal flora, this dual approach has created a new model for precision medicine and healthcare. More... (in Chinese) |
| Taiwan Smart Healthcare Alliance reports growing network, collaborations 30 April, 2024 With AI thriving and an accelerated number of AI applications in the medical field in the post-pandemic era, a new digital revolution is upon us. To ride this wave, in 2021 Wu Tsung-tsong of the National Science and Technology Commission proposed the Taiwan Smart Healthcare Alliance (TSHA) project. After three years of research and development, Taichung Veterans General Hospital and the Taiwan Smart Healthcare Alliance Project Promotion Office held the 2024 Taiwan Smart Healthcare Alliance Project achievement presentation on May 5th, focusing on the actual implementation of products and the future commercialization model of medical AI. Since its establishment, the TSHA alliance has signed memoranda of cooperation with various technology companies and academic research institutions. Currently, it is undertaking 23 collaborative development projects and collaborating with Taiwanese medical centers to form a national AI team, actively entering clinical fields, commercializing research outcomes, and expanding into international markets. More... (in Chinese) |
| TTY Biopharm signs MOU with Taipei Veterans General Hospital and Kaohsiung Medical University to expand into Vietnam's healthcare sector 30 April, 2024 Taiwanese cancer drug company TTY Biopharm (TW: 4105) announced the signing of a three-way memorandum of cooperation with Taipei Veterans General Hospital and Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital of Kaohsiung Medical University. The signing ceremony, attended by the Ministry of Health and Welfare Deputy Minister Chou Jih-Haw and nearly 30 Vietnamese physicians as witnesses, marks the first such Taiwanese medical cooperation initiative with Vietnam. Through collaboration among industry, government, and academia, it aims to enhance Taiwan's pharmaceutical industry's service scale and capacity in Southeast Asian countries. More... (in Chinese) |
| Foresee Pharmaceuticals to present two reports at the American Thoracic Society annual meeting 30 April, 2024 Foresee Pharmaceuticals (TW: 6576) announced that it will present two special reports at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Thoracic Society (ATS), which will take place from May 17th to May 22nd in San Diego, California, USA. More... (in Chinese) |
| Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Garners Two Prestigious International Awards for Its Outstanding Achievements Press release 29 April, 2024 The Healthcare Asia Awards, a prestigious international recognition program, honors exceptional healthcare institutions across Asia for their pioneering achievements in healthcare innovation and patient care. On March 26th, at the 2024 Awards Ceremony held in Singapore, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan, emerged victorious, capturing the coveted titles of Hospital of the Year - Taiwan and Smart Hospital Initiative of the Year - Taiwan. More... |
| TFBS Bioscience's viral vector chosen for use in Japanese respiratory vaccine co-development platform 28 April, 2024 TFBS Bioscience (TW: 6939) announced that in collaboration with BioComo and Mie University, both of Japan, they are developing a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine. TFBS Bioscience's viral vector has been selected as the platform for vaccine development, aiming to assist the vaccine's entry into Phase II clinical trials within three years. TFBS Bioscience reported that it is expecting a growth of over 60 percent in revenue from viral vector products compared to last year. TFBS Bioscience is the only professional viral vector CDMO company in Taiwan, possessing mass production technologies for various viral vectors such as adeno-associated virus (AAV), lentivirus, adenovirus, and retrovirus. These technologies aid in gene therapy, cell therapy, nucleic acid drugs, and vaccine development. More... (in Chinese) |
| Lin BioScience's Belite Bio receives US$25 million investment from international biotech fund 29 April, 2024 US-headquartered Belite Bio, a subsidiary of Lin BioScience (TW: 6696), recently announced that it had received a US$25 million injection of funds from a large international biotech fund, equivalent to approximately NT$800 million. The issuance included 1 American Depositary Share (ADS) and 1 Warrant per share at a price of US$38.38 (approx NT$1,230) per share, with each Warrant exercisable at a price of US$44.14 (approx NT$1,410) per share of ADS. This capital injection will be mainly used to support Belite's ongoing development of Tinlarebant (LBS-008), the company's orally administered drug intended to slow disease progression in patients with Stargardt Disease (STGD1) and Geographic Atrophy (GA) in advanced Dry Age-related Macular Degeneration (Dry AMD). More... (in Chinese) |
| Biotech stocks in the spotlight; TaiMed Biologics, Handa Pharma, and others, attract billions of NT$ 29 April, 2024 Biotech companies are once again attracting strong investment interest, with more than 20 companies recently announcing fundraising plans, totaling around NT$10 billion. Among them, companies such as TaiMed Biologics, Handa, Tanvex-KY, and AP biosciences have begun fundraising. Taiwan Biomedical Manufacturing Company (TBMC), in particular, stands out. With Patrick Y. Yang as newly appointed chairman and Chang You-Hsiang, former vice president of pharma giant Roche Pharmaceuticals, as CEO, TBMC's plan to raise NT$4.5 to NT$6 billion in Series A funding has been oversubscribed several times, setting a new record in Taiwan's biotech fundraising history and attracting overseas funds from the US, Japan, Singapore, and other countries. More... (in Chinese) |
| 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... |
| ExoOne granted MoHW approval for human-derived exosomes used as cosmetic ingredients, a first for Taiwan 26 April, 2024 ExoOne Bio, a subsidiary of TTY Biopharm (TW: 4105), announced that it had received approval from Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare to become the local firm to use human cell-derived exosomes as cosmetic ingredients. The company stated that it would gradually launch four products including ampoules, essences, masks, and hair care solutions, onto the domestic market, targeting medical aesthetics clinics, online shopping, and pharmacies. ExoOne Bio focuses on the research and development of exosome-based drugs, with a focus on degenerative diseases. Currently at the research stage, future indications may include glaucoma, degenerative osteoarthritis, and chronic kidney disease. Taiwan's recent regenerative medicine acts, recently approved by the Legislative Yuan, lists exosomes as cell-derived products, making them newly-allowed in Taiwan. More... (in Chinese) |
| Countries With The Best Health Care Systems, 2024 [Taiwan ranked No. 1] 2 April, 2024 According to the 2024 edition of the CEOWORLD magazine Health Care Index, Taiwan has been ranked as the country with the best healthcare system in the world. This index ranks 110 countries based on various factors that contribute to overall health. Two other Asian countries, South Korea (second place) and Israel (tenth place) were also among the top 10. In addition, five European countries made it to the top ten: Sweden (5th place), Ireland (6th place), the Netherlands (7th place), Germany (8th place), and Norway (9th place). 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 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) ========================================= |