Biologics

China implements a new pilot scheme allowing non-end-to-end manufacturing of certain biologics before possible nationwide implementation for all such products, with resource optimization and aligned quality management systems among the main goals.

CRO executive Horst Ruppach discusses the critical factors that drug manufacturers must consider to ensure compliance with the revised ICH Q5A(R2) guideline on biologics viral safety. Thorough documentation and proactive engagement with regulatory bodies are key to navigating the complexities of viral safety evaluation in biotechnology products, he says.

Axcynsis is developing a derivative of the chemotherapy agent Yondelis as a new payload, which the Singapore venture will first apply to a Claudin 6-targeting ADC it plans to take into a Phase I trial in the US, its chairman, CEO and founder tells Scrip in an interview.

ProBiotix Health has announced two commercial partnerships for the distribution of its probiotic ingredients, with Deutsch-Pharm in Ukraine and Eifron in Greece respectively.

Syngene’s CEO talks to Scrip about how the firm is deepening capabilities in areas like ADCs, PROTACs and why the US Inflation Reduction Act may not necessarily shrink outsourced small molecule work. The executive also shares his view on the China ‘rebalancing’ trend amid geopolitical tensions and the US BIOSECURE Act.

The Belgian drugmaker’s dual IL-17A and IL-17F inhibitor is now approved for four indications in the US, with another in hidradenitis suppurativa expected soon, and analysts believe that UCB’s peak sales forecast of €4bn could be on the conservative side.

Rare disease activities within the biologics center will gain more prominence with a senior official overseeing them.

Determining what falls within the statutory definition of ‘biological product’ is an interpretative question that courts, rather than the agency, must resolve, Lilly said in a lawsuit repeatedly citing the US Supreme Court’s June decision in Loper Bright.

In this week's podcast edition of Five Must-Know Things: summer ADC dealmaking continues apace; a look at cell therapies in Japan; Pfizer’s new US digital consumer platform; Galapagos’s US point of care CAR-T study; and Novartis partners with Lindy on biologics delivery.

Novartis is paying Lindy potentially more than $900m to use its technology for making intravenous biologics available for subcutaneous injection using autoinjectors.