Deal activity over the past seven days sees Roche knock back Inovio a second time, Regeneron plan for its future via an alliance with Adicet Bio, Amgen supplement its preclinical pipeline with a candidate from Advaxis, and Pfizer shore up its gene therapy ambitions with an acquisition.

Two South Korean stem cell therapy ventures, Corestem and CHA Biotech, are taking divergent strategies in R&D and commercialization, one pushing ahead with the rapid launch of its first product and the other taking time to optimize its pipeline. During a recent stem cell industry investor relations session in Seoul, the companies unveiled the thinking behind their pipeline progress and business strategies.

As a recent increase in silent virus spreaders in metropolitan areas raises concerns, South Korea unveils policy measures to support the development of COVID-19 drugs and vaccines, as well as to secure imports of such products if necessary.