The latest news from the Chinese pharmaceutical industry, including recent deals between domestic pharma giant Simcere and German biotech Vivoryon in Alzheimer’s; Innovent’s tie-up with Ascentage; Biogen’s USD 125 million midstage MS drug pact with InnoCare; and Everest Medicines’ partnership with social media giant Tencent.
Sinopharm Tops Ranking of Most Valuable Chinese Pharma Brands (Albawaba)
https://www.albawaba.com/business/sinopharm-tops-ranking-most-valuable-chinese-pharma-brands-1437758
Leading the fight against the nation’s health emergency, Chinese pharma brands have performed extremely well over the previous year. According to the Brand Finance China 500 2021 ranking, the pharma sector recorded an impressive 123% cumulative brand value increase – a result bolstered by solid performances across the board, as well as from the eight new brands that entered the ranking this year.
Alzheimer’s gold rush inspires $565M deal between Chinese pharma powerhouse and little German biotech (Endpoints)
The ballooning controversy around Biogen and its Alzheimer’s drug isn’t deterring others from the gold rush — and the search is global.
China’s Simcere is licensing regional rights to a Phase IIb anti-amyloid drug from German biotech Vivoryon Therapeutics and taking the lead on clinical development locally. All told, the pact is valued at up to $565 million, including an undisclosed upfront payment.
Innovent Buys Into Ascentage, Opening New China Biopharma Chapter (Scrip)
The unprecedented deal between two public Chinese biotechs, Innovent Biologics and Ascentage Pharma, potentially provides an opening for more such mega-million dollar deals to come.
Biogen taps Chinese biotech InnoCare in $125M midstage MS drug pact (Fierce Biotech)
Biogen is paying $125 million upfront to work on InnoCare’s orelabrutinib, an oral, small-molecule Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) that the pair hopes can cut it in multiple sclerosis.
Biogen, much in need of some new innovation in MS given what analysts see as a lack of preparation for a patent cliff for its three key MS drugs—Tysabri, Tecfidera and Vumerity—is turning to Beijing-based InnoCare Pharma to help.
Everest Medicines Ties With Tencent To Scale Last Mile To Patient Care (Seeking Alpha)
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4439877-everest-medicines-ties-tencent-last-mile-patient-care
What do cutting-edge cancer drugs and social media have in common?
Not much, really. But that unlikely pairing is bringing together cancer and autoimmune disorder drug startup Everest Medicines Ltd. (1952.HK) and leading social media operator Tencent Holdings Ltd. (0700.HK), with the former apparently lining up to sell its drugs on the latter’s platforms.
1.4 billion doses later, China is realizing it may need mRNA COVID vaccines (Fortune)
https://fortune.com/2021/07/16/china-mrna-vaccine-pfizer-biontech-fosun-doses/
China is the only major economy in the world not to approve or distribute COVID-19 vaccines that use the mRNA technology proven to be one of the most effective tools in preventing the spread of COVID-19. But China’s mRNA stance may be changing.
