BrightGene Bio-Medical Technology Co., Ltd.

One cornerstone of a new deal involves Bristol Myers Squibb’s collaboration with the Access to Oncology Medicines Coalition, which will help make Opdivo available in Pakistan, Rwanda and Zambia. When it comes to supporting cancer care and other therapeutic approaches in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), Bristol Myers Squibb is taking a long-term view. In its quest to reach more than 200,000 patients with its medicines in LMICs by 2033, BMS on Wednesday said it's embarking on a new 10-year effort to bolster access. One cornerstone of the plan involves BMS’ collaboration with the Access to Oncology Medicines (ATOM) Coalition, which BMS joined as a founding supporter back in 2022. Now, working with ATOM and its partners, BMS aims to roll out an access model for its cancer fighter Opdivo in "select countries," including Pakistan, Rwanda, Zambia. BMS says it will also work to develop an integrated pathway to expand Opdivo access in multiple other LMICs by 2026. Beyond immuno-oncology, BMS says it has introduced local brands of many of its drugs in LMICs to help address affordability issues and cut the lag time between availability of its drugs in higher- and lower-income countries. For instance, Bristol said it filed for 11 drug approvals in LMICs in 2023; five were granted approvals. As part of its 10-year plan, BMS plans to utilize "direct import" and "direct-to-institution" distribution pathways in countries where it lacks a commercial presence. Through the direct import approach, BMS is granting access to 12 medicines in more than 80 LMICs via a tiered pricing structure. The direct-to-institution (DTI) pathway, meanwhile, relies on collaborations with local treatment partners. The company’s initial DTI efforts center on Pakistan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia, a BMS spokesperson said. The company is exploring or setting up DTI partnerships in another 6 countries. BMS' latest global access move is not entirely unusual among large pharma players. In late 2022, AstraZeneca made a similar play with its "Accelerating Change Together for Cancer Care in Africa" project, which provides a platform for partners to usher in advances in local cancer care. The program, which is led by a steering committee of doctors, oncology institutions and advocacy groups, aims to improve care by focusing on early screening and diagnosis, patient empowerment and more, AZ said at the time. Elsewhere, a host of drugmakers signed on with ATOM when the coalition launched in 2022, including AstraZeneca, BeiGene, Gilead Sciences, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi and Teva. In one of the first access moves by a coalition member, Novartis at the time said it would license its blockbuster chronic myeloid leukemia therapy Tasigna to the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP). Last summer, the effort took another step forward as MPP enlisted four generic drug makers to produce copycat versions of Tasigna. The agreement allows Indonesia's BrightGene and three Indian manufacturers—Dr. Reddy’s, Eugia and Hetero—to produce generic Tasigna in six countries—Egypt, Guatamala, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tunisia—and supply it to 44 territories.

HONG KONG, Nov. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 20, 2023, Viva Biotech Holdings Group (1873. HK) announced that it completed a funding round, securing approximately US$210 million and bringing in the strategic investors, Temasek, Highlight Capital (HLC), and True Light. Following this transaction, the Viva Biotech Holdings group obtained financing of nearly US$150 million through the transfer of approximately 24.21% equity in its CRO business entity, Viva Biotech (Shanghai) Limited. Before, the publicly listed company at the group level had already secured approximately US$ 60 million in convertible bond financing, which will be automatically converted into shares at the price of 2.0 HKD/share on the delivery date. Dr. Cheney Mao, Chairman and CEO of Viva Biotech, stated that we are pleased to announce the completion of the equity investment and convertible bond arrangement with our strategic investors. This step is pivotal for our future strategic plans, fostering Viva's rejuvenation and sustainable growth, and leading to greater value and returns. At Viva Biotech, innovation remains our cornerstone, as we continuously improve our state-of-the-art technology platforms, fully leveraging the capabilities of our globally recognized drug research and development service platform, among other ventures. Looking ahead, Viva Biotech is committed to maintaining its unique approach to providing comprehensive, one-stop services in drug research, development, and production. Leveraging our extensive experience and unique position in pioneering First-in-class drug discovery, coupled with our comprehensive service offerings, we are dedicated to delivering specialized, customized, full-range services to the global biotech and pharmaceutical industries. This commitment is underpinned by the profound expertise of our highly skilled team of scientists. About Viva Biotech Established in 2008, Viva Biotech (01873.HK) provides one-stop services ranging from early-stage structure-based drug R&D to commercial drug delivery to global biopharmaceutical innovators. We offer leading early-stage to late-phase drug discovery expertise by integrating our dedicated team of experts, cutting-edge technology platforms, and state-of-the-art equipment in X-ray crystallization, Cryo-EM, ASMS, SPR, HDX, CADD, and much more. Our business covers all aspects of therapeutic strategies and drug modalities, including small molecules and biologics across the pharma and biotech spectrum. The experienced chemistry team, led by senior medicinal chemists and drug discovery biologists, provides services for drug design, medicinal chemistry (hit to lead and lead optimization), custom synthesis, chemical analysis and purification, kilogram scale-up, peptide synthesis and corresponding bioassays. With our subsidiary, Langhua Pharmaceutical, we offer our worldwide pharmaceutical and biotech partners a one-stop integrated CMC (Chemical, Manufacturing, and Control) service from preclinical to commercial manufacturing. Additionally, Viva embedded an equity for service (EFS) model to high potential startups to address unmet medical needs. Introduction of Relevant Investors: About TEMASEK Temasek is a global investment company with a net portfolio value of S$382 billion as at 31 March 2023. Its Purpose "So Every Generation Prospers" guides it to make a difference for today's and future generations. As an active investor, forward looking institution and trusted steward, it is committed to deliver sustainable value over the long term. Temasek has overall corporate credit ratings of Aaa/AAA by rating agencies Moody's Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings respectively. Headquartered in Singapore, it has 13 offices in 9 countries around the world: Beijing, Hanoi, Mumbai, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Singapore in Asia; and London, Brussels, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, and Mexico City outside Asia. About HighLight Capital (HLC) HighLight Capital (HLC) is dedicated to creating long-term values through the promotion of technology innovations. Empowered by deep knowledge in chemical, biological and material sciences, and leveraging proprietary industry research and comprehensive enablement services, HLC strives to create sustainable value over the long term by investing in companies that boost manufacturing efficiency. HLC has invested in over 100 leading companies, including Mindray, United Imaging, Yuwell, Wuxi Biologics, Tigermed, Baheal Pharma, Pharmaron, BrightGene, Hongene, BABO, XINGYUN Group, CHOWSING Nourse, Nayuki. SOURCE Viva Biotech Holdings

Shionogi's acquisition of Qpex, data from a Takeda enzyme replacement therapy and an expert's analysis of AbbVie's patent lawsuit against BeiGene made our news this week. Shionogi will pay $100 million upfront to purchase an infectious disease company. Takeda unveiled more data to back its enzyme replacement therapy for a rare heart disease. AbbVie's BTK patent infringement lawsuit against BeiGene may have merit, according to a patent expert. And more. 1. Fierce Biotech M&A Tracker 2023: Shionogi buys Qpex for $100M; Erytech and Pherecydes plot merger Shionogi is bolstering its infectious disease portfolio by paying $100 million upfront to buy Qpex. The acquisition gives the Japanese company xeruborbactam, a beta-lactamase inhibitor that’s designed to target the mechanism behind resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics such as penicillin. Shionogi believes the drug may provide improved activity in combination with other antibiotics. 2. After data breadcrumbs, Takeda shows elimination of deadly blood clot attacks for rare disease drug Takeda has laid out detailed data for its ADAMTS13 enzyme replacement therapy TAK-755 in patients with congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (CTTP), a rare disease. The disorder can be fatal and is characterized by sudden attacks. But interim results from a phase 3 trial showed that patients taking the drug as a preventive measure didn’t have any acute TTP attacks. 3. AbbVie's Imbruvica-Brukinsa patent suit may have merit, and BeiGene will likely settle: expert AbbVie may succeed in its BTK patent infringement case against BeiGene, a patent attorney told SVB Securities. BeiGene could try to invalidate the method of use patent, but the expert thinks it’d be difficult based on how narrow the patent is and its extensive “prior art” list. The expert predicted that BeiGene will likely settle the case by paying AbbVie sales-based royalties. 4. Eisai launches Gates-backed research collab to develop digital tools for dementia diagnosis, treatment In a new research collaboration dubbed NEURii, Eisai, Gates Ventures, the University of Edinburgh, Health Data Research UK and LifeArc, which is a nonprofit medical research organization, have joined forces to develop digital health tools to predict and monitor cases of dementia. A two-year pilot period will focus specifically on the U.K. Artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies will help analyze the massive databases to help the partners design new tools. 5. Generics to Novartis' leukemia drug Tasigna to reach poor countries under 4 MPP licenses Under a previous license Novartis penned with the Medicines Patent Pool, four generic drug makers have signed on to produce copycat versions of the Swiss pharma’s myeloid leukemia blockbuster Tasigna for some low- and middle-income countries. BrightGene of Indonesia and three Indian manufacturers—Dr. Reddy’s, Eugia and Hetero—will make and supply their generic versions to 44 territories. 6. Pfizer partners with CSPC to make Paxlovid for China (Bloomberg) China’s CSPC Pharma said it signed a partnership with Pfizer to make a Chinese brand of the oral COVID drug Paxlovid. The deal comes after Pfizer didn’t reach a national reimbursement agreement with Chinese authorities. Pfizer has previously tapped local generic drug maker Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical to help manufacturer Paxlovid.