Biosense Global, a New Jersey-Suzhou in-licensing company, exercised a $75 million option for China rights to an active lupus immunotherapy developed by Neovacs (Paris: ALNEV), a French biopharma (see story). The exercise of the option follows a successful Phase II trial of the therapeutic vaccine, IFNalpha Kinoid. Biosense will make an undisclosed upfront payment plus milestones. It will also underwrite a China arm of a global Phase III IFNalpha Kinoid trial.  

Daiichi Sankyo (TO: 4568) acquired greater China rights to Penthrox, a fast-acting non-opioid analgesic, from Medical Developments (ASX: MVP) of Australia in a $32.5 million agreement (see story). Penthrox, an oral prescription drug known as the green whistle because of its packaging, is used for pain relief in trauma and minor surgical procedures. Daiichi Sankyo will make $15 million in upfront and sales-based milestone payments. It will have marketing rights in China,Thailand and Vietnam.  

Lepu Medical Technology of Beijing invested $22 million in New York-based Rgenix as part of a $40 million Rgenix Series C round (see story). Along with an equity stake, Lepu will have China rights to Rgenix' cancer drug candidates. Rgenix will use the proceeds to support Phase Ib and Phase II clinical trials of its small molecule immunotherapy, RGX-104, plus early development of a molecule that suppresses gastrointestinal cancer progression and unspecified discovery stage programs.  

Deep Intelligent Pharma, a Beijing healthcare AI startup, raised $15 million in a Series B round from Sequoia Capital China (see story). DIP has assembled a team that combines AI engineers with experts in drug R&D to accelerate drug discovery, development and medical affairs using advanced AI and blockchain technologies. In May, DIP completed a $6.6 million series A round from Zhen Fund, which also invested in the 2017 Pre-A funding.  

BeiGene (Nasdaq: BGNE; HK: 06160) will collaborate with MEI Pharma (Nasdaq: MEIP) of San Diego to test MEI's ME-401, a PI3K delta inhibitor, in combination with BeiGene's BTK inhibitor in patients with B-cell malignancies (see story). MEI will amend its ongoing Phase Ib trial to include evaluation of zanubrutinib, BeiGene's BTK inhibitor, in combination with ME-401 in B-cell malignancy patients. The costs of the trial will be shared equally by the two companies; both will supply clinical supplies of their respective candidates; and each company will retain full commercial rights to their own product.  

Amor (Suzhou) Medical Sci-Tech, a China-Germany JV, formed a collaboration with IME Medical Electrospinning of Holland to develop a novel resorbable Class III medical device to treat full thickness wounds in oral cavities (see story). Amor was founded in 2017 by a team of China business people who joined with scientists from Germany's Freiburg University to develop regenerative medical products. IME offers nanometer and micrometer scaffolds that device makers use for tissue repair in medical devices that include heart valves, blood vessels, nerves, tendons, skin and bone.  

Jinxin Fertility, a company providing assisted reproductive technology services, received a strategic investment led by Warburg Pincus and CNCB Investment, a CITIC unit (see story). Jinxin ranks second in China in terms of number of reproductive procedures performed. The company has centers in Chengdu, Shenzhen and the US, the latter providing services that are not available in China. Sequoia Capital China and WuXi AppTec also participated in the investment, whose size was not disclosed. Jinxin Fertility is headquartered in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.  

Trials and Approvals  

I-Mab Biopharma of Shanghai reported the first patient has been dosed in a China Phase II trial of TJ301 in patients with ulcerative colitis (see story). I-Mab in-licensed China rights to the candidate from Switzerland's Ferring in late 2016. TJ301 is a selective IL-6 blocker that allows IL-6 to continue responding to infections, while it moderates the UC immune response. Because of its selective blocking mechanism, TJ301 is expected to show a better safety profile than its competitors. I-Mab has rights to the candidate in greater China and Korea.  

Alphamab Oncology of Suzhou has started a Phase I clinical trial of its humanized PD-L1/CTLA-4 bispecific antibody in Australia (see story). The company has also been approved to conduct a similar China trial of the candidate, KN046. The company said KN046 is engineered to target the tumor microenvironment, reducing side effects, while its dual target mechanism increases efficacy. In preclinical studies, KN046 showed excellent anti-tumor activity, according to Alphamab, with less toxicity than the marketed CTLA-4 antibody Yervoy. Alphamab said the Australian clinical trial also demonstrated good tolerability in humans.  

Yisheng Biopharma, a Beijing immunomodulatory company, reported the CFDA will allow a Phase III trial of its PIKA® rabies vaccine (see story). Yisheng has completed Phase I and II studies of the vaccine in Singapore and now plans a pivotal Phase III trial in Southeast Asia countries, with enrollment beginning in 2019. The company developed the rabies vaccine using its proprietary toll-like receptor-3 (TLR-3) immuno-modulating technology, which Yisheng believes will eventually result in a best-in-class product.