CATEGORIES

Biogen, Beckman Coulter and Fujirebio to develop new tests for tau pathology

Biogen Inc., Beckman Coulter, Inc. (both based in the US) and Japan-based Fujirebio have announced a collaboration to potentially identify and develop blood-based biomarkers for tau pathology in the brain and to potentially clinically advance and potentially commercialise new tests for tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Pfizer upgrades pharma production plant in Melbourne

Australia is stepping up to the global fight against antimicrobial resistance, as Pfizer Australia announces a major upgrade to its manufacturing facility in Melbourne, Victoria.

mRNA as novel active ingredient - Plasmid Factory providing the template for tomorrow's vaccines

PlasmidFactory GmbH was founded in 2000 in Bielefeld/Germany with 4 employees. In the meantime, under the founder and managing director Dr. Martin Schleef, the company has become a well-known contract manufacturer (CDMO) for plasmid and minicircle DNA. Today, PlasmidFactory has ~50 highly qualified employees, and has established a GMP manufacturing facility.

"Our priorities will include identifying and understanding the challenges while engaging regularly with industry leaders to address their concerns"

K Raja Bhanu has been elevated from Executive Director to Director General of the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil), effective July 1, 2024. Bhanu brings a wealth of experience from his distinguished career in drug control and regulation. He has a proven track record in advancing drug quality, safety, and regulatory compliance. His leadership at the Drug Control Administration (DCA) was marked by significant initiatives that enhanced drug regulation standards and reinforced India's pharmaceutical reputation globally. In his current role, Bhanu is set to drive the expansion of India's pharmaceutical exports, boost global competitiveness, and adeptly navigate the complexities of international regulations, leveraging his extensive expertise to foster industry growth and global prominence. In an interaction with BioSpectrum, he shared his plans on addressing many challenges before the Indian pharma industry to stay compliant with international regulations. Edited excerpts:

"Australia has long been a global leader in research, yet our biotech sector has not lived up to its full potential"

Australia's first true biotech incubator, Proto Axiom, has secured $20 million in the first close of its $30 million Series B round to strengthen the nation's biotech sector through greater IP retention. Anthony Liveris, CEO of Proto Axio discusses the incubator's selection criteria, identifying the most promising biotech trends for global health, and outlining the key strengths that make Australian biotech globally competitive. Edited excerpts:

Unleashing Innovative Wound Care Solutions

The incidence of wounds is rising, especially in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. In Australia alone, 420,000 individuals are impacted by chronic wounds, leading to direct healthcare costs of AUD $3 billion, representing 2 per cent of the country's total healthcare expenditure. Similarly, data from Singapore between 2000 and 2017 revealed that the incidence of wounds among hospitalised adults was 300 per 100,000 for those over 18 and 800 per 100,000 for those over 50. Let's explore further.

Cutting Clinical Costs with Companion Diagnostics

Advancing personalised medicine has become a key goal for many pharma firms, evident from the rising number of such therapies under clinical development. In 2022 alone, 12 new personalised medicines were approved, marking these treatments as accounting for at least a quarter of new drug approvals over the past eight years. This contrasts sharply with a decade ago when personalised medicines constituted less than 10 per cent of new approvals annually, according to The Personalised Medicine Coalition report. As the trend towards precision medicine and targeted therapies continues, companion diagnostics (CDX) are becoming increasingly vital, particularly in oncology. Let's explore the opportunities that CDX presents and the hurdles in their development and implementation.

Advancing Japan's Biotech Ecosystem: Current Initiatives and Future Outlook

Japan has a robust drug discovery capability, having developed an interleukin-6 inhibitor, a programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor, and, in earlier years, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor for Alzheimer's disease.

Strategies for Success in Japan's Biotech Ecosystem

Japan’s biotech sector is a landscape rife with opportunity, yet also a complex market that requires a deep understanding of local ecosystems and cultural nuances.

Boosting Japan's Biotech Ecosystem

Japan's biotech ecosystem is at a pivotal moment, characterised by both challenges and opportunities. Despite a rich history of scientific achievement, including significant contributions to biochemistry and medicinal chemistry, Japan has struggled to cultivate a vibrant startup culture in biotechnology. This stagnation is partly attributed to stringent drug pricing controls that have stifled innovation and investment in the sector.

Rebooting Japan's Biotech Growth Engine

Japan was once a global leader in life sciences innovation, responsible for nearly 30 per cent of all new drugs. However, its share has since dropped to less than 10 per cent. Between 1995 and 2018, Japan's contribution to the global pharmaceutical industry's value-added declined by 70 per cent, from 18.5 to 5.5 per cent.

Australia creates new transparent blood vessel-on-a-chip

A University of Sydney team has successfully created a transparent microchip with the potential to reduce the testing of new drugs to treat heart disease on animals before proceeding to clinical trials.

University of Sydney launches institute in Vietnam to focus on public health & sustainability

The University of Sydney Vietnam Institute has been officially launched and will build on a network of leading researchers and educators to benefit communities in Vietnam and beyond through impactful research and engagement.

Why global pharma companies choose India for GCCs

India’s pharmaceutical industry is globally recognised for its capabilities in research and manufacturing and for its skilled labour. The country’s attractiveness as a destination for Global Capability Centres GCCs) is underpinned by several key factors, including cost-efficiency, a vast talent pool, robust infrastructure, and strong regulatory support.

How technology and AI are democratising healthcare

As Artificial Intelligence AI) continues to shape the way we work and live, we must ensure that we are tapping into its full potential when it comes to the healthcare space. By leveraging its unique capabilities to address the accessibility barriers that we see in our healthcare centres in the APAC region and equip policymakers and industry leaders with the knowledge, tools and information to change and democratise our healthcare systems.

"We're seeing Al-powered diagnostic tools enhancing accuracy and efficiency, across multiple sectors"

In July 2024, Advanced MedTech Holdings (AMTH) appointed Wong Yau Chung as its new Group Chief Executive Officer, succeeding his role as Group Chief Operating Officer. With a core focus in urology devices and contract manufacturing services, the company serves millions of patients and physicians across 100 countries worldwide. Wong Yau Chung interacts with BioSpectrum Asia and shares his vision for Advanced MedTech Holdings' future and insights on key trends shaping the medtech industry.

Addressing Root Causes of Brain Disorders with Innovative Therapeutics

Neuroscience is a complex market encompassing a range of neurological conditions.

PAHO and World Bank launch PROTECT project to strengthen pandemic response in South America

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Bank have launched the PROTECT Project, an initiative to improve pandemic response in seven South American countries.

WHO prequalifies first self-test for hepatitis C virus

The World Health Organization (WHO) has prequalified the first hepatitis C virus (HCV) self-test which can provide a critical support in expanding access to testing and diagnosis, accelerating global efforts to eliminate hepatitis C.

Psylo partners with University of Sydney to deliver psychedelic treatments in Australia

The University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Centre has partnered with Psylo, a global biotechnology startup and pioneer in nonhallucinogenic psychedelic drugs, to develop innovative treatments for psychiatric and neurological disorders using advanced artificial intelligence technologies. Researchers at the University of Sydney's School of Psychology have developed machinelearning-guided behavioural analysis technology, which utilises high frame-rate cameras and sophisticated dataparsing techniques to predict the behavioural profiles and potential therapeutic properties of new drugs.

Hyundai Bioscience develops multi-treatment drug to treat mosquito-borne viral infections

Korea-based Hyundai Bioscience, which is preparing for a dengue fever basket clinical trial in Brazil, has successfully developed a multi-treatment drug for mosquito-borne viral infections, including dengue fever, using niclosamide as the main ingredient.

GSK, MVV launch malaria medicine in Brazil and Thailand

GSK plc and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) اله Aq re m have announced that the first single-dose medicine for the prevention of relapse of Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) malaria - tafenoquine, co-administered with chloroquine for radical cure, has now been launched in both Thailand and Brazil, in support of malaria elimination efforts.

Taiwan's Bora Pharma buys Emergent BioSolutions' manufacturing site for $30M

The US-based Emergent BioSolutions Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its drug product facility in Baltimore-Camden to an affiliate of Taiwan's Bora Pharmaceuticals Co., a leading international pharmaceutical services company, for a total value of approximately $30 million.

Merck expands production capabilities for cell culture media with €6.6M investment in China

Merck has announced the start of commercial production of its first Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) compliant manufacturing line for cell culture media (CCM) in China.

Bangkok Hospital invests 200 M baht to establish robotic surgery centre

Bangkok Hospital, a leading healthcare provider in Thailand, has invested over 200 million baht to establish a cutting-edge robotic surgery centre.

Asia's first health research related preclinical network facility opens in Faridabad

Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Government of India, has inaugurated Asia's first health research-related 'Pre-clinical Network Facility' under the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) at the Regional Centre of Biotechnology under the aegis of the Translational Health Science & Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad.

Korea announces launch of mental health policy innovation committee

The South Korean government recently convened the inaugural meeting of the Mental Health Policy Innovation Committee at the National Center for Mental Health.

Australia delivers first aged care digital plan

The Australian government has released its first Aged Care Data and Digital Strategy.

Sartorius opens new CoE for bioanalytics in US

Germany-headquartered life science group Sartorius has opened its new Center of Excellence (CoE) for bioanalytics in Ann Arbor, Michigan, US two years after breaking ground in the Tech Loop at Research Park.

Singapore-Japan team finds common virus that triggers growth of nasopharyngeal cancer

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Chiba University in Japan have shown how the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) alters specific genes, making nasopharyngeal cancer tumours (NPC) grow faster.