CATEGORIES

"Generic manufacturers will likely face increasing challenges such as pricing pressures driven by unbranding efforts"

Kelix Bio, a UAE-based biopharmaceutical company, has four assets in India, Egypt, Malta, and Morocco, and with combined revenues of over $200 million in 2022, the company is pursuing aggressive organic and inorganic growth in Middle East/North Africa (MENA). Kelix Bio’s focus on chronic therapy areas and specialty products in high-growth markets positions it for significant growth and a planned listing on a major exchange in 2026. The company recently completed four acquisitions including Indian firm Celon Labs, thereby expanding its portfolio in oncology, critical care, cytotoxic drug products and insulin analogues. In conversation with BioSpectrum Asia, Hocine Sidi Said, Chief Executive Officer, Kelix Bio and Chairman, Celon Labs, reveals the company’s growth plans, strategic partnerships and more. Edited excerpts;

"APAC has one of the fastest drug discovery innovation speeds in the world"

U S-headquartered West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., a global leader in innovative solutions for injectable drug administration, has recently inaugurated its newly advanced manufacturing facility in Jurong, Singapore. This is part of West's commitment to invest more than $350 million globally in 2023. Alagu Subramaniam, Senior Director, Sales and Commercial Operations, Asia Pacific, West Pharmaceutical Services shares more details about this new facility in a candid chat with BioSpectrum Asia. Edited excerpts;

"There is a significant opportunity for LC and multi-angle light scattering instruments to be used in CDMOs across India"

In February, Waters Corporation, a global leader in analytical instruments and software, entered into an agreement to acquire Wyatt Technology, a pioneer in innovative light scattering and field-flow fractionation instruments, software, accessories and services, for $1.36 billion in cash. BioSpectrum spoke with Dr Udit Batra, President and CEO, Waters Corporation about the acquisition and how the company will expand the product portfolio of Wyatt Technology in the Indian market. Edited excerpts:

Breaking Biotech M&A out of a Slump

Biotech mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have stagnated in recent times. The last big deal was in 2019 when American drug major Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) acquired US-based Celgene for $74 billion. After a relatively unremarkable 2022 for biotech M&A, 2023 started with a flurry of billion-dollar acquisitions both globally and in the Asia-Pacific region. The latest examples include Astellas Pharma, a Japan-based company, acquiring American firm Iveric Bio for $4 billion in April 2023, and American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer proposing a $43 billion acquisition of US-based Seagen in March 2023. This surge of activity indicates an accelerating M&A landscape in the biotech industry. Let’s explore the industry’s expanding M&A landscape.

Ending the AMR Cycle

According to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) annual review of antibacterial agents in clinical and preclinical development, the R&D pipeline for new antibacterial medicines is insufficient to tackle the challenge of increasing emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, the availability and access to new and existing antibiotics, including generics, is a challenge for countries of all income levels. The Global Leaders Group on AMR recently reiterated that the world faces a serious antibiotic pipeline and access crisis that requires innovative financing measures.

"Urgent action is needed worldwide to reduce AMR and protect our existing antibiotics"

The Australian Antimicrobial Resistance Network (AAMRNet) is Australia's leading multi stakeholder expert group formed to address the impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on human health. Andrew Bowskill is the CoChair of the Network and shares his insights on Asia's efforts in tackling the silent pandemic of AMR, the challenges and the way forward. Edited excerpts;

"New technologies are required to fill the gap and reverse resistance to existing antibiotics"

Established in 2021, Lixa is an Australian biotechnology company developing revolutionary, broadly applicable and scalable solutions for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). The firm is developing NeoX, a disruptive, proprietary, antibiofilm platform technology to resolve recalcitrant, resistant and recurring bacterial infections across human, animal and environmental health. Dr Maud Eijkenboom, CEO, Lixa highlights the state of AMR fight in Asia and why investing in newer technologies such as biofilms is crucial to defeat AMR. Edited excerpts;

"Key strategy of ICARS is to develop and test context-specific solutions for AMR mitigation"

Dr Renu Swarup, Former Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, India and Vice Chair, International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS), Denmark highlights the importance of ‘One Health’ approach to effectively tackle the threat of superbugs in the APAC region. Edited excerpts;

TECH-POWERED WAR ON AMR

The consistent increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is threatening to undo many of the gains of modern medicine. The situation is particularly alarming in the Asia Pacific region, which could witness around 50 per cent of global annual AMR-related mortality by 2050. Around 62 per cent of antibiotics in the region are used without prescriptions, indicating inappropriate usage and significantly increasing the risk of AMR strain emergence, according to a report from LEK Consulting Group. All this makes the region an epicentre of AMR and its consequences. In response to the growing threat, countries in the region have taken steps to tackle the AMR threat. These include a National Action Plan on AMR (NAP-AMR), antimicrobial stewardship efforts, diagnostics surveillance etc. However, the million-dollar question is whether these steps will be effective and enough. Let’s find out.

Amaroq, GeneCrypt to supercharge cancer research with new levels of health data privacy

Start-Up News

MedTech Innovator APAC picks 24 startups for annual accelerator prog

Start-Up News

Cyteph secures $1.5 M for brain cancer immunotherapy trial

Start-Up News

Scivita Medical opens R&D, manufacturing plant in Suzhou Industrial Park

Start-Up News

Colorcon invests in new pharma-based film coating plant in Malaysia

Company News

Samsung Biologics, Pfizer partner for long-term manufacturing of biosimilars portfolio

Company News

Lotus Pharma, Alvogen and NRx Pharma to commercialise NRX-101 for S-TRBD

Finance News

InDex Pharma inks $50 M deal with Viatris Japan

Finance News

Medtronic to acquire wearable insulin patch maker EOFlow for $738 M

Medtronic, Ireland headquartered healthcare technology firm, has entered into a set of definitive agreements to acquire South Korea-based EOFlow Co, manufacturer of the EOPatch device — a tubeless, wearable and fully disposable insulin delivery device.

Chugai to invest over ¥ 50B to build new biomanufacturing facilities in Japan

Japan-based Chugai Pharmaceutical has announced its decision to construct a new bio active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) manufacturing building and injection building in the Utsunomiya Plant of Chugai Pharma Manufacturing, a member of the Chugai Group.

Australia injects $50 M to drive innovative models of primary care

The Australian government is strengthening Medicare with a new $50 million research initiative to drive innovation in primary care.

Taiwan, Canada reach deal on public health cooperation

Taiwan and Canada have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote cooperation on health affairs and boost the efficiency of joint programmes.

Malaysia launches first purpose-built healthcare and wellness city in SEA

KLWC is open for collaborations with regional and international partners to jointly develop this healthcare and wellness city.

Japan injects $200 M to support third phase operations of GHIT Fund

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has recently announced the Government of Japan’s pledge to contribute $200 million to the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund)/ United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

India-Australia partnership to tackle non-communicable diseases

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Chhattisgarh Health Department in India and Australia’s George Institute for Global Health for a five-year research on malnutrition & non-communicable diseases in Chhattisgarh.

Tapping Full Potential Of Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles are another powerful tool in the biotech industry’s arsenal for targeted drug delivery. Their extremely small size, measured in nanometres, makes them highly effective carriers for therapeutic agents. These miniature carriers can be customised to encase drugs, benefiting from their biocompatibility, controlled release capabilities, stability, and low toxicity. The precision offered by nanoparticles opens up a world of possibilities for treating various diseases, including infectious diseases, cancer, and neurological disorders. These tiny particles offer tremendous potential for targeted drug delivery, enhanced therapeutic efficacy and precise disease targeting. Moreover, the global market for nanoparticle drug delivery is projected to grow significantly, reaching $123.6 billion by 2025, according to BCC Research. Let’s deep dive into the fascinating field of nanomedicines, advancements and challenges in nanoparticle drug delivery.

Asian biosciences industry shines with multiple innovations

COVID-19 was a wake-up call for the vaccine industry globally and in Asia, and a catalyst for vaccine R&D. Global majors like BioNTech, Moderna, MSD and Sanofi have unveiled plans to expand footprints in Asia, while local players are striving to catch up fast in developing novel vaccines, in addition focusing on other therapeutic areas like oncology and cell and gene therapy. With these developments Asia is emerging as a biosciences innovation hub.

Devising a viable global strategy to combat Cholera

Since mid-2021, the world is facing an acute upsurge of the 7th cholera pandemic characterised by the number, size and concurrence of multiple outbreaks, the spread to areas free of cholera for decades and alarming high mortality rates. Based on the current situation and lack of vaccines and other resources, the World Health Organisation (WHO) assesses the risk at the global level as very high.

How Digital Transformation Strategy could transform Indonesia's healthcare system for the better

Since the COVID-19 epidemic, the digital healthcare business in Indonesia has rapidly expanded. The country needed to modernise its healthcare system, including digitalisation, in addition to enhancing performance and accessibility. Concerns over Indonesia’s healthcare future led to investments in digital healthcare, and the government is now working to encourage its spread.

"We plan to manufacture one million tests of VANSCAN Typhoid RT PCR test in our first year in India"

Indian firm Vanguard Diagnostics recently launched the VANSCAN Typhoid RT PCR Test, which is India’s first Typhoid RT PCR test based on patented technology. With typhoid fever being common in developing countries, India is an endemic country for typhoid with a burden of approximately 4.8 million cases per year. Veena Kohli, Chief Executive Officer, Vanguard Diagnostics spoke, at length, with BioSpectrum about the growing cases of typhoid in the country and how the new diagnostic solution can solve this problem. Edited excerpts:

"Bringing a drug to market successfully goes beyond proving its efficacy in treating a particular disease"

Kyowa Kirin, a Japan-based Global Specialty Pharmaceutical Company has been expanding its pipeline in rare diseases, with a focus on endocrinology and paediatrics. In 2020, the company launched a corporate venture capital firm to invest in early-stage companies, particularly for research and development (R&D) platforms that complement their own research and will hopefully lead to future product development. Dr Tan Boon Heon, President, Kyowa Kirin Asia Pacific, highlights the company’s tech-driven innovation approach, emerging trends in the pharma industry and the increasingly stringent regulatory landscape. Edited excerpts: