Additional Chinese coronavirus vaccine makers are now building up capacity, with Beijing-based AIM Vaccine preparing for a 400 million dose per year production capability for mRNA vaccines, while Chengdu-based Clover is to supply up to 414 million doses of its vaccines to GAVI.

US-based, China-focused CANbridge moves into cholestatic liver disease and enzyme replacement therapy via two deals. Plus deals involving LegoChem, TransThera, Morepen, Daiichi Sankyo, Geneseeq, Innocare, Biosplice, Sirnaomics and Walvax.

Highlights from the Q4 2009 review of pharmaceutical and biotechnology dealmaking: Financing dollar volume was high with 108 financing deals bringing in close to $5 billion, with a big increase in public financings: IPOS and FOPOs together made up over half of the quarter's total dollar volume. Conversely VC rounds were down--accounting for only 18% of the Q4 aggregate. M&A was strong in Q4 with 27 transactions bringing in close to $8 billion-almost half of these were acquisitions of private biotechs. Deals with big earn-outs were also predominantly featured this quarter (and throughout the year). Alliances in Q4 reached an aggregate potential deal value (pre-commercialization monies) of $5.9 billion, a 46% increase over the previous quarter. Several Big Pharmas did multiple transactions, most notably GlaxoSmithKline PLC, which penned nine of its 20 in-licensing deals in the fourth quarter alone. Q4 also boasted 16 deals with up-front payments exceeding $50 million.