China Investment Roundup: Spotlight On Oncology

Early-stage venture capital funding in China continued to rise in Q3, while big Chinese companies are investing in foreign firms with an eye on access to new products and market expansion. Several healthcare funds were also set up to tap into emerging opportunities.

Business teamwork puzzle pieces.

Innovation is undoubtedly the key element in China’s healthcare investment scenario and early-stage venture capital funds continue to back home-grown new drug development with a total of 15 deals in the third quarter. The biggest deal was valued at up to $66m.

More from China

RemeGen Fast-Tracks Potential World-First BLys/APRIL Agent For gMG In Global Phase III Trial

 

RemeGen is planning to complete enrolment in the global Phase III RemeMG study with telitacicept in generalized myasthenia gravis by the end of 2025 or early 2026. The Chinese firm has already sidelined two other global Phase III trials with the molecule to prioritize the indication.

AstraZeneca Expands Emphasis On China, Already A Key Market

 
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UK pharma will invest $2.5bn in Beijing R&D hub, build a vaccine manufacturing site with BioKangtai, and partner in chronic disease with Syneron and in oncology/immunology with Harbour BioMed.

Kelun Wins World’s First TROP2 ADC Approval In Lung Cancer

 

While diverging from partner Merck & Co. in its study dosage of sacituzumab tirumotecan, Kelun has garnered the world’s first approval, in China, for a TROP2-targeting antibody-drug conjugate, for the treatment of lung cancer.

TYK’s EGFR Inhibitor Bests Tagrisso In NSCLC Brain Metastases

 

Chinese biotech TYK Medicines says its EGFR inhibitor outperformed AstraZeneca’s same-class blockbuster Tagrisso in a pivotal Phase II trial for first-line use in brain metastases resulting from EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer.

More from Focus On Asia

Generative AI In Drug Discovery And India’s Potential To Leapfrog

 
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Heads of Novartis Biomedical, World Economic Forum and Indian majors like Sun Pharma’s SPARC, among others, discuss generative AI in drug discovery along with pointers for India to leapfrog the R&D process

Mounjaro In India: Price Differential, Window Of Opportunity

 

Lilly’s Mounjaro arrives in India, with the 2.5mg vial priced at under $41 in a market that has over 100 million diabetics and increasing obesity rates. Will the product see sharp demand like in China, carving out a chunk of the pie ahead of the potential arrival of semaglutide generics and could there be concerns of ‘suitcase' exports?

LigaChem Eyes Future Acquisition Of IKSUDA Following 26.6% Stake

 
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South Korea's LigaChem is kickstarting a growth and globalization drive through a potential future acquisition of UK ADC player IKSUDA.