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2017 Preview: Fresh Concerns And New Hopes In China

 
• By Ying Huang and Brian Yang

If 2016's Year of the Monkey was a period of ups and downs in China, filled with a series of rapid changes in regulations and plans for overseas expansion by domestic pharma companies, 2017's Year of the Rooster is likely to be even more uncertain, industry insiders say.

Chinese flag

As China gears up for the major Lunar New Year holidays at the end of January, industry experts in the country predict that 2017 will continue to feel largely similar to a somewhat bumpy 2016, marked by increasing tendering and hospital negotiation pricing pressures, along with shifts in commercial and distribution channels from the broader introduction of a new receipting system.

In its “Opinions on Deepening Healthcare Reform in 2016”, China's central government specified that pilots of the new the "Liangpiao"...

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Chinese Biotech VC/PE Fundings Rise But Still Modest

 
• By Dexter Jie Yan

LTZ Therapeutics and Beijing Sungen Biomedical are among the Chinese biotechs raising new funding, of around $40m each, based on their clinical assets with novel mechanisms of action. While fundings have risen, they remain moderate however.

Degron Eyes Deals For Novel Molecular Glue Degrader Assets

 
• By Dexter Jie Yan

Pursuing first-in-class molecular glue degraders using undruggable targets could eventually help Degron Therapeutics land sizable asset-based deals, CEO Lily Zou tells Scrip.

Ascentage Broadens Horizons As Pipeline Shows Renewed Promise

 
• By Xu Hu

Ascentage will share at ASCO new clinical data on its Bcl-2 inhibitor lisaftoclax, part of the Chinese firm's novel pipeline, on which its CEO shared with Scrip plans and strategy, along with some views on the use of RWD in China.

Strong Data For CARsgen’s CAR-T In Late-Line Gastric Cancer

 
• By Dexter Jie Yan

In first confirmatory randomized controlled trial of any CAR-T therapy in solid tumors, CARsgen’s Claudin 18.2-targeting satri-cel reduced risk of death or disease progression by 63% in Chinese patients with gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer.

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ASCO: Lupin Presents Early Data On PRMT5 Inhibitor

 
• By Vibha Ravi

ASCO sees the debut of Lupin’s PRMT5 inhibitor candidate LRNP7457, currently in Phase I studies in India. While no drug with this mechanism of action has been approved anywhere so far, several candidates are in clinical trials.

MetaVia Sees Obesity Opportunities Despite Challenging US Market

 
• By Jung Won Shin

Despite new challenges related to obesity drug insurance coverage in the US, MetaVia's CEO is confident in the company's novel contender, which unlike rival GLP-1 therapies doesn’t require dose titration.

Public Health And Innovation: Addressing Gaps, Pharma’s Role

 
• By Anju Ghangurde

Expert panel including Ashok Venkitaraman, director of the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, discusses public health challenges and innovations to help address these. Long-acting drugs, intercepting cancer early and “design thinking” by ophthalmologists in India were among the talking points.