5/9 Taiwan Life Sciences Biweekly Newsletter
2022-05-11 |
| Taiwan Life Sciences Biweekly |
| 1. United Biomedical's US-based spinoff Vaxxinity's Alzheimer's Vaccine receives FDA Fast Track Designation (FTD) 5 May, 2022 Vaxxinity, a US-based and NASDAQ listed spinoff of Taiwanese biomedical group United Biomedical announced in a press release last week that its therapeutic vaccine for Alzheimer's disease (UB-311) has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Fast Track Designation (FTD). Fast Track Designation (FTD) is designed to facilitate the development and expedited review of new drugs to treat serious or life-threatening diseases to address unmet medical needs and provide patients with early access to effective new drug treatments. Alzheimer's disease is a type of senile dementia, accounting for about 60-70 percent of dementia cases. It usually occurs in the elderly (over 65 years old), with prevalence increasing with age. This makes Alzheimer's disease one of the most serious challenges facing geriatric medicine today. Existing Alzheimer's drugs can temporarily slow down memory and cognitive impairment by modulating neurotransmitters, preserving the communication and function of nerve cells, but cannot reverse or prevent the development of the disease. More... (in Chinese) |
| 2. The woman who conquered COVID-19 4 May, 2022 Meet Audrey Tang, the woman who beat COVID-19. She's too modest to put it that way, of course. The Digital Minister of Taiwan is quick to say that "I'm just the face," and that the real credit belongs to the people of Taiwan, who used a mix of open-source tech, crowdsourcing and blockchain-inspired innovation to develop a contract-tracing system that people actually used, keeping coronavirus cases low. More... |
| 3. HCmed medical nebulizer receives TGA approval 3 May, 2022 Taipei, Taiwan headquartered inhaled drug medical devices company HCmed Innovations announced last week that its Pulmogine new mesh nebulizer had obtained medical device approval from the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). HCmed in its announcement said that according to the latest market research, the global inhaled drug market will exceed US$41 billion in 2026. At the same time, affected by the spread of COVID-19-related pneumonia in the past two years, the demand for inhaled lung treatment therapies had increased. This, coupled with the diversification of therapeutic drugs, made the current demand and outlook for drug delivery devices strong. More... (in Chinese) |
| 4. The Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused Ultrasound, a non-invasive ultrasound treatment for hand tremors caused by Parkinson's disease 3 May, 2022 Hand tremors have been found to greatly affect the quality of daily life for those living with such conditions. The team at the Taipei Neuroscience Institute has successfully improved the tremors of many patients to date through the use of magnetic resonance navigation focused ultrasound therapy equipment. The team is conducting more active and in-depth research on essential tremors and Parkinson's disease with dominant tremors, as well as working towards the improved integration of clinical data analysis, and better treatment methods. More... |
| 5. AVer Information enters telemedicine-use camera market 29 April, 2022 AVer Information (TW: 3669) announced that it had released its first first medical grade cameras AVer MD330U and AVer MD330UI. The MD330U series PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) cameras utilize detachable handheld lenses, equipped with 4K high-definition image sensors and AI smart speakers, and have obtained the international medical safety standard IEC 60601 certification. The detachable lens is convenient for hand-held closeup applications (up to 1 cm from a patient's skin, for example), and the 30x optical zoom lens with fast autofocus assists in the clear transmission of images of symptoms to ensure accurate medical diagnosis. AVer Information in a press release mentioned that the development of smart medical care products was one of the company's development priorities in recent years. More... (in Chinese) |
| 6. Foresee Pharmaceuticals and Gwo Xi Stem Cell Company new drugs have completed Phase II clinical studies 28 April, 2022 The clinical trials of two Taiwanese drug development companies have made progress, according to statements by the companies. Foresee Pharmaceuticals' (TW: 6576) Phase II clinical trial for MMP-12 inhibitor FP-025 in the treatment of critically ill COVID-19 patients was completed, with data expected to be released in the second half of this year. And Gwo Xi Stem Cell Company's Phase II clinical trial for GXCPC1, a treatment of knee osteoarthritis, has also been completed. Foresee Pharmaceuticals said with the recent sharp decline in severe COVID-19 patients, its new drug MMP-12 inhibitor FP-025 will be mainly used to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in critically ill COVID-19 patients. ARDS is one of the main causes of death in COVID-19 patients, being inflammation and damage to the lungs caused by excessive immune response, resulting in pulmonary edema and hypoxia in the body. Currently, the treatment of moderate to severe ARDS is difficult and effective therapy is limited. Gwo Xi Stem Cell mentioned that in addition to GXCPC1, the company also has a new liver cirrhosis stem cell drug GXHPC1 and the new cerebral apoplexy stem cell drug GXNPC1 in Phase II clinical trials. More... (in Chinese) |
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| 7. Adimmune, TTY Biopharm, Sanofi win bids for this year's flu vaccine rollout 25 April, 2022 Taiwan's Center for Disease Control (CDC) under the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the procurement results for this years' public-funded quadrivalent influenza vaccine, with Adimmune (TW: 4142) winning the bid for 3.275 million doses. This accounts for more than half of the total procurement volume, with a total amount of more than NTD780 million. Taiwan's TTY Biopharm (TW: 4105) was awarded the bid for 1.13 million doses, with a total amount of NTD270 million, with French multinational healthcare company Sanofi S.A. being the third winner of the bid. More... (in Chinese) |
| 8. Regenerative Medicine's Diverse Potential 28 April, 2022 Recently, the Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare, Chung-Liang Shih, reiterated the superb advantages of further advancing the field of regenerative medicine in Taiwan, and expressed his hope that it will become one of the country's pillar industries. With an emphasis on the diverse potential of regenerative medicine, in March, the Formosa Association of Regenerative Medicine (FARM) invited several experts and physicians to share the latest clinical progress of regenerative medicine in ophthalmology, dentistry, and otorhinolaryngology. More... |
| 9. TVGH and Phillips join forces in AI-based precision medicine 28 April, 2022 On April 14, Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH), in collaboration with the multinational company Philips, announced their results in the field of artificial intelligence-based (AI-based) precision medicine. They have successfully established an early warning system for shock in intensive care patients, which can predict the likelihood of shock among critically ill patients 7 hours in advance. This system will allow physicians to seize precious opportunities for saving lives. More... |
| 10. Taiwan's iXensor receives strategic investment to expand mobile health biz globally 28 April, 2022 Taiwan's iXensor, the pioneer of mobile health, has announced that Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, a multinational pharmaceutical corporation headquartered in Japan, has become the new strategic partner and shareholder. iXensor received Rohto Pharmaceutical's strategic investment to expand its mobile health business globally and accelerate its PixoTech platform licensing business. More... |
| 11. TMU's biomedical engineering researchers found Cholesteric Liquid Crystals ideal for optical device 25 April, 2022 Researchers at the National Health Research Institutes have discovered a new strain of intestinal bacteria that could help treat and prevent inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The study led by Kao Cheng-yuan, an associate investigator at the institutes' Immunology Research Center, was published in November last year in the journal Cell Reports. More... |
| 12. Herbal formula lauded as COVID-19 treatment 25 April, 2022 A traditional herbal formula developed in Taiwan, known as Taiwan Chingguan Yihau, or NRICM101, is an effective treatment against COVID-19, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctors said on Friday. More... |
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