Tamra Sami

Bionomics is progressing BNC-210 to phase III trials in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following positive feedback from the U.S. FDA. Final data from the phase II Attune study were presented at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology meeting in Arizona on Dec. 9, which showed that BNC-210 improved PTSD symptom severity at week 12 with efficacy observed as early as week four.

Kura Oncology, Inc. and Kyowa Kirin Co. Ltd.’s selective oral menin inhibitor ziftomenib showed encouraging data across multiple studies, the most encouraging of which were in combination with other standard of care therapies in patients with NPM1-mutant and KMT2A-rearranged acute myeloid leukemia.

Caliway Biopharmaceuticals’ lipolysis candidate, CBL-514, met all the primary and secondary efficacy endpoints in a phase IIb study for subcutaneous fat reduction, paving the way for the company to begin a global pivotal phase III study in 2025.

Beigene Ltd. struck a global licensing deal with CSPC Zhongqi Pharmaceutical Technology (Shijiazhuang) Co. Ltd. worth up to $1.5 billion for its phase I selective methionine adenosyltransferase 2A (MAT2A) inhibitor, SYH-2039, which is being explored for solid tumors.

Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is progressing synthetic antibiotic Recce-327 to pivotal phase III trials in Indonesia for the treatment of diabetic foot infections. The trial, which is assessing Recce-327 as a topical gel (R327G), is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2025, Recce CEO James Graham told BioWorld.

Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has acquired Bayer AG’s phase II obstructive sleep apnea candidate, BAY-2925976, in a deal worth €85M (US$89.3 million) plus sales-based royalties and commercial milestones.

Candid Therapeutics Inc. and Epimab Biotherapeutics Inc. have entered a $1 billion research collaboration to discover and develop novel T-cell engager candidates for autoimmune indications.

A new method to diagnose skin cancer was validated for the first time in clinical trials that show Dermr Health Solutions Pty Ltd.’s non-invasive microneedle patch collects near-equivalent genetic information compared to a skin biopsy without pain or cutting.

China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved Innovent Biologics Inc.’s NDA for Dovbleron (taletrectinib), a next-generation ROS1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), for treating adults with locally advanced or metastatic ROS1-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have been previously treated with ROS1 TKIs.

The Asia Pacific med-tech industry is expected to grow to $225 billion by 2030. Despite that rosy outlook, the landscape become increasingly challenging as med-tech investment saw a notable downturn since its peak in 2021, with venture financing and M&A deals decreasing by 22% and 37%, respectively, over the past two years.