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Week in Review: China Life Science Posts $1.3 Billion in Deals
Deals and Financings
Pacific Biosciences (NSDQ: PACB), a San Francisco Bay area company offering long-read sequencing platforms, will acquire Omniome, a San Diego short-read company, for up to $800 million (see story). With the acquisition, PacBio will be the only company to offer highly accurate long-read and short-read sequencing programs. PacBio said combining the two technologies will expand its market and provide more value to clients. Decheng Capital, a
Berry Oncology Corporation completed a $99 million Series B round to support its portfolio of genomic testing products and services for oncology (see story). In 2017, Berry Oncology was spun out from Berry Genomics, an early cancer screening firm. Its offerings include cancer genetic susceptibility analysis, early screening, plus companion diagnostics, response monitoring and prognosis predictions of targeted and immune therapies. With the new funding, the company has raised $309 million it total, the highest in its industry.
Shanghai Zentera Therapeutics raised $75 million in a Series B financing to support clinical development of its three main cancer drug candidates (see story). In 2020, Zentera was formed by Zentalis Pharma (NSDQ: ZNTL) of
Engrail Therapeutics™, a
Shanghai Henlius Biotech (HK: 2696) will collaborate with Shanghai Promega to provide a companion IVD kit for serplulimab, its anti-PD-1 drug (see story). Henlius will develop Promega's OncoMate™ MSI Dx Analysis System to determine microsatellite instability (MSI) status in solid tumor cancers. Patients with high levels of MSA have been shown to react well to immune checkpoint inhibitors, including PD-1 therapies. Promega is a global research tools company that is headquartered in
Trials and Approvals
Akeso (HK: 9926) and Sino Bio (HK: 1177) were approved to launch their partnered anti-PD-1 injection in
BeyondSpring (NSDQ: BYSI), a New York-China pharma, reported its lead asset, plinabulin, posted positive topline data in a US Phase III trial among NSCLC patients (see story). Plinabulin is a selective immunomodulating microtubule-binding agent (SIMBA) that induces antigen presenting cells. It was tested in combination with docetaxel to treat 2nd and 3rd line NSCLC and compared to docetaxel alone. BeyondSpring will file for US approval of plinabulin in NSCLC, its second indication following chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. Decheng has made multiple investments in BeyondSpring.
Shenzhen ImmVira was approved start a Phase I trial of its lead intravenous oncolytic virus therapy in
ASO Bio, a
Disclosure: none.
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