Bayer HealthCare announced that its China subsidiary has finally received regulatory approval to complete its acquisition of Topsun's OTC cough and cold portfolio. The takeover has been under way for a long time: it was originally announced in October 2006, and ChinaBio® Today reported five months ago that the deal received a last-minute reprieve only after a technical breach of its drop-dead date. More details...

Stock Symbols: (XE: 575200) (SHA: 600771)

Biofield Corp. established a Chinese national healthcare joint venture built around its breast cancer diagnostic device. The JV joins Biofield and Carelife, which is operating through its appointed agent, China International Medical Exchange Ltd. Funded with approximately $363 million, the Carelife JV will open a China network of medical clinics, call centers and data centers for R&D. By 2012, Carelife expects to open more than 500 medical clinics in China’s major cities.  More details...

Stock Symbol: (Pink Sheets: BZEC) 

Tongjitang Chinese Medicines Company reported that the offer to buy the company has been withdrawn. The offer was made by Tongjitang’s Chairman and CEO, Mr. Xiaochun Wang, and a director, Mr. Yongcun Chen, who proposed buying the company at a price of $10.20 per ADS (or $2.55 per ordinary share). No reason was given for the withdrawal of the offer. The shares of Tongjitang Chinese Medicines responded by giving up almost one-third of their value. More details...

Stock Symbol: (NYSE: TCM)

NovaMed will sell and promote six anti-tumor drugs in China for Pfizer China, a subsidiary of big pharma company Pfizer Inc. The contract began in June 2008. Pfizer China projects that the out-sourcing will increase its coverage ratio in China hospitals for the products by 30% to 40%. More details...

Stock Symbol: (NYSE: PFE)

A San Diego contract manufacturer that specializes in biologics production, a California academic-business consortium, and the government of Taizhou, China are getting together to build a 200,000 square foot CMO facility in China that will focus on cost-effective small-batch manufacturing of biologic products. The new venture will be called Pacific Biopharma. San Diego’s PacificGMP, a three-year-old contract manufacturing enterprise, will contribute its experience with small-batch biologics manufacturing. QB3, a consortium of three University of California Universities and business leaders, will throw in its contacts and desire to produce prospective biologic drugs in small quantities. And the Taizhou government will invest an unspecified amount of money to build the new facility. More details... 

Yunnan Baiyao Group Co Ltd., a maker of traditional Chinese medicines, will acquire the 49% of Lijiang Medicine Co. that it does not already own. With 100% ownership, Yunnan Baiyao expects better integration between the two companies and synergies of operation. More details...

Stock Symbol: (SZSE: 0005380)

Krka, the large generic pharmaceutical company based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, bought a small stake in two China pharmaceutical companies. According to the company, the move will secure a source for inexpensive APIs and chemicals for Krka’s generic drugs. Krka paid just under $800,000 for a 7.5% share of Cejang Menovo Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. and Anhui Menovo Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. Together, the two companies have total annual revenues of approximately $30 million. More details...

WuXi PharmaTech and Covance Inc. signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will create a new joint venture to provide preclinical contract research services in China. WuXi will contribute its new Suzhou lab, currently under construction, and Covance will invest $30 million into the JV. The new facility began construction on September 29, 2007, and it is expected to be on line in 2009. It will offer GLP toxicology, drug metabolism and bioanalytical chemistry services. More details...

Stock Symbols: (NYSE: WX) (NYSE: CVD)

Microbix Biosystems Inc. will establish a joint venture to build a very large influenza vaccine facility in China with financial help from the Hunan provincial government. The $197 million facility will receive a $99 million incentive from the provincial government of Hunan, which will also purchase the first 100 million doses of vaccine. Microbix plans to raise the rest of the money from its licensing partners. More details...

Stock Symbol: (Toronto: MBX)

BioAlliance Pharma SA has licensed the China commercialization rights for Loramyc™ to NovaMed Pharmaceuticals. The deal could be worth up to $4.5 million to NovaMed in upfront and milestone payments. NovaMed will seek to win SFDA approval for the product and then market it in China. Loramyc (miconazole Lauriad®) is a muco-adhesive antifungal therapy that is already approved in some European countries for cancer patients with opportunistic infections.  More details... 

Stock Symbol: (Euronext Paris: BIO)