A roundup of some of the biggest China pharma industry stories, including the progress of the US Biosecure Act targeting Chinese biotechs; Innovent’s obesity and type 2 diabetes contender’s positive phase III trial results; the strategic partnership between Sino Biological and BioGeometry; CSL’s sale of its China-based plasma collection operations to Chengdu Rongsheng Pharmaceutical, and the launch of Sanyou Biopharmaceuticals’ monkeypox product line.
US bill to restrict business with China’s WuXi AppTec, BGI passes House (Reuters)
China Detains AstraZeneca Staff in Data, Drug-Import Probes (Bloomberg)
Police in China have detained five current and former employees of British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc for questioning about potential illegal activities, according to people familiar with the matter.
The individuals being held are all Chinese citizens who marketed cancer drugs in AstraZeneca’s oncology division, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private information.
Innovent shows off mazdutide’s efficacy in diabetes and obesity (Clinical Trials Arena)
Innovent Biologics has released more data from two Phase III trials evaluating mazdutide in adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity. The Suzhou, China-based biotech has presented data from the Phase III GLORY-1 trial (NCT05607680) evaluating the therapy in obese or overweight individuals, along with detailed results from the Phase III DREAMS-2 trial (NCT05606913) which showed mazdutide to be superior to Eli Lilly’s Trulicity (dulaglutide) in managing type 2 diabetes.
The results were presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) taking place from 9–13 September in Madrid, Spain.
Sino Biological and BioGeometry Deepen Strategic Cooperation to Empower Protein R&D with Generative AI (BioSpace)
Sino Biological, a leading recombinant protein production company, is pleased to announce an expansion of its strategic partnership with BioGeometry, a pioneer in digital biology. This collaboration brings together Sino Biological’s advanced protein expression and wet-lab capabilities with BioGeometry’s generative AI protein design and optimization platform. The two companies aim to enhance their joint offerings and explore high-value market opportunities globally.
Australia’s biotech firm CSL sells plasma collection and fractionation operations in China for $185 M (BioSpectrum Asia)
Australia-based biotechnology company CSL Limited has entered into an agreement with Chengdu Rongsheng Pharmaceutical to sell its Wuhan Zhong Yuan Rui De Biologicals Products (Ruide) plasma collection and fractionation operations for cash proceeds of $185 million.
“The Ruide divestiture is a strategic decision by CSL to serve patients in China through a different approach that better aligns with our long-term strategy and CSL’s scale and capabilities across geographies,” said Paul McKenzie, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, CSL.
China’s Sanyou Bio launches comprehensive monkeypox product line (BioSpectrum Asia)
Sanyou Biopharmaceuticals (Shanghai) has announced the launch of a comprehensive product line targeting monkeypox, which includes antigens, monoclonal antibodies, and overexpression cell lines.
This product line features 65 items across three main categories: 26 natural epitope antigens, 28 high-affinity, high-specificity monoclonal antibodies and 11 overexpression cell lines. These products target multiple key sites on the surface of monkeypox virus, including A29L, M1R, H3L, E8L, A35R, B6R, and critical sites such as A28L, A30L, B21R, L1R and I1L, which are vital for viral infection and assembly.
Connect reduces China workforce, mulls strategy for potential Dupixent rival (Fierce Pharma)
In a year that has already seen Connect Biopharma walk away from a Pfizer collaboration and halt its preclinical work, the biotech is now in the process of “significantly reducing” its presence in China.
As part of its transition into a U.S.-focused company, Connect had already reduced its Chinese head count by around 15% in the year leading up to July, with “further reductions in the China workforce expected by end of year.”
Allist pays Jacobio $21M for KRAS drug combo, landing leading role in Chinese cancer race (Fierce Biotech)
Shanghai Allist Pharmaceuticals has bought itself a starring role in China’s KRAS market, paying Jacobio Pharma 150 million Chinese yuan ($21 million) for rights to a near-approval inhibitor of the oncogene and a potentially complementary molecule.
The deal covers the Chinese rights to the KRAS G12C inhibitor glecirasib and the SHP2 inhibitor JAB-3312. Jacobio filed for approval of glecirasib in non-small cell lung cancer in China in May, hot on the heels of a data drop that suggested the molecule’s efficacy is in the same ballpark as rival drugs. Jacobio identified safety and tolerability as an area it may have an edge over the competition.
Ipsen Sues CSPC Pharma to Block Branded Rival to Cancer Drug (Bloomberg Law)
Two units of French biopharmaceutical firm Ipsen SA filed a federal lawsuit alleging that an injection to treat advanced pancreatic cancer proposed by Hong Kong-based CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. infringes a new patent for Ipsen’s Onivyde.
Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals Inc. and Ipsen Biopharm Ltd. allege that the branded injection proposed by CSPC’s Conjupro Biotherapeutics Inc. infringes US Patent No. 12,059,497, which was issued Aug. 13, according to a complaint filed Aug. 23 in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey.
AbbVie slaps BeiGene with another blood cancer lawsuit, this time on BTK degrader trade secrets (Fierce Biotech)
Just a few short weeks after winning an FDA Fast Track tag for its investigational BTK degrader in certain blood cancers, BeiGene has been accused of trade secrets theft by its old oncology rival AbbVie.
In a lawsuit filed Friday, lawyers for AbbVie argued that BeiGene “enticed and encouraged” former AbbVie scientist Huaqing Liu, who’s named as a defendant in the case, to jump ship and share proprietary information on AbbVie’s development program for Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) degrader drugs in hematological cancers.
