Hangzhou Sciwind Biosciences completed a $29.5 million series A round, led by Legend Capital (see story). Established in 2017, Sciwind is developing protein and peptide candidates for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and the diseases it causes, including diabetes, liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. The company expects it will submit INDs for two undisclosed compounds in 2019. Shiyu Capital and Kawin participated in the round.

Shukun Technology, a Beijing medical artificial intelligence company, raised $29.5 million in a series B financing round led by China Creation Ventures, a VC firm focusing on the China TMT (see story). Shukun combines expert and machine intelligence to improve the diagnostic experience in hospitals. Its lead product, CoronaryDoc, is being tested in clinical trials as a first-in-class AI product to diagnose heart disease. The company said it aims to address the shortage of specialized MDs in China.

GenomePrecision Technology of Beijing completed a $15 million B round, led by Yizhuang Biomedical M&A Fund (see story). A six-year-old company, GenomePrecision develops molecular diagnostic products including precision medicine tests. Its operations include R&D, manufacturing, distribution, registration and services. The company has developed multiple series of tests for leukemia, lymphoma, transplant typing, solid tumor detection, pharmacogenomics, pathogen detection, cervical cancer products and research use.

Innovent Biologics (HK: 01801) of Suzhou will collaborate with Shenzhen Chipscreen Biosciences to evaluate a combination of Tyvyt®, Innovent's China-approved PD-1 immunotherapy, with two Chipscreen products in patients with colorectal cancer (see story). The two Chipscreen molecules are Chidamide, a China-approved HDAC inhibitor, and an Avastin biosimilar. Tyvyt® is registered in China for relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin's lymphoma. Innovent is currently testing Tyvyt in more than twenty clinical trials including seven registration studies. Chidamide induces apoptosis by inhibiting the cell cycle.

Shanghai HaiHe Pharma formed a JV with CSPC Pharma (HK: 1093), a Shijiazhuang state-owned company, which will develop and commercialize five HaiHe clinical stage candidates (see story). The assets include two cancer pain drugs, an anti-infective and two cancer treatments. One week ago, HaiHe announced it raised $146.6 million to support its portfolio. HaiHe merged with RMX Biopharma in 2018. HaiHe is conducting clinical trials on ten molecules and has five more in pre-clinical studies.

WuXi STA Pharma, the small molecule manufacturing subsidiary of China's largest CRO, WuXi AppTec (SHA: 603259; HK: 2359), will collaborate with Switzerland's BioLingus to provide sublingual delivery formulations (see story). WuXi STA will have exclusive access to BioLingus technology for sublingual and buccal delivery in the contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) sector. BioLingus' proprietary technology forms injected small molecule, peptide and protein drugs to be administered sublingually (orally under the tongue). WuXi STA offers process development and manufacturing services to global pharmas.

Happy Life Tech of Beijing, an AI-based clinical/post-marketing CRO, teamed up with Pharmaceutical Product Development, a global clinical-stage CRO, to provide drug developers in China with clinical trial management and post-launch testing (see story). The two companies expect their alliance will help to bring foreign drugs to China and, conversely, bring China drug products to global markets. The collaboration intends to provide clients with China services, including clinical study protocol design, site selection, patient recruitment and real-world evidence.

HuaSin Science of Guangzhou obtained exclusive China rights to a test that offers early detection of HPV, a precursor to cervical cancer, from Genomica of Madrid (see story). HuaSin, which will produce the test under its own DiBao label, has started the China registration process and expects a China launch in 2021. HuaSin distributes clinical laboratory instruments, medical devices and reagents, manufactures in vitro diagnostics products and provides thirty-party clinical laboratory services.

Trials and Approvals

Solasia Pharma of Japan announced approvals in China for two of its products that treat chemotherapy side effects: episil ® oral liquid, a treatment for chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis, was approved for China use, and Sancuso, a transdermal Granisetron patch, was approved for China launch as a treatment for chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting (see story). episil® is a pocket-sized spray that allows patients to manage oral mucositis side effects. Sancuso, a 5-HT3 antagonist transdermal patch, offers chemotherapy patients a noninvasive treatment for nausea and vomiting. Solasia will distribute the two products in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou; Lee's Pharma will distribute them elsewhere in China.

Owlstone Medical, a Cambridge, UK diagnostics company, will collaborate with Shanghai's Renji Hospital to conduct a clinical trial of Owlstone's Breath Biopsy as an early detection device for lung cancer (see story). The Breath Biopsy device measures volatile organic compounds -- gaseous molecules in the breath that are produced by metabolic processes and can be used to detect cancer, inflammatory, infectious, metabolic, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The trial is supported by the Li Ka Shing Foundation.

Disclosure: none.