The planned merger between Genexine and ToolGen, which was poised to create a major Korean biotech entity, has collapsed amid recent generally weak investor sentiment over the sector. But the two sides will maintain their collaborations for new drug development going forward, with a focus on gene and cell therapies.

Dr Reddy’s debuts biosimilar bevacizumab in India but can the significant price differential for one strength of the product help it gnaw into a competitive market?

Just one year ago, biotechs were queuing up to list in Hong Kong following a relaxation of rules, but now many are postponing plans or simply shifting away, impacted by the market's low valuations, fast-changing environment and surprisingly strong competition from a new Shanghai trading section.  

Glenmark appears close to sewing up a deal for its biosimilar version of Novartis/Genentech's Xolair amid the firm's ongoing focus on partnering out some key assets. It also expects to kick off plans to raise capital in the US for its innovation business in Q4 of fiscal 2019-20.

While deal-making in the Asian pharma space shows no signs of slowing down, the past few months have been marked by a series of high-profile cases involving the return of rights by licensees or setbacks in clinical trials. Scrip's regional team looks at some of the factors at work.

Patient numbers and prescriptions in the US for Sun’s psoriasis therapy Ilumya are steadily on the rise, and the Indian firm said that the arrival of AbbVie’s rival Skyrizi hasn’t adversely impacted its formulary position.

Sir Andrew Dillon is leaving his role as CEO of England’s health technology assessment body after 20 years.

A market opportunity has just opened up for Novo Nordisk’s ultra-fast acting mealtime insulin, Fiasp: its indications have just been extended to include younger EU patients who are aged more than one year.

The Turkish Government’s carrot-and-stick “localization” policy has started to yield results with some multinational pharma companies including GSK and Sanofi disclosing joint production ventures with local companies, but these ventures have been limited by difficult economic conditions and worsening investment environment, and the fixed euro rate.

Galapagos is another step closer to commercializing its products with its lead candidate, filgotinib, now under the gaze of EU regulators.

The Dementia Discovery Fund is backing the UCL spin-off's efforts to develop therapies that modulate astrocyte function.

With its WPLS-IV fund now fully committed, Wellington Partners has returned to the market and raised €210m in its WPLS-V fund which will focus on European biotech and medtech opportunities.

Lefamulin was approved in the US to treat community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, providing a needed IV and oral drug initially in the hospital setting, but new antibiotics have been a tough sell.

The updated business principles may give pharma companies leverage, or at least talking points, as they continue to engage with the Trump administration on policies like the International Pricing Index and with US lawmakers on drug pricing legislation. J&J's Gorsky heads governing committee of multi-industry business group that revised its principles.

AbbVie now has both of its Humira successors approved in the US, following April’s Skyrizi approval for psoriasis. But Rinvoq faces stiff competition both within the JAK1 class and in rheumatoid arthritis generally.

Inovio is poised to become the first US-listed company to dual-list in South Korea, as CEO tells Scrip it is seeking to increase its presence and find new opportunities in Asia, while benefiting from strong investor interest in the country’s "very exciting" and vibrant biotech industry.

US FDA advisory committee members urge agency to hold a firm line against labeling, promotional or educational materials that suggest Descovy has better efficacy or is safer than Truvada, which will face generic competition in 2020. Panel backs HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis indication for Descovy but recommends excluding cisgender women due to lack of clinical efficacy data.

Further progress for Daiichi Sankyo's strategic push into oncology as US issues first approval globally for first-in-class rare disease drug Turalio - but with liver toxicity safeguards.