BioSpectrum Asia October 2020 ( North America Edition )

ternational
stant
cisive
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[email protected]/ [email protected] ASIA EDITION

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4 BIO EDIT

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

Dr Milind Kokje VACCINE POLITICS

Chief Editor Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine’s early approval for COVID-19 and various statements
around United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA)’s possible fast
[email protected] track approval for another vaccine for pre-election ‘October surprise’ clearly
exhibit the political face of the scientific field. It shows the strong need of politicians
to get mileage from the healthcare sector at a crucial and sensitive time of pandemic
endangering millions of lives.

However, the current news reports indicate that despite political field strongly
attempting to impose its wishes on the science for its benefits, the science is still standing
on its own principles due to firm stands taken by concerned scientific officials.

Carrying on the cold war era mindset of stiff competition in different fields, including
science, Russia hurriedly approached the authorities for the approval of its Sputnik V
vaccine about a month back with inadequate trials. The rush to move for approval was
seen as a political gesture to assert victory in the global race, particularly against US and
Europe.

However, 36 scientists and academics sent a ‘note of concern’ to The Lancet
expressing serious concerns about data presented pertained to the Phase I and II trials of
the vaccine. Russian scientists have responded claiming that they can present the data to
The Lancet if needed. This is followed by another news report that 14 per cent volunteers
are developing side effects, though claimed to be mild. These developments probably
slowed down the further process of Sputnik vaccine. For instance, till almost more than a
month after the approval, Russia had not administered the vaccine to a large population.
That process began almost in the last week of September with 60,000 people registering
as volunteers and 700 being administered the vaccine. A vaccine shipment was sent to
Crimean Peninsula containing doses only for 21 people in a region with a population of
two million.

In the US, the presidential election on November 3 seems to be dominating the
vaccine discourse. A growing number of health leaders fear that President Trump will
take matters into his own hands, bypassing usual regulatory process as the Secretary of
Health Alex Azar asserted his agency’s rule making authority over the FDA. Even Bill
Gates developed apprehensions over FDA and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention) downplaying science in the faster approvals in view of the election since both
the organisations “are casualties of presidency.” FDA’s vulnerability was exposed recently
when its commissioner exaggerated benefit of blood plasma treatment in Donald Trump’s
press conference and had to backtrack the statement the next day, losing credibility.

Probably this incident and some other subsequent developments have changed the
stand of FDA now. Some officers of the FDA issued a joint statement saying that they
would not allow any attempt by the administration to give fast track approval for any
vaccine which is not adequately tested. CEOs of nine companies that are developing
vaccines, have signed a pledge to uphold the integrity of the scientific process ahead of
any approval to ensure that any vaccine put forth by any of the companies meets the
rigorous standards for approval that people expect. As a result, the FDA may announce
more stringent standards for an emergency authorisation, lowering the chances of
approval before the election.

This will bring relief to the people since science will not be undermined or ignored
in the process of vaccine approval and will continue to have an upper hand over the
politics. But in the absence of that any loss of trust due to speedy approval to a vaccine
with inadequate trials will have a long run adverse impact. However, with an eye on
immediate gains politicians fail to understand that. It is surprising that they claim to
represent the people but ignore the aspect of the importance of the people’s trust in the
vaccine. Like in every other field, politicians are trying to dominate science, giving rise to
vaccine politics in the grim situation of pandemic.

BIO MAIL 5

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

Acknowledgements Thank you so much for the fabulous
placement of the article by Ansys in
The cover story looks good. Thank you BioSpectrum Asia.
featuring Jubilant Life Sciences.
- Deeksha Hiremath, India
- Priyanka Sharma, India
Thank you for the interaction with SRS
Lian Bio appreciates the opportunity Life Sciences. It was our pleasure to
to work with BioSpectrum in sharing collaborate with BioSpectrum Asia.
an important milestone with the Asian
audience. - Payal Sadhwani, Singapore

- Seulah Han, China

Vol 15; Issue 10; October 2020 MM Activ Singapore Pte. Ltd. Taiwan
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6 BIO CONTENT

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

COVER STORY 18

Amazon, Reliance
and Flipkart v/s the
others… The question
is who will win? Will

this pitting of wits
drive new innovations
in healthcare delivery

and add value to
customers?

E-PHARMACIES IN INDIA,
MUCH MORE THAN COMMERCE

VACCINE 31

28 Will COVAX
ensure
China leads universal
the coronavirus access to
vaccine race COVID-19
vaccine?
Q&A
36
34
“We are investing in larger
“We are committed to cleanrooms, better QA
fast-tracking innovation vision systems, and
and transformative more technical expertise”
care to patients”
Mike Benevento,
Thomas Willemsen, President & CEO,
Senior Vice President, Oliver Healthcare Packaging, USA
Takeda Pharmaceuticals, APAC, Singapore

BIO CONTENT 7

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com PHARMA MANUFACTURING

Q&A 42

38 Securing India’s pharma
industry from Cyber Risk
“Indian companies are moving
from API manufacturing to Dick Bussiere,
Formulations” Technical Director
for APAC, Tenable, Singapore
Sanjay Singh,
Partner – Deal Advisory, REGULARS
Head of Lifesciences, KPMG, India
BioEdit..................................................................... 04
39 Regulatory News.................................................... 08
Company News....................................................... 10
‘‘We are planning to deliver Finance News.......................................................... 12
products with better efficiency Start-up News......................................................... 13
for APAC customers’’ World News............................................................. 15
WHO News.............................................................. 17
Francis Van Parys, People News........................................................... 44
Vice President Commercial, R&D News................................................................ 46
Asia Pacific, Cytiva, South Korea Academic News...................................................... 48
Supplier News......................................................... 49
DIGITAL HEALTHCARE

40

Connecting the Dots

Nalin Amunugama,
General Manager, BOGE
Kompressoren Asia Pacific, Singapore

A Millipore® Mind believes in The life science business of Merck KGaA, Preparation, Separation,
being an expert that helps Darmstadt, Germany operates as Filtration & Monitoring Products
advance your daily work. MilliporeSigma in the US and Canada.

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MilliporeSigma, the vibrant M and Millipore are trademarks of Merck KGaA,
Darmstadt, Germany or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners. Detailed information on trademarks is available via
publicly accessible resources.
© 2020 Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and/or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.

8 REGULATORY NEWS

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 202109 | www.biospectrumasia.com

New Zealand invests in ensuring mental wellbeing

The Ministry of Health In its first year the fund is and mental health, and in
has welcomed Sport focused on high deprivation organised forms plays an
New Zealand’s new $68 communities, where physical important role in bring
million Tū Manawa fund activity levels have been impacted communities together.
for community led play, by COVID-19. Physical activity Funds like Tū Manawa
active recreation and is important for both physical strengthen and enable
sport. The new fund will community-led responses
enable initiatives that and solutions and put
will support and grow decisions into the hands
the mental wellbeing of communities, who are
for individuals, families best placed to know what
and communities to adapt and is going to work to meet their
thrive after their lives have needs. Grassroots approaches
been disrupted by COVID-19. to identifying and responding to
Tū Manawa will fund new or needs is vital to ensure resources
existing projects or programmes will hit the spot in terms of
for children and young people. meeting wellbeing needs.

Japan commits Australia inks
Rs 3500 Cr to strengthen COVID-19 vaccine
Indian health sector supply agreement
for $1.7B
The government of Japan has committed Official Development
Assistance loan of an amount of Rs 3500 crore for the COVID-19 A free COVID-19 vaccine will be
Crisis Emergency Response Support. This programme loan available progressively throughout
aims to support India’s efforts in fighting COVID-19 and 2021 in Australia, if promising trials
to prepare the health system to manage future epidemics prove successful, following a $1.7 billion
and also to improve the resilience of India’s health systems supply and production agreement
against infectious diseases. This grant-in-aid from Japan is for between the Australian government and
providing medical equipment to strengthen the public health pharmaceutical companies. Under the
and medical system in India. This will strengthen the healthcare agreement, the University of Oxford/
facilities for managing critical and serious patients suffering AstraZeneca and the University of
from COVID-19 infection. India and Japan have had a long Queensland/CSL will provide more
and fruitful history of bilateral development cooperation since than 84.8 million vaccine doses for
1958. In the last few years, the economic cooperation between the Australian population, almost
India and Japan has strengthened and grown into strategic entirely manufactured in Melbourne,
partnership. This further consolidates and strengthens the with early access to 3.8 million doses
strategic and global partnership between India and Japan. of the University of Oxford vaccine
in January and February 2021. Both
vaccines would need to be proven safe
and effective, and meet all necessary
regulatory requirements, prior to being
made available to the public. There
are no guarantees that these vaccines
will prove successful, however the
agreement puts Australia at the top of
the queue, if the medical experts give
the vaccines the green light.

REGULATORY NEWS 9

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 201290 | www.biospectrumasia.com

Thailand reports surge in Taiwan signs
medical sector investment MoU with
US on health
A growing number of international and Thai companies are investing in cooperation

Thailand’s medical to help address the COVID-19 situation as well as to Taiwan Ministry of
Health and Welfare has
build on the country’s potential as a medical hub, as per Thailand’s Board announced signing of its
first Memorandum of
of Investment (BOI). BOI data shows that international and Thai investors Understanding (MoU) on
health cooperation with the
have filed 50 project applications, worth a total investment value of 12.69 United States Department of
Health and Human Services.
billion baht during the first six months of 2020. In April, the BOI approved Taiwan and the United States
have more than 20 years of
a special incentive scheme public health cooperation,
addressing topics such as
to accelerate investment emerging infectious diseases
response and dengue vaccine
in the medical industry. research. This MoU further
expands the cooperation
Recently, the BOI also in areas including global
health security, infectious
approved a biotechnology disease prevention and
control, chronic disease
development project prevention and health
promotion, maternal,
undertaken by KinGen infant and adolescent
health, environmental
Biotech, a 50-50 joint health, occupational health,
tobacco control, health
venture between South inequality, digital health,
misuse of opioids, health
Korean biotech firm communication and human
resources for health. Other
Genexine, and Thailand’s areas of potential cooperation
may also be included in
KinGen Holdings. The the future after discussion.
Under the framework of the
company has pledged to MoU, cooperation activities
are conducted by cooperative
invest 406 million baht to develop and manufacture in Thailand bioactive programmes, science and
research projects, personnel
compounds, such as plasmid DNA and fusion protein. The venture will exchange, training and
bilateral visits, consultations,
work closely with King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi meetings, workshops, and
conferences, as well as
in the local research and development as well as the manufacturing of establishment of contact
points to facilitate exchange
biopharmaceuticals. of best practices, expertise,
and information.
Singapore and Apple partner on
national health initiative

The government of Singapore and businesses. Created in
and Apple have announced collaboration with a team of
their partnership on the physicians and public health
health initiative LumiHealth, experts, LumiHealth uses
a personalized programme to technology and behavioral
encourage healthy activity and insights to encourage
behaviours using Apple
Watch. The first-of- Singaporeans to keep healthy
its-kind programme and complete wellness
was designed by challenges through their
Singapore’s Health Apple Watch and iPhone.
Promotion Board The LumiHealth app,
in conjunction with designed with user privacy
Apple as part of the and security at its core,
country’s Smart is available in the App
Nation initiative, Store for pre-order
a national effort to now, and the two-
leverage technology year programme
to deliver benefits will be offered
to its citizens from late October
2020.

10 COMPANY NEWS BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

Takeda opens Roche Diabetes Care enters
R&D cell therapy into strategic alliance
manufacturing with Indian partners
facility in the US
Roche Diabetes Care (RDC) India recently entered into strategic
Japanese firm Takeda alliance with Indian partners to fulfil its commitment of providing true
Pharmaceutical has announced relief to persons with diabetes (PwD) through integrated Personalised
the expansion of its cell therapy Diabetes Management (iPDM) solutions. The company has partnered
manufacturing capabilities with with emerging Indian business such as Phable, Wellthy Therapeutics
the opening of a new 24,000 and PharmEasy to bolster its outreach to the PwDs. Through its
square-foot R&D cell therapy partnership with Phable, women with GDM using Accu-Chek meters
manufacturing facility at its will now have access to a healthcare practitioner (HCP) to monitor
R&D headquarters in the US. their diabetes closely and make necessary therapy titrations via the
The facility provides end-to- PhableCare app. Renewing its existing partnership with Wellthy
end research and development Therapeutics, the company is now offering its Accu-Chek Active users
capabilities and will accelerate remote access to personalized coaching from highly skilled diabetes
Takeda’s efforts to develop educators, round-the-clock support based on individual needs, and
next-generation cell therapies, implementation of goal-and-condition based diabetes management
initially focused on oncology with plans to improve self-care behaviors for better health outcomes.
potential to expand into other
therapeutic areas. The R&D cell Bridgewest Group acquires
therapy manufacturing facility Pfizer biologics manufacturing
will produce cell therapies for facility in Australia
clinical evaluation from discovery
through pivotal Phase 2b trials. The Bridgewest Group in the US has announced its subsidiary’s
The current Good Manufacturing purchase of Pfizer’s biologics manufacturing facility in Adelaide,
Practices (cGMP) facility is Australia. Hospira Adelaide, an affiliate of Pfizer Inc., will continue to
designed to meet all US, EU and operate the facility under a leaseback arrangement from Bridgewest
Japanese regulatory requirements Australia Real Estate until Q3 of 2021, at which time Bridgewest will
for cell therapy manufacturing assume full operational responsibility for the facility and colleagues.
to support Takeda clinical trials Financial terms were not disclosed. The Adelaide facility has the
around the world. It will be manufacturing capability, staff expertise, and supporting systems to
instrumental in building Takeda’s execute cGMP grade manufacturing and testing of microbial-based
cell therapy capabilities and products, including proteins, vaccines, and plasmids from development
capacity to advance multiple next- stage through to commercialization. The facility has experience as a
generation oncology cell therapy multi-product contract development and manufacturing organization,
platforms and programmes with which moving forward, under Bridgewest’s ownership, will be further
world-class collaborators. developed and expanded upon.

COMPANY NEWS 11

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

Sanofi delivers digital therapeutics for diabetes in Taiwan

Taiwan based Health2Sync has Health2Sync becomes one of hospitals nationwide certified
entered into a partnership with the Sanofi Diabetes Digital by Taiwan Diabetes Shared Care
Sanofi, a biopharmaceutical Healthcare Ecosystem partners. Network over the next three
company focused on providing The two companies aim to apply years to improve diabetes care
different healthcare solutions the digital solution provided by and management locally, as well
including diabetes. Health2Sync Health2Sync in 300 clinics and as to accelerate digital adoption
will provide patient management and transformation for clinics
software for healthcare and hospitals. Moving forward,
professionals and
a mobile app for Sanofi and Health2Sync
patients in 300 Sanofi- plan to further
contracted clinics and collaborate in bringing
hospitals, to realize an innovative digital
integrated and digitized therapeutics solutions to
diabetes management. patients and healthcare
Through this partnership, professionals in Taiwan
and other markets.

Philips to establish Samsung
digital pathology Biologics inks
CoE in Singapore service pact with
Panolos Bioscience
Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and Royal Philips have
announced that they will work together to establish the Samsung Biologics has entered into
Singapore General Hospital Digital and Computational a service agreement with Panolos
Pathology Centre of Excellence (CoE). The SGH CoE aims to Bioscience to develop PB101, an Fc-
advance pathology practice by implementing a fully digital fusion protein intended to treat solid
histopathology workflow and deploying artificial intelligence tumors. Under this agreement, South
(AI) to increase productivity and enhance patient care. Korea based Samsung Biologics will
Located within SGH’s Division of Pathology, one of the provide a full scope of its development
largest pathology laboratories in ASEAN, the CoE aims to services from cell line development,
establish ASEAN’s process development, to non-clinical
first fully digitized and clinical material manufacturing.
histopathology According to Panolos, PB101 is expected
laboratory by to suppress tumor angiogenesis
expanding its digital more effectively by targeting VEGF-A
pathology capabilities (vascular endothelial growth factor)
for primary diagnosis, and PlGF (placental growth factor)
training, and R&D with simultaneously, overcoming the
the Philips IntelliSite limitations of existing treatments.
Pathology Solution. Both SGH and Philips will also work Leveraging Samsung Biologics’ robust
closely on other diverse areas, including streamlining of the capabilities and expertise in developing
histopathology laboratory’s digital workflow. Philips IntelliSite complex proteins, Panolos intends
Pathology Solution enables pathologists to review and to achieve successful IND approval
interpret digital images of surgical pathology slides prepared for validation to further establish the
from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue substance as the new platform known
samples. This technology replaces the need for traditional as αARTTM (anti-angiogenesis-based
glass slides to be viewed under a microscope, and facilitates Artifact Re-targeting Tri-specifics) to
referencing and storage. Ultimately, digital images allow the treat various VEGF related illnesses.
application of computer-aided image analysis with AI.

12 FINANCE NEWS

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

Singapore gets first green loan for building healthcare facility

The Farrer Park Company has supports Farrer Park’s continued
obtained a S$120 million green efforts in ensuring that it is
loan from United Overseas Bank environmentally responsible
Limited (UOB), the first such in its operations. One of the
loan for a healthcare facility in features already implemented
Singapore. The loan is issued in Connexion’s design is the
under the UOB Real Estate use of low-emissivity glass to
Sustainable Finance Framework reflect heat and to keep cool air
and will be used to re-finance within its premises for more
Connexion, Singapore’s first efficient energy consumption.
integrated healthcare and Connexion’s management also
hospitality complex, which actively monitors energy and
houses the Farrer Park Medical water consumption and pursues
Centre, Farrer Park Hospital opportunities to lower its carbon
and One Farrer Hotel. The loan footprint.

Takeda Pharma divests IHH Healthcare
consumer healthcare biz acquires
Prince Court
Japan based Takeda 31, 2021, subject to customary
Pharmaceutical has entered legal and regulatory closing IHH Healthcare in Malaysia has
into an agreement to divest conditions. The portfolio to recently acquired a 100 per cent stake
Takeda Consumer Healthcare be divested to Blackstone in Prince Court Medical Centre for
Company Limited (TCHC), includes a variety of over- RM 1.02 billion. Prince Court Medical
a wholly-owned subsidiary the-counter (OTC) medicines Centre is a 277 single-bed private
of Takeda focused on the and health products that healthcare facility located within the
consumer healthcare market generated total revenues of Golden Triangle in Kuala Lumpur,
primarily in Japan, to over JPY 60 billion in fiscal Malaysia. It offers a wide range of
Oscar A-Co KK, a company year 2019. TCHC’s strong medical, surgical and hospital services
controlled by funds managed regional brands include including burns management,
by The Blackstone Group Alinamin, its top selling oncology, gastroenterology,
Inc. and its affiliates for a product and Japan’s first interventional cardiology, nephrology,
total value of JPY 242 billion. vitamin B1 preparation, orthopedics, rehabilitation medicine,
Blackstone is one of the world and Benza, a cold remedy. in vitro fertilization and occupational
leading investment firms and Blackstone intends to develop health. IHH will work closely with
has extensive investment the business together with Prince Court Medical Centre in the
experience in the healthcare current TCHC management months ahead to leverage operation
sector. The transaction is and continue to employ its synergies. Additionally, IHH will
expected to close by March employees. look into investing in Prince Court
to enhance the patient experience,
synonymous with its brand image.
The group now operates 16 hospitals
across Malaysia, comprising 11 Pantai
Hospitals, four Gleneagles Hospitals
and Prince Court Medical Center. It
has a combined strength of more than
2,900 licensed beds, over 11,000 staff
and over 1,000 resident and sessional
consultants.

START-UP NEWS 13

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

See-Mode Technologies bitBiome
secures $7M funding raises $6.6M
to accelerate
See-Mode Technologies, a year. Additionally, See-Mode growth
medtech startup headquartered is strengthening its existing
in Australia, and with operations operations and aiming to at least Japanese startup bitBiome,
in Singapore, has raised $7 double its team size by hiring Inc. has raised $6.6 million
million in a series A round talent across various product in Series B financing from
led by MassMutual Ventures roles, expanding its R&D and previous and new investors
Southeast Asia (MMV SEA), engineering capabilities, and including The University
with participation from existing building up its core sales and of Tokyo Edge Capital
investors Blackbird Ventures, business development team. Partners, Universal Materials
Cocoon Capital, Entrepreneur The team is also broadening its Incubator, and other Japan-
First, and SGInnovate, along partnerships to more research based venture capital firms.
with a group of angel investors. institutions around the world to This new funding brings
The startup seeks to improve build a strong base of scientific bitBiome’s total equity
stroke prediction with Artificial evidence for its R&D efforts. To financing to $10 million, and
Intelligence-based medical help clinicians better predict will support the company’s
software. The investment backs the risk of stroke and vascular growth towards unlocking
the company’s commercial diseases, See-Mode is developing the vast untapped potential
expansion plans to bring its novel solutions to improve the of microbes in various
products to Europe and the analysis of routinely collected industries using bit-MAP,
US markets in the upcoming medical images. a unique microbe-focused
single-cell genomics platform.
Fukushima SiC gathers bitBiome’s bit-MAP system is
$30M in series C round a unique single-cell genomics
platform for microbes, with
Fukushima SiC Applied Engineering has raised $30 million in Series a mission of unlocking the
C funding from investors including C:iz Investment LLP, Japan Post potential of microbes. The
Investment Corporation, Astellas Venture Management LLC, and SMBC company has grown rapidly
Venture Capital Co., Ltd. The funds are expected to be used for Boron through collaborative research
Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) related pre-clinical and clinical trial with various corporate and
activities in Japan as well as activities to expand its overseas activities academic partners. bitBiome
including efforts to obtain regulatory approvals. The Japanese startup is leveraging the Series B
has succeeded in developing an ultra-compact, multi-port neutron financing to launch a large-
radiation cancer treatment system leveraging its proprietary SiC device scale study on patient stool
technologies. The system is significantly more compact and lower cost and saliva samples for more
than existing BNCT systems and has unique capabilities, which open than 20 diseases, including
up the possibility of targeting deep-seated cancers and metastatic cancer, intestinal diseases,
microtumors that have previously been difficult to treat with the ability autoimmune diseases, and
to destroy tumor cells equivalent to heavy particle beam therapy. The neuropsychiatric disorders.
technology development continues to be funded in part by the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry subsidy programme for areas recovering
from the 2011 tsunami and nuclear disasters.

14 START-UP NEWS BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

Standigm Nex Cubed, ESG support
enhances AI digital health startups
driven drug
discovery Nex Cubed, a leader in early- health startups in two cohorts.
process stage innovation and startup The programme will focus on
acceleration based in the US, has preparing the startups for US
Excelra, headquartered announced a partnership with market entry. The first cohort will
in India, has announced Enterprise Singapore (ESG), the take place from November 2 to
its collaboration with government agency championing November 20, 2020. As part of
South Korea based startup enterprise development and the three-week virtual acceleration
Standigm, a company startup innovation, to support programme, selected startups will
using artificial intelligence Singapore digital health startups undergo a series of workshops to
(AI) technology for drug that are interested in expanding learn how to navigate the highly
discovery and development. their business to the US Market. complex and regulated healthcare
Under the agreement, Under the new partnership, Nex industry in the US. They will also
Excelra will provide its Cubed will run its Innovation have the opportunity to engage key
small molecule medicinal Launchpad Programme to stakeholders including providers,
chemistry intelligence support up to 16 Singapore digital payers, and policymakers.
platform GOSTAR to
Standigm Inc. GOSTAR GetDoc introduces affordable
provides comprehensive healthcare for SE Asia users
information encompassing
over 8 million compounds, GetDoc, a member of Jireh walk-in services instantly at over
manually curated from Group in Singapore, aims to 600 clinics in Singapore, 1500
3 million patents and make healthcare affordable for clinics and hospitals in Malaysia
200,000 journal articles. everyone, and the connected and 50 clinics and hospitals in
The database contains platform has partnered with a Thailand, providing convenient
over 28 million SAR number of additional providers, access to high-quality, trusted
associated data points. The including Singapore’s Farrer healthcare providers from the
well-structured relational Park Hospital, to bring accessible comfort of their own home. The
database can be utilized for cross-border treatments to more app also offers comprehensive
diverse applications across users in South-East (SE) Asia. In coverage for both generalist and
different stages of the drug addition to telehealth consulting specialist providers, ranging
discovery and development services, GetDocPlus members from certified doctors and
lifecycle and aids in target will have even greater access specialists to dentists, and allied
validation, hit Identification, to lower healthcare costs once health professionals such as
early lead identification and borders reopen, as they are able physiotherapists, optometrists
optimization. to search and book online and and psychiatrists.

WORLD NEWS 15

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com Lilly, Amgen
announce
10x Genomics captures collaboration
epigenome and for COVID-19
transcriptome together therapies

10x Genomics, based in the US, has begun shipping its Chromium Eli Lilly and Company and Amgen
Single Cell Multiome ATAC + Gene Expression solution to customers, have announced a global antibody
marking the first commercial release of a product capable of manufacturing collaboration to
simultaneously profiling the epigenome and transcriptome from significantly increase the supply
the same single cell. This multi-omic approach provides customers capacity available for Lilly’s
potential COVID-19 therapies.
with the ability to link a cell’s epigenetic Lilly is currently studying
programme to its transcriptional output, several potential neutralizing
enabling a better understanding of cell antibodies for the prevention
functionality and bypassing the need to and/or treatment of COVID-19
infer relationships through computer as either monotherapy or in
simulations. The new solution builds on combination. Through this
an array of new products launched by the collaboration, the two companies
company this year for both its Chromium will have the ability to quickly
platform for single cell analysis as well as its Visium platform for scale up production and serve
spatial genomics. Early customers already working with Chromium many more patients around
Single Cell Multiome ATAC + Gene Expression include Stanford the world should one or more
University School of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai of Lilly’s antibody therapies
and Spain’s Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico. prove successful in clinical
testing and receive regulatory
ROQU Group launches world-first approval. LY-CoV555 is a potent,
health passport digital platform neutralizing IgG1 monoclonal
antibody (mAb) directed against
The Irish-based ROQU Group has announced the pilot launch of the spike protein of SARS-
Health Passport, a world-first digital platform designed to facilitate CoV-2. It is designed to block
increased COVID-19 testing for businesses and the public. Engineered viral attachment and entry into
in Ireland, the platform combines the latest digital technologies with human cells, thus neutralizing the
highly accurate and validated COVID-19 testing solutions, delivering virus, potentially preventing and
results in as little as 15 minutes. The treating COVID-19. LY-CoV555
platform will enable businesses and emerged from the collaboration
individuals to quickly minimise risks between Lilly and AbCellera to
related to COVID-19 and ensure they create antibody therapies for
can continue daily activities. Health the prevention and treatment of
Passport is launching with a trial COVID-19.
involving a select range of national
participants representing a diverse
range of industry sectors: healthcare,
logistics, agriculture, education,
childcare, entertainment, and others.
The platform has been developed
to help national economies by enabling businesses to remain open
through continuous proactive testing of employees, identifying
positive results at the earliest stage whilst simultaneously protecting
communities by offering increased testing. Health Passport has been
developed specifically to work in harmony with all official COVID-19
tests, including laboratory swab and blood tests, and the very latest
rapid testing solutions soon to be launched.

16 WORLD NEWS

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Uganda Ethiopia launches COVID-19
announces genome sequencing lab network
trials for
plasma therapy With several African countries now expanding COVID-19 testing,
the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres
The Ministry of Health in Uganda for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), headquartered
has approved the randomized in Ethiopia, have launched a network of laboratories to reinforce
clinical trial to use plasma to treat genome sequencing of the severe acute respiratory syndrome
COVID-19. Clinical trials to use coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, in
plasma have started at Mulago Africa. Twelve specialized and regional reference laboratories in the
National Referral Hospital. The network will provide sequencing, data analysis and other technical
government is calling upon more support services to the
recovered patients to show up and countries where they
donate. Uganda becomes the third are located as well
country in Africa to use plasma in as to neighbouring
COVID-19 treatment. The other countries and countries
two are South Africa and Ghana. in their sub-regions.
Upon recovery, people affected by Ongoing sequencing
COVID-19 will develop antibodies, is already providing
that will be used to treat other people crucial information for
who are sick. When the plasma determining the type
is administered to a COVID-19 of SARS-CoV-2 lineage
patient, it blocks the progression of circulating in some
the disease to the severe form. countries. It has shown
that most of SARS-CoV-2 genomes circulating in Africa are assigned
to the B.1 lineage, which emerged from the epidemic in Europe.
In Africa, 10 lineages have been identified and more than 80,000
sequences have been produced globally. Grouping viruses from
different countries into the same lineage or sub-lineage has indicated
a linkage or importation of viruses between countries. Countries
such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and South
Africa are experiencing localized transmission, while there is also
importation of cases in the DRC from Ghana, Morocco and Senegal.

Africa CDC partners with FIND

The Foundation for between the two organizations formalized with the signing
Innovative New Diagnostics and established links with of a Memorandum of
(FIND), headquartered in local partners across the Understanding (MoU) to
Switzerland, and the Africa continent, which was recently drive access to essential
Centres for Disease Control diagnostics in Africa. FIND
and Prevention (Africa is co-convener of the Access
CDC) have announced a to COVID-19 Tools (ACT)
new partnership to build Accelerator Diagnostics Pillar.
capacity in readiness for Africa CDC is a member of the
the introduction of new, ACT-Accelerator Diagnostics
high-quality antigen rapid Pillar and initiator of the
diagnostic tests (RDTs) for Partnership to Accelerate
COVID-19 that are anticipated COVID-19 Testing (PACT), which
to become available soon. has led to rapid strengthening of
The announcement builds on testing and surveillance capacity
a long-standing relationship across Africa.

WHO NEWS 17

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WHO highlights disruptions to essential health services

The World Health Organization HIV therapy, has seen high-risk and treatment, family planning
(WHO) has published a first interruptions in low-income and contraception, treatment
indicative survey on the impact countries. The most frequently for mental health disorders,
of COVID-19 on health systems disrupted areas reported included cancer diagnosis and treatment.
based on 105 countries’ reports. routine immunization, non- Countries also reported
Data collected from five regions communicable diseases diagnosis disruptions in malaria diagnosis
over the period from March and treatment, tuberculosis case
to June 2020 illustrate that detection and treatment and
almost every country i.e. 90 per antiretroviral treatment. While
cent experienced disruption to some areas of healthcare, such as
its health services, with low- dental care and rehabilitation, may
and middle-income countries have been deliberately suspended
reporting the greatest difficulties. in line with government protocols,
Most countries reported that the disruption of many of the
many routine and elective other services is expected to have
services have been suspended, harmful effects on population
while critical care, such as cancer health in the short- medium- and
screening and treatment and long-term.

WHO calls for WHO seeks global
investment scale-up action on sepsis
in mental health
The World Health Organization’s first global
For this year’s World Mental Health Day (October 10), report on sepsis finds that the effort to tackle
the World Health Organisation (WHO), together with millions of deaths and disabilities due to sepsis
partner organizations, United for Global Mental Health is hampered by serious gaps in knowledge,
and the World Federation for Mental Health, is calling particularly in low- and middle-income
for a massive scale-up in investment in mental health. countries. According to recent studies, sepsis
To encourage public action around the world, a World kills 11 million people each year, many of them
Mental Health Day campaign, “Move for mental health: children. It disables millions more. But there’s
let’s invest” was organized in September. Countries an urgent need for
spend on average only 2 per cent of their health budgets better data. Most
on mental health. Despite some increases in recent published studies
years, international development assistance for mental on sepsis have been
health has never exceeded 1 per cent of all development conducted in hospitals
assistance for health. This is despite the fact that for and intensive care
every $1 invested in scaled-up treatment for common units in high-income
mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, there countries, providing
is a return of $5 in improved health and productivity. little evidence from the rest of the world.
The World Mental Health Day campaign will offer Furthermore, the use of different definitions
opportunities, primarily online given the continuing of sepsis, diagnostic criteria and hospital
pandemic, for all of us to do something life-affirming: discharge coding makes it difficult to develop a
as individuals, to take concrete actions in support of our clear understanding of the true global burden
own mental health, and to support friends and family, of sepsis. WHO calls on the global community
who are struggling; as employers, to take steps towards to improve robust study designs and high-
putting in place employee wellness programmes; as quality data collection, especially in low- and
governments, to commit to establishing or scaling-up middle-income countries; and to scale-up
mental health services; and as journalists, to explain global advocacy, funding and the research
what more can and must be done to make mental capacity for epidemiological evidence on the
healthcare a reality for everyone. true burden of sepsis.

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E-PHARMACIES

IN INDIA,

MUCH MORE
THAN COMMERCE

Amazon, Reliance and Flipkart v/s the others… The question is who will win? Will this
pitting of wits drive new innovations in healthcare delivery and add value to customers?

The COVID 19 pandemic has opened up
myriad opportunities for digital platforms
to tap into India’s lucrative healthcare and
pharmaceutical industry. The pharma market alone
is one of the largest in the world and is continuing
to grow. Given the current situation, there has been
a macro trend that indicates a growing need for
online pharmacies as more people seek to order their
medications online. Moreover, the entry of tech giant
Amazon and the acquisition of Netmeds by Reliance
gives a clear indication that this sector is all set for a
major disruption.

Organic adoption of e-Pharmacies:
a key driver for growth

In keeping with this current boom in e-Pharmacy
demand, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (FICCI) published a white paper titled
“e-Pharmacies at COVID-19 Frontline Fighting the
Odds: Serving the Nation”. The white paper sums
up the current trend within the e-Pharmacy market
during the COVID-19 period and taps the subsequent
response of e-Pharmacy platforms in active
partnership with existing pharmacies.

According to this white paper, there was
approximately 2.5x growth (about 8.8 million) in the
number of households using e-Pharmacy services
in the COVID-19 lockdown period. There was
a higher representation from the non-

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metro cities, compared to pre-COVID-19 households. There was approximately 2.5x growth (about
Moreover, approximately 70 per cent+ consumers 8.8 million) in the number of households using
cited satisfaction with the initiatives undertaken e-Pharmacy services in the COVID-19 lockdown
by e-Pharmacy platforms during the COVID-19 period. There was a higher representation from
pandemic. It is estimated that the e-Pharmacy the non-metro cities, compared to pre-COVID-19
penetration level is likely to reach ~1.4x of its pre- households. Moreover, approximately 70%+
COVID-19 household estimates by FY 25. e-Pharmacy consumers cited satisfaction with the initiatives
in India will be able to tap approximately 70 million undertaken by e-Pharmacy platforms during
households by FY 25. The Union Home Ministry, vide the COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated that the
order number 403/2020-D dated March 24, 2020, e-Pharmacy penetration level is likely to reach
specifically mentioned the delivery of medicines ~1.4x of its pre-COVID-19 household estimates
through e-commerce as an essential service. This by FY 25. e-Pharmacy in India will be able to tap
led to 19 state governments declaring approximately 70 million households by FY 25,
e-Pharmacy services as essential during according to a white paper from FICCI.

the COVID-19 lockdown. More so, e-Pharmacy
platforms have already been the investor’s choice
pre-COVID, as it saw approximately $700 million
investments flowing in during FY 20. The recent
investor sentiment is also quite positive towards the
sector, led by the organic adoption of e-Pharmacy
during the COVID period.

Additionally, the significance of e-pharmacies
during this pandemic has also been felt by the
government and so the e-Pharmacy Bill will be soon
notified, according to a government source.

During the release of the FICCI white paper,
Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for
Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Health &
Family Welfare, Government of India mentioned,
“The overall essence of these circumstances is that
during the COVID-19 epidemic, the importance
of technology and digital infrastructure to deliver
affordable and quality medicines and health services
to consumers across the country has clearly emerged.
E-Pharmacy is fulfilling the objectives of national
development and the dream of Digital India of
the Prime Minister. Pharmacy services through
e-commerce have been notified by the Union Home
Ministry as essential services during COVID-19.
The e-Pharmacy model can work effectively with
the Government’s Common Services Centres (CSC)
aimed at improving access to essential healthcare
facilities in rural India”.

Similarly, Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General, FICCI,
Delhi, India added, “The e-Pharmacy sector through
an active partnership with existing pharmacies, is
firmly committed to support the government and
help the nation in fighting COVID-19. The industry
is working 24×7 to ensure that people get essential
medicines at home all across the country, and
the reach of existing pharmacies are expanded.

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KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE E-PHARMACY DRAFT GUIDELINES

Regulatory Authority exhibiting, or offering for sale of drugs through the
● e-Pharmacies are currently governed by state e-Pharmacy portal by any person.
drug regulators. The draft proposes that the DCGI
should be the sole agency granting approvals to ● Registration would remain valid for three
e-Pharmacies. years from the date of issue.
● The DCGI will be regulated under the
Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 1945 as well as the ● An e-Pharmacy registration holder will be
Information Technology Act 2000 under which required to make an application for renewal before
eCommerce companies are regulated. its expiry or three months before expiry in Form
● Companies operating e-Pharmacies are 18AA along with a fee of Rs 50,000 ($730) and the
required to take one license in any state. Any state requisite documents as specified in Form 18AA.
license will enable the pharmacies to sell drugs all
over the country. ● The registration will be deemed to have
● The portal would also have to abide by the expired if the application for its renewal is not
provisions of the Drug and Cosmetic Act, 1940. made within six months after its expiry.
Failing to follow the guidelines could lead to
suspension and cancellation of the e-portal. ● The e-Pharmacy registration holder must
Registration of e-Pharmacy keep his place open for periodic inspection, every
● Any person who intends to conduct the two years, by an authorised team of the CLA.
business of e-Pharmacies will have to mandatorily
apply for registration to the Central Licensing ● The e-Pharmacy registration holder needs
Authority (CLA) by filling up Form 18AA along with to inform the CLA in writing upon any change in
paying a fee of Rs 50,000 ($730) and furnishing the the constitution of the firm operating under the
requisite documents through the online portal of registration.
the Central
● Government. Registration is mandatory for Verification
the purposes of selling, distributing, stocking, ● The registered pharmacist must verify
the details of the patient, registered medical
practitioner, and arrange for the dispensing of
drugs as per the instructions of the registered
medical practitioner. The details of the drugs
dispensed along with the patient details are to be
maintained on the e-Pharmacy portal.

Source: Frost & Sullivan

Importantly, the regular medicines required for adherence in the country. The e-Pharmacy market is
ongoing treatment are also being delivered. There is likely to expand and integrate, online consultation,
an urgent need to nurture this promising sector with online lab testing, and doctor consultations, including
the right set of policy frameworks and guidelines in scheduling, claims management, etc.”
order to provide the benefits that the sector fosters
for the consumers.” Raising a caution on the dangers of the
e-Pharmacy boom they warn, “This will open up a
Adding to this, Sowmya Rajagopalan, Director, Pandora’s Box about data security and patient safety.
South Asia at Frost & Sullivan, Singapore and Akshay With the proper regulatory framework, guidelines,
Zanjurne, Programme Manager, Transformational regular inspections, and interventions, this market is
Health Practice, Frost & Sullivan, Mumbai, India going to boom. Frost & Sullivan expects e-Pharmacy
said that M&A spree within the e-Pharmacy sector to penetrate 70 million households in India by 2025
started in 2019 with Medlife acquiring Myra, Reliance and also anticipate the e-Pharmacy market to grow to
acquiring Netmeds, Pharmeasy merging with Medlife. 75+ companies by 2025.”
“This is just the beginning with many more mergers,
acquisitions, and investments likely to happen in the As e-Pharmacies become highly attractive to
next few quarters. Amazon Pharmacy’s expansion both government and investors, it is palpable that
strategy in India is going to be something to watch business conglomerates, set their foot strong into this
out for. It is important to note that Amazon made lucrative arena. Moreover, if Flipkart, as rumoured,
PillPack synonymous with online pharmacy in the US buys or makes a deal with PharmEasy, then we may
within two years. In the US, Amazon Pharmacy targets perhaps witness a clash of the titans-like scenario
chronic disease patients and delivers medicines to within the sector with Amazon, Flipkart, Reliance
their doorstep, which has also increased medication on one side, backed by their massive e-commerce
infrastructure; 1mg and Apollo Pharmacy on the

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other side as standalone pharmacy and other digital “It has been observed by the
health aspirants trying their best a make a mark. The Competition Commission
question is who will win? of India (CCI) that Brick &

Will this create an unhealthy business Mortar Pharmacy Stores can
environment or strengthen the pharmacy system in comfortably co-exist with
India? Will this pitting of wits drive new innovations Regulated e-Pharmacies
in healthcare delivery and add value to customers? to spur price competition
Will patients really benefit or will they be put at more
risk? and make healthcare more
affordable”.
Amazon and Reliance set - Bejon Misra,
to shake things up in India
Founder, Partnership for Safe Medicines and
Amazon has already started with a trial in Bangalore. Founder, Consumer Online Foundation and
Here, Amazon Pharmacy offers prescription International Consumer Policy Expert, Delhi, India
medicines, over-the-counter drugs for common
ailments like cough and colds, and some traditional of every Indian at the heart of its operations. It is
medicine. There are also healthcare devices available indeed a proud moment for Netmeds to join Reliance
for sale online, including glucometers and blood family and work together to make quality healthcare
pressure monitors. affordable and accessible to every Indian. With the
combined strength of the group’s digital, retail and
However, Amazon’s entry into the e-Pharmacy tech platforms, we will strive to create more value for
space is mired with controversies. Amazon’s pilot in everyone in the ecosystem, while providing a superior
India follows its recent efforts to penetrate the US Omni Channel experience to consumers. In the coming
market after it acquired an online pharmacy start- years, we will cover many more cities, serve many
up called PillPack at a value of $753 million. The more customers, expand to many more categories and
success of this acquisition has been well-known and work to fulfil the ‘Make in India’ dream.”
Amazon attract quite an appraise from investors
and economic experts. The company targeted the Sharing the company’s views Amazon’s
geriatric community and chronically ill patients. By spokesperson said, “As a part of our commitment to
this acquisition, PillPack made about $100 million fulfilling the needs of customers, we are launching
in profits and the CEO is now in charge of leading Amazon Pharmacy in Bangalore allowing customers
Amazon’s pharmacy efforts. PillPack is now building to order prescription-based medication in addition
physical pharmacies and is in talks with insurers to over-the-counter medicines, basic health devices
to make the online service available to many more and Ayurvedic medication from certified sellers. This
consumers. Amazon is already promoting the PillPack is particularly relevant in present times as it will help
service to a targeted group of prime subscribers. This customers meet their essential needs while staying
would mean delivering medicines at a faster rate. safe at home.”

This clearly indicates the intention of market From the customer’s point of view, it could
dominance. The tech giant’s move, therefore, caused create strong loyalty as they would find more value
more angst and resentment amongst traditional in Amazon’s services. Says Vivek Tiwari, CEO &
pharmacies in India. It once again highlights the tug- Founder, Medikabazaar, Mumbai, India “Amazon’s
of-war between online and offline pharmacies and entry would ensure a significant increase in online
this time with the fear of increased capitalism and a traffic to purchase medicines. This larger pool of
strong existential crisis. potential customers would get more accustomed to
ordering online allowing each e-Pharmacy player
While the battle between the offline and online to offer more and more attractive propositions to
pharmacies continue, Reliance Retail Ventures retain and acquire customers. This would definitely
recently announced the acquisition of Netmeds, a help grow the entire e-Pharmacy industry size and
leading e-Pharmacy platform. With this new addition, companies with strong fundamentals would have
Reliance is all set to shake up India’s pharmacy accelerated growth in coming times. Also, the user-
business model too. friendly platform of Amazon has already created
loyalty and comfort to the customer for non-drug
Pradeep Dadha, Founder & CEO, netmeds. purchases. The transition to buying drugs would be
com, Chennai, India said, “As a third-generation seamless given the familiarity of the Amazon portal.
entrepreneur, I have the greatest admiration for Furthermore, express assured delivery and customer
Reliance, the biggest global Indian brand and a
multinational conglomerate, which has the welfare

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SOME OF THE LEADING NAMES IN THE INDIAN E-PHARMACY MARKET

● 1mg ● Medidart.com ● MyraMed ● EasyMedico
● netmeds.com ● Medplusmart ● PharmEasy ● Dawaiweb
● Buydrug.in ● Ayush Arogyam ● mChemist
● Care On Go ● MedsonWay ● swasthyashopee.com
● Healthkart ● Metapharmacy.in ● EMEDIX

Source: researchandmarkets.com

loyalty programmes like prime would go a long way sale of medicines is governed under the Drugs &
into ensuring customer retention.” Cosmetics Act 1940, which has been amended from
time to time. We spent more than a year framing
Now, the biggest threat has been to the the Draft Rules within Central Drugs Standard
middlemen community and to stand alone chemists. Control Organisation (CDSCO) for e-Pharmacies in
How will they learn to survive this storm? And how India, which was missing in the law. E-Pharmacy
do patient activists and consumer protection experts Draft Rules for regulating e-Pharma companies
perceive this market dynamics? in India have already been approved by Drug
Technical Advisory Board, the highest expert body
The resentment Amazon for pharmaceutical regulation in India but are still
and Reliance generated… pending for notification for two years. How can the
government allow e-commerce companies to launch
The All Indian Origin Chemists & Distributors medicine dispensation without any proper protocol
(AIOCD) in response to this move wrote letters to to assure quality, safety and efficacy. We cannot
Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezo, the Prime Minister of compromise the health and safety of the consumers.
India, Reliance’s Mukesh Ambani and all members We must immediately stop such irresponsible
of the Health Ministry expressing their concerns Pharmacy Practices and notify the long-pending
related to e-Pharmacies. The letter to the PM clearly Draft E-Pharmacy Rules before citizens are made
mentions Amazon as a ‘Modern East India Company’ victims of compromised Pharmacy Practices adopted
and says that India will soon become a victim of by eCommerce companies like Amazon.”
imperialistic capitalism if this problem is not nipped
in the bud. Having said that, Misra also acknowledges the
coexistence of e-Pharmacies and goes on, “It has
Rajiv Singhal, General Secretary, AIOCD, Indore, been observed by the Competition Commission of
India said, “The e-Pharmacy space has been marred India (CCI) that Brick & Mortar Pharmacy Stores can
with extreme controversies on the legality of their comfortably co-exist with Regulated e-Pharmacies
operations and the drugs supplied in this process. to spur price competition and make healthcare more
It is a matter of the bread and butter of 8,50,000 affordable. We must make sure we adopt the global
chemists and moreover, it is also the matter of best practices driven by well-qualified pharmacists
patient safety and the fear of increased drug abuse.” and all the provisions of the draft rules must be
He points out that some e-pharmacies in the state of adopted by all the pharmacies in the country without
Punjab has given rise to nexus of spurious medicines, any discrimination or compromise on the quality
which has lately come to light. Such threats could and safety. This can be made possible only if strictly
grip the country if caution was not maintained. adopt the Good Pharmacy Practices (GPP) and
assure proper warehousing and Good Distribution
Bejon Misra, Founder, Partnership for Safe Practices (GDP). The health and safety of the
Medicines and Founder, Consumer Online citizens is paramount and should always prevail over
Foundation and International Consumer Policy commercial interest. We should never allow patients
Expert, Delhi, India expressing his fret said, “The to be treated like guinea pigs. It is a serious concern
entry of Amazon into e-Pharmacy business is a and we must stop such business models, which are
matter of deep concern to the citizens. Medicines primarily moving into healthcare only to make a
cannot be converted into commodities and sold profit and not waiting for the government to frame
without proper regulations in place. Amazon rules in the interest of the consumers and the ethical
always projected itself as a platform to encourage industry practitioners similar to the recent Consumer
manufacturers to reach potential consumers with Protection Act 2019, which has for the first time given
products and services. Only on July 23, 2020, the
rules for eCommerce got notified under the new
Consumer Protection Act 2019. In our country, the

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“This is a double- “There would be higher levels
edged sword. Initially, of competition in the online
it looks all hunky-dory pharmacy space, we could

but if they become see newer distribution-related
big or monopolistic, initiatives and selling tools /
they will squeeze both
manufacturers and gimmicks employed by the online
consumers. The market pharmacy players in favour of the
must be balanced between
big and small players for a patients/ consumers, improved
accessibility of a wide range of
win-win situation”. medicines, economical pricing
- Kedar V Chikhalikar, and increased consumption of
over the counter (OTC) drugs”.
Associate Head Technical Services,
LifeSciences, South Asia, Middle East, - Dr Suniel Despande,
Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Mumbai, India Chairperson, Centre of Excellence in HealthCare, SIES
College of Management Studies, Navi Mumbai, India

direction in the interest of the consumers. Let us wait e-Pharmacy Draft Rules Provides Sector-Specific
for the Draft Rules on e-Pharmacies to get notified e-Commerce regulations with the aim to harmonise
before we allow a plethora of eCommerce companies existing laws/guidelines like the IT Act, D&C Act
peddling medicine from unknown sources. We and Rules, and other relevant regulations. These
must have a proper registry of all manufacturers draft rules came after over 25 multi-stakeholder
located in various states with full information on the consultations over a period of four years and have
licensed products and a robust tracing and tracking also been approved by Drug Technical Advisory
system, which cannot be cloned to assure consumers Board, the highest expert body for Pharmaceutical
on the products accessed by them as per Indian regulation in India. The delays hereon are purely
Pharmacopoeia and Standards. The states have unjustified, and unfortunate, and seem to go in the
to wake up and consumers need to be alert along opposite direction from the articulated vision of the
with the Patient Friendly Medical Physicians and Prime Minister for a Digital India where innovation
Professional Pharmacists.” thrives”, say an IAMAI statement.

On the other hand, The Internet and Mobile Good playing ground for all?
Association of India (IAMAI) informed that a delay
in notification of the draft, e-Pharmacy rules gives This entire e-Pharmacy saga in India has garnered
an opportunity to vested groups of distributors and attention from industry observers, analyst and
retailers to spread misinformation in a manner that consumers too. Industry experts believe that Amazon
mutes competition and contributes to high drug and Reliance’s entry will create more opportunities
prices in India. This has also been highlighted by for a better business environment as well as
Competition Commission of India (CCI) in their strengthen the pharmacy system in India.
report October 2018, “Making markets work for
affordable healthcare” which stated that these trade According to Shabnum Khan, Founder, 750AD
associations control the entire drug distribution Healthcare, Delhi, India “As per a New EY report,
system in a manner that mutes competition that the market size of the e-Pharmacy in the coming
contributes to high drug prices in India. Further four years is about $360 million. While the offline
one of the solutions proposed by the CCI was pharmacies may consider online pharmacies a threat
encouraging more e-Pharmacies. According to to their business but an amalgamation of the two can
IAMAI, it is important to enabling competition in the lead to unimaginable growth prospects for both.”
pharmaceutical supply chain.
“JioMart, Flipkart and Amazon together can bring
“It may be noted that the e-Pharmacy model down the drug prices by 30 per cent, unless they to
operates in full compliance and harmony with succumb to greed”, says Vivek Hattangadi, Chief
existing laws. A digital platform receives the Mentor, The Enabler, India
request for medicines from a patient along with the
prescription and conveys it to a brick and mortar Dr Suniel Despande, Chairperson, Centre of
licensed pharmacy store that dispenses the medicine, Excellence in HealthCare; Associate Professor-
fully governed under the Drugs & Cosmetics Act. Strategic Management & Marketing; Strategy &
Marketing advisor to corporates; SIES College of
Management Studies, Navi Mumbai & Founder &

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“The emergence of “E-commerce is a sector that
e-Pharmacies would push one cannot neglect & the only
a greater emphasis on price
transparency including the route to success is adapting
amount of discounting from the changing patterns and
developing your business plans
the MRP”. based on changing consumers
behaviour & rising technological
- Vivek Tiwari,
CEO & Founder, Medikabazaar, Mumbai, India advancements”
- Shabnum Khan,

Founder, 750AD Healthcare, Delhi, India

Co-Mentor, Academy of Pharmaceutical Leadership of immediacy due to their proximity to the customer -
(APL), India sees both pros and cons. He feels better equipped to answer immediate needs.”
that there would be higher levels of competition
in the online pharmacy space, we could see newer Reshaping India’s pharmacy business
distribution-related initiatives and selling tools /
gimmicks employed by the online pharmacy players Having said that, a reshaping of the pharmacy
in favour of the patients/ consumers, improved business is inevitable. 750AD Healthcare informs
accessibility of a wide range of medicines, economical that the company is soon to launch an e-commerce
pricing and increased consumption of over the platform for the chemists across the country. Where
counter (OTC) drugs. But flip-side could be an the offline pharmacies will have an online market
increase in errors/lacunas in the dispensing areas for themselves. It will be a market aggregator for the
and increased supply of spurious drugs. chemists and pharmacies and will add on to their
businesses.
Adding to this, Kedar V Chikhalikar, Associate
Head Technical Services, LifeSciences, South Asia, “Besides, consumer awareness is the most
Middle East, Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Mumbai, important element to restrain any form of fraudulent
India said, “This is a double-edged sword. Initially, practices, and for that is the only way that this
it looks all hunky-dory but if they become big or industry can flourish. While the government has
monopolistic, they will squeeze both manufacturers several regulations, but at the same time, the
and consumers. The market must be balanced between consumers also need to be careful and self-aware.
big and small players for a win-win situation”. There needs to be consumer awareness around
the requirement of verifying the genuineness of
Raghu Kochar, PR and Communications the service provider as well as the merchandise
Consultant. Formerly Executive Vice President and to steer clear of sites that sell drugs without a
Corporate Communications, Fortis Healthcare, legal prescription. Well-defined safety and quality
Delhi, India is of the opinion that aggregation can benchmarks, unfussy privacy and security policies, a
lead to better buying power by the e-distribution confirmable physical address and licensed pharmacist
companies. “If these companies want, they can pass are the basic requirements of a good e-Pharmacy.
a substantial amount to the patient by bringing down Awareness of online acquirement of medicines by the
the retail price. The question is will they? Also scale patient is essential for improved patient management
leads to better warehousing, logistics, and efficient and avoidance of the problem that may arise from
distribution of thousands of stock-keeping unit self-medication. These measures along with sufficient
(SKU)’s, which are required because of the diverse monitoring by regulators are the basic guidelines
needs for medication lower holding costs because for the e-Pharmacies to flourish and grow”, adds
of the efficiency unleashed. Traditional pharmacies Shabnum from 750AD Healthcare.
will have to reinvent themselves and get into more
value-added stuff where personal interaction and On the same line, Tiwari lists down some of the
interventions are required. They may even pivot changes that will strengthen pharmacy policy and
into small clinics, diagnostic centres, collection operations.
centres, dialysis centres, or even offer base medical
nursing aid - eg: giving injections etc. It will have to Prescription or OTC – There would still be
be a medicine plus delivery plus consult model to a very strong emphasis on prescription drugs vs
command the premium price that they will be forced OTC and the sale of such products would be strictly
to charge. Also, they will always retain the advantage monitored.

Price Transparency – The emergence of
e-pharmacies would push a greater emphasis on price

COVER STORY 25

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

REGULATIONS FOR E-PHARMACY required, for public health purposes.
● Maintenance of the e-Portal: Data to be
● Drugs that cannot be sold on the e-Pharmacy
Portal: The e-Pharmacy registration holder must available on the e- Pharmacy portal Registration
not deal in drugs that are covered under the issued in Form 21AA, constitution of the firm
narcotic and psychotropic categories as referred (details of directors and partners with ownership
to in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic patterns), official logo of the e-Pharmacy portal,
Substances Act, 1985. details of the logistic service provider, return policy
of the dispensed drugs, etc
● Data Collection: It is mandatory to establish
an e- Pharmacy portal in India and all the data ● Helpline and Grievance Redressal: The
generated is to be kept in the country. The data e-Pharmacy will be required to keep all its
generated or mirrored through the e-Pharmacy customer information confidential but will be duty
portal cannot be sent or stored, by any means, bound to disclose any information to the State or
outside the country. the Central Government, whenever required, for
public health purposes.
● Confidentiality of Information Generated
through the Portal: The e-Pharmacy will be required ● Advertisement and Publicity: e-Pharmacies
to keep all its customer information confidential are forbidden to advertise on any media platform
but will be duty bound to disclose any information like print, television, or the digital medium.
to the State or the Central Government, whenever
Source: Frost & Sullivan
transparency including the amount of discounting
from the MRP. systemic business value development plan.
“One cannot disagree or neglect the fact that
Product Availability – The availability of the
products would have to be highlighted and shared digitisation and technological innovation is the
with the customer especially in the cases of products backbone of a growing economy and the same is
needed at short-notice like insulin’s, anti-allergens. applicable to the pharmacy business. Hence, it
is important to acknowledge this fact as soon as
Quality – Given the emergence of many possible and align the offline business with online
cheaper unbranded generics, a declaration of quality opportunities to stay in line and pace with the ever-
including certifications would be paramount. changing business environment in the technological
world. Consumers no more want to step out to buy
Pharmacist Verification – It is highly likely goods and it is a world where doorstep service is
that for prescription products the signoff of a certified given preference. The use of Artificial Intelligence
pharmacist would be mandatory even if done digitally. /Machine Learning has also changed the entire
consumer behaviour and now the customers can
The government needs to act swiftly… experience real-life shopping experiences/medical
consultations sitting back at home. To stay ahead
Well, the good news is that the entry of e-commerce in the game, you need to understand the game
giants into the e-Pharmacy space will certainly and that can only be done once you are a part of it.
bring in a radical reorganisation within the E-commerce is a sector that one cannot neglect and
pharmacy sector but the real challenge is for the the only route to success is adapting the changing
government. Will the government act fast in bringing patterns and developing your business plans based
in the required e-Pharmacy regulation? With the on changing consumers behaviour and rising
government act swiftly on its goal for the National technological advancements”, sums up Shabnum.
Digital Health Mission? It is necessary that they also
focus on the policies that protect patients. A recent Indeed, Shabnum has a point. Understand
Interpol report on Cyber Crime in Asian countries consumer behaviour will become extremely crucial
brought to light that the online sale of fake medical for pharmacy businesses to device strategy that will
supplies, drugs and personal protective equipment, work. Good forward, companies will have to tap into
and exploitation of teleconference tools are the major the world of data sciences to build strategies beyond
COVID-19 cybercrime trends in Asia. Hence, a strong selling drugs. It will be extremely vital to focus on
licensing and governance policy for the online and value creation for consumers in order to stay ahead of
offline sale of drugs is a must in India. the game.

But for e-Pharmacies and offline pharmacies Raelene Kambli
businesses, the success mantra will be of having a

26 PARTNER VOICE BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

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Eppendorf: Working for
a better world for 75 years

Eppendorf is supporting essen- regarded as the archetypes of And we want that to go hand in
tial businesses and institutions modern medical technologies hand with significant reductions
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PARTNER VOICE 27

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28 VACCINE

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

China leads the
coronavirus vaccine race

Of the nine leading candidate that are under Phase III trial for the novel coronavirus in the world, five
are from China- a most from any country. China has emerged as a leader in the novel coronavirus
vaccines, a development that will enhance it as a global power but also raises concerns over safety
and efficacy of the vaccine. Let’s look into the pros and cons of its leadership in the COVID-19 vaccine.

Almost a year later, the country, which was the will work, but after AstraZeneca’s scandal in early
epicenter of the novel coronavirus has also September 2020 where the firm had to halt the trials
emerged as a leader in the COVID-19 vaccines, because of adverse reaction, experts, now believe this
a development that will enhance its standing as a old school method of vaccine might actually prove
global super power. Of the 40 new vaccines in clinical successful this time around as well.
trials around the world, 11 are in China, the most of
any country (as on September 25, 2020). Of the nine While most of the Chinese companies are working
that are in Phase III, China has five. Chinese vaccines independently, two of them - Fosun Pharma and
are expected to launch as early as December 2020. Clover Biopharmaceuticals have partnered with
international firms to develop the vaccine.
Unlike western countries, which are hedging
bets on the experimental vaccines, China is betting Fosun Pharma is partnering with US’ Pfizer and
big on the tried and tested capabilities of inactivated Germany’s BioNTech. In August 2020, BioNTech and
vaccines. Five companies in the world that are Fosun Pharma announced the start of clinical trial of
mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate in China.
pursuing inactivated coronavirus vaccines,
four are Chinese, including Sinovac and Another firm that has joined hands with global
two vaccines from state owned China firms is Clover Biopharmaceuticals, which has
National Pharmaceutical Group
Co., Ltd. (Sinopharm). Earlier partnered with UK’s
there were concerns about GlaxoSmithKline
whether inactivated (GSK) and US’
vaccines for the Dynavax. In
new coronavirus September
2020,
Clover

VACCINE 29

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

COVID-19 CANDIDATE VACCINES FROM CHINA (AS ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2020)

S.No COVID-19 Vaccine developer/manufacturer Vaccine platform Status

1 CanSino Biological Inc./ Non-Replicating Viral Vector (Viral Ongoing Phase III trial
Beijing Institute of Biotechnology Vector Adenovirus Type 5 Vector)

2 Sinovac Inactivated Ongoing Phase III trial

3 Wuhan Institute of Biological Products/Sinopharm Inactivated Ongoing Phase III trial

4 Beijing Institute of Biological Products/Sinopharm Inactivated Ongoing Phase III trial

5 BioNTech/Fosun Pharma/Pfizer RNA Ongoing Phase III trial

6 Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical/ Protein Subunit Ongoing Phase II trial
Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Inactivated Ongoing Phase I trial
7 Institute of Medical Biology,
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Non-Replicating Viral Vector Ongoing Phase I trial

8 Institute of Biotechnology, Academy of Protein Subunit Ongoing Phase I trial
Military Medical Sciences, PLA of China
Protein Subunit Ongoing Phase I trial
9 Clover Biopharmaceuticals Inc./GSK/Dynavax
Replicating Viral Vector Ongoing Phase I trial
10 West China Hospital, Sichuan University

11 Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy/ Xiamen University

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)

announced positive preclinical data and updates on company. Sinopharm was founded in 2003. Vaccine
Phase I study for its adjuvanted S-Trimer COVID-19 development is done through two institutes of
vaccine candidate. A global Phase II/III efficacy Sinopharm subsidiary China National Biotec Group:
clinical study of the COVID-19 S-Trimer programme is the Beijing Biological Institute and Wuhan Institute
planned before the end of 2020. of Biological Products. It’s the first company in the
world to enter human clinical trials for its COVID-19
China’s top 3 vaccine candidate. The ongoing Phase III clinical trials
are being held in United Arab Emirates, Peru, Morocco
Sinovac, CanSino and Sinopharm are the three front and Argentina. The company has claimed that its
runners in the COVID-19 vaccine race. vaccine will be available by the end of December 2020,
at a price of less than 1,000 yuan ($144) for two shots.
Founded in 2001, Sinovac is a NASDAQ-listed The firm has also built the world’s largest COVID-19
vaccine developer based in Beijing. The firm has vaccine production facility, doubling its capacity to
developed vaccines for hepatitis A and B, seasonal 200 million doses annually.
influenza, swine flu and avian flu etc. In 2009, Sinovac
was the first company worldwide to receive approval Concerns
for its H1N1 influenza vaccine, which it has supplied
to the Chinese government’s vaccination campaign Developing a vaccine isn’t the only challenge for
and stockpiling programme. The company is also the Chinese companies, the next perhaps even bigger
only supplier of an avian flu vaccine to the government challenge, would be to convince the world that its
stockpiling programme. The company has already vaccine is safe to use. Chinese vaccines are mostly
constructed a plant for mass vaccine manufacturing, used for domestic purpose and are rarely exported
capable of producing roughly 300 million doses overseas. Clinical trials focus on speed, but not much
annually in Beijing. information is available on the efficacy and side effects
of the vaccines. Accept Sinovac, none of the companies
Founded in 2009 in Tianjin, CanSino, is listed in have published results in a peer-reviewed journal.
Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchange. In 2014, There are concerns about safety and efficacy of the
CanSino became the third pharmaceuticals company Chinese vaccines, more so in this case because of
to develop a vaccine for Ebola after UK’s GSK and accelerated approval process and the fact that country
US’ Merck. In August 2020, the firm received the is flouting its own regulatory process by giving the
first COVID-19 vaccine patent granted by China. The unapproved vaccine to soldiers and others.
ongoing stage three clinical trials are being done in
Saudi Arabia, Mexico and with soldiers from China’s Besides suppressing information about the
People’s Liberation Army (PLA). infections early, China had exported vaccines for Phase
III trials to countries such as Indonesia, Brazil, UAE,
Based in Beijing, China National Pharmaceutical
Group Co., Ltd. (Sinopharm) is a state-owned

30 VACCINE

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

CHINESE HUMAN VACCINE MARKET Yet, the 13-valent pneumonia vaccine of Walvax
Biotechnology and the 2-valent pneumonia
In China, the lot release for human vaccines vaccine of Xiamen Innovax Biotech are approved
plunged by 17.7 per cent in 2018 when the successively for general availability in the market,
production record fraud of rabies vaccines for challenging the overseas vaccine giants at their
human use, freeze-dried by Changsheng Bio- games and scrambling for more market shares
Technology was exposed. The impact fades by price advantage, accompanied by the to-be-
away amid tighter control on human vaccines in soon-launched vaccines like 13-valent pneumonia
China. In 2019, National Institutes for Food and vaccine of Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products
Drug Control (NIFDC) approved 570 million doses Co., Ltd., 2-valent/9-valent HPV vaccines of
of human vaccine with a year-on-year increase Walvax Biotechnology, 4-valent influenza vaccine
of 5.4 per cent, among which there was more and 15-valent pneumonia vaccine of Chongqing
lot release volume of diphtheria, tetanus and Zhifei Biological Products Co., Ltd.
acellular pertussis combined vaccine (adsorbed),
recombinant Hepatitis B vaccine, and rabies The devastating COVID-19 in more than 100
vaccine for human use (freeze-dried), together countries causes a total of over 14.77 million
sharing 33.9 per cent of the total. cases infected and approximately 609,000 deaths.
The mortality rate is high up to 4.1 per cent and
The Chinese human vaccine market is now the overriding research about coronavirus vaccine
occupied by local companies, where the state- and clinical trials get under way.
owned enterprises command more than a half of
the market. In the first half of 2020, the players In at least 200 coronavirus vaccine
had more lot releases, such as China National programmes worldwide to date, China stays
Biotec Group (CNBG), Institute of Medical Biology, ahead temporarily in the R&D progress. Seven
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Walvax coronavirus vaccines are in the clinical phase,
Biotechnology, Amy Biotech & Vaccine, Liaoning and Ad5-nCoV, an adenovirus vaccine being
Cheng Da, NCPC GeneTech Biotechnology, and co-developed by CanSino Biologics, Inc. and the
Sinovac Biotech, holding a combined 82.2 per cent team led by the academician Chen Wei at the
of the total. Noticeably, CNBG takes a lion’s share Biological Engineering Institute of Academy of
43.3 per cent, leading the pack in the industry. Military Medical Sciences, is advancing faster as
its phase-III clinical trials are in place. To curb the
Although the Chinese human vaccine market is pandemic, the related authorities of China will
ruled by local companies, the imported vaccines accelerate the examination and approval process
are largely the extra EPI vaccines (not free, and for a shorter development cycle and a faster
residents can choose whether they want to launch to save lives.
be inoculated) such as 13-valent pneumonia
vaccine, HPV vaccine and DTaP-IPV/Hib vaccine. Source: ResearchAndMarkets

etc. It’s interesting to note that the country hasn’t Co Ltd was charged with penalties totaling 9.1 billion
gotten any interest from the US or EU. yuan ($1.32 billion) for falsifying data for a rabies
vaccine. However, not all is lost though. Following the
China’s vaccine industry has been marred vaccine scandal of Changsheng Bio-technology Co.,
with scandals in the recent times. In fact, two of Ltd. in 2018, the Vaccine Administration Law of China
the companies leading the coronavirus vaccine was enacted at the Eleventh Meeting of the Standing
race – Sinovac and Sinopharma are tainted with Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress on
rocky scandals. Sinovac was charged with bribery June 29, 2019. The Law took effect from December 1,
allegations. According to reports, a Beijing court ruled 2019, will be a boon for better regulation on the whole
in 2017 that an official at the country’s drug regulator vaccine market and sound development of the vaccine
received improper payments from vaccine producers industry.
including Sinovac. The U.S. Department of Justice and
the Securities and Exchange Commission conducted The pandemic which has killed millions and
related investigations of the company. Sinovac was has disrupted the world shows no sign of stopping.
never charged in either country. It’s possible we will need more than one vaccine to
successfully eradicate this disease. In such a scenario, if
In 2018, Sinopharm was involved in a scandal Chinese vaccines succeed, it will at least provide a ray of
involving defective vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, hope for the disease which currently has no treatment.
whooping cough, which were given to children. In the
same year, Beijing based Changsheng Bio-technology Ayesha Siddiqui

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BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

Will COVAX ensure universal
access to COVID-19 vaccine?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has created a COVAX Facility to ensure universal access
for COVID-19 vaccines. More than 64 countries are part of this including India, Japan and Korea.
BioSpectrum analyses how will COVAX achieve this colossal challenge to provide vaccine to
everyone in the world and global health charity Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without
Borders (MSF’s) apprehensions about the programme and its alternative recommendations.

The world is waiting with bated breath for the this by acting as a platform that will support the
coronavirus vaccine, as of September 25, 2020 research, development and manufacturing of a wide
there are 40 candidate vaccines in clinical range of COVID-19 vaccine candidates, and negotiate
evaluation and 149 candidate vaccines in preclinical their pricing. All participating countries, regardless
evaluation, according to WHO. As the vaccine trials of income levels, will have equal access to these
reach its final testing, the question everyone is vaccines. The initial aim is to have 2 billion doses
asking now will everyone get it? After all, developing available by the end of 2021, which should be enough
a vaccine is only half the battle won, the next big to protect high risk and vulnerable people, as well as
challenge is to ensure everyone in the world gets it. frontline healthcare workers.

To solve this conundrum of universal access to As of September 21, 2020, 64 higher income
the vaccine, WHO in partnership with the Coalition economies have joined the COVAX Facility. The 64
for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and members of the Facility will be joined by 92 low- and
GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, has launched COVAX. It’s middle-income economies eligible for support for the
a global initiative that is working with governments procurement of vaccines through the GAVI COVAX
and manufacturers to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are Advance Market Commitment (AMC), a financing
available worldwide to everyone. COVAX will achieve instrument aimed at supporting the procurement of

32 VACCINE

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

vaccines for these countries. expense of poorer nations.
The GAVI COVAX AMC has raised around During the swine flu pandemic in 2009, Australia,

$700 million from sovereign donors as well as the first country to come up with a vaccine, had
philanthropy and the private sector, against an initial blocked exports and the US had obtained the rights
target of $ 2 billion in seed funding needed by the end to buy 600,000 doses. The first company to come
of 2020. The major investors include Melinda Gates up with a vaccine was Australia’s CSL. Australian
foundation, and several countries including Australia, government made it clear to CSL that it must fulfill the
Italy, Norway etc. It’s interesting to note that China government’s domestic needs before exporting vaccine
and the United States (US), two countries leading the to the US. The US pledged to donate 10 per cent of
coronavirus vaccine race have not joined the Facility. its vaccine purchases to WHO, but later backtracked
saying it would not donate the vaccine until all at-risk
The only pharma firm that has signed up to the Americans had access, because production problems
AMC is AstraZeneca, which has committed to provide had created shortages in the US.
300 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, which is
being developed with the University of Oxford. The This is also important, because wealthy countries
firm resumed the phase III trial of its vaccine on have signed advanced purchasing deals with pharma
September 13, 2020, after an independent committee firms for the vaccine.
found that it was safe to do so. The firm has halted
the trials on September 6, owing to safety concerns. Wealthy nations representing just 13 per cent
of the world’s population have already cornered
This isn’t the first time GAVI has proposed such a more than half (51 per cent) of the promised doses
tool, it has utilized the similar mechanisms to secure of leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates, Oxfam
equitable global access to pneumococcal and Ebola warned.
vaccines. GAVI claims to have 225 million children
across 60 low and lower-middle income vaccinated Oxfam calculated the combined production
through pneumococcal Advance Market Commitment capacity of these five vaccine candidates at 5.94
(PCV AMC), which was launched in 2009. billion doses, enough for 2.97 billion people given
that all five future vaccines will or are highly likely
Why it matters? to require two doses. Supply deals have already
been agreed for 5.303 billion doses, of which 2.728
There are concerns about richer countries billion (51 per cent) have been bought by developed
monopolizing the global supply of COVID-19 countries including the UK, US, Australia, Hong
vaccines when it’s available. The WHO is also Kong & Macau, Japan, Switzerland and Israel, as well
pushing for COVAX to avoid the repeat of what as the European Union. The remaining 2.575 billion
happened in 2009 during swine flu (H1N1) doses have been bought by or promised to developing
pandemic- when wealthy countries partnered with countries including India, Bangladesh, China, Brazil,
big pharma firms to monopolize the vaccine at the Indonesia and Mexico among others. Included within
the supply for developing countries are the 300
million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine pledged to
the COVAX.

Amidst all this, COVAX will act as an insure policy
that will at least attempt to make fair and universal
access to everyone.

MSF’s concerns

However, not everyone is satisfied with COVAX. MSF
has raised concerns about the mechanism saying that
the success of such efforts will hinge on governments
adhering to this framework and putting the common
good above individual nationalist interests.

MSF is largely concerned about the price of the
vaccine. “To date, governments and philanthropies
have given over $4.4 billion to pharmaceutical
corporations for research and development for
COVID-19 vaccines. However, by and large no
conditions for access or affordability have been
included as a precondition to any of that funding. The

VACCINE 33

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

COVID-19 vaccines fund that is being mapped out HOW MUCH IT WILL COST TO
by GAVI aims to raise billions to pay for increased GET EVERYONE VACCINATED?
production capacity for future vaccines, and to secure
a price, but there is no guarantee whatsoever that The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook
pharmaceutical corporations will charge affordable from June 2020 projected the cumulative loss
prices,” MSF said in a statement. to the global economy for 2020 and 2021 at $12
trillion. Using data provided by the Access to
MSF also highlighted the shortcomings of COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, Oxfam has
GAVI’s PCV AMC for pneumonia vaccines, saying calculated that the estimated cost to research,
“Independent evaluations of the AMC found it did make, procure and distribute a vaccine to
not deliver on the first objective in a timely way, everyone on the planet could cost $70.6 billion.
and failed to fully accomplish the second objective. Therefore, the cost of providing a vaccine for
Supporting scale-up of manufacturing capacity so everyone on Earth is equivalent to 0.59 per cent
that companies could meet the volume needs of of cost of COVID-19 to the global economy.
GAVI countries, and pulling in new manufacturers
and PCV products into the market for developing 3. Safeguard affordable access long
countries, were only partially successful. PCV term by overcoming intellectual property
supply shortages occurred a few times throughout barriers: GAVI must help safeguard affordable
the AMC.” access to COVID-19 vaccines more sustainably by
also advocating for open licenses and requiring
MSF also highlighted the footfalls of the advanced technology transfer and other measures that can
Advance Purchase Commitment (APC) for Ebola ensure more manufacturers can participate
vaccine. The APC for Ebola was launched in 2015
with an agreement between GAVI and Merck 4. Do not undermine existing functional
whereby GAVI paid Merck $5 million towards the procurement mechanisms: GAVI’s work to
development of its Ebola vaccine and Merck agreed to negotiate a mechanism should not undermine
submit the vaccine for marketing approval by the end existing, well-functioning procurement initiatives run
of 2017. Merck also committed to maintain a stock of by governments
300,000 doses for emergency use and/or expanded-
use clinical trials. The $5 million pre-payment was 5. Include the humanitarian community
supposed to be deducted from GAVI’s future Ebola and NGOs as eligible purchasers: Besides
vaccine purchases. Ultimately, Merck did not submit governments, other vaccination service providers
for marketing approval until March 2019 in Europe such as humanitarian organisations and non-
(approved November 2019) and September 2019 in governmental organisations (NGOs) will need access
the US (approved December 2019). to future COVID-19 vaccines

“Despite this delay in fulfilling one of the major 6. Be transparent: GAVI, and governments that
commitments of the APC, GAVI was not in a provide funding to GAVI, must insist on transparency
position to take any punitive action , since the from pharmaceutical corporations.
prepayment to Merck had already been made,” said
MSF in a statement. “To date, GAVI has not received 7. Include developing countries and civil
any Ebola vaccine from Merck despite the $5 million society organisations in the process: Right
prepayment,” it added. voices must be at the table to ensure the Facility is
appropriately designed to serve the needs of the most
MSF’s recommendations: vulnerable populations. In the next steps of its design
process, GAVI must include representatives from its
If GAVI intends to play a constructive role in delivering list of traditionally eligible countries and civil society.
a COVID-19 vaccine that meets these requirements,
the following recommendations are key: A global response to vaccinate everyone is an
insurmountable task. Apart from securing sufficient
1. Negotiate an “at cost” price: GAVI has a funding, the facility will face other policy decisions
responsibility to hold pharmaceutical corporations like who should be the first to receive a vaccine once
at their word and enforce no profiteering off a it is available etc.
pandemic. An at-cost price should be set for any
COVID-19 vaccines Oxfam also warns that even if all five leading
potential vaccines succeed, 61 per cent of the world’s
2.Ensure equitable vaccine distribution: population won’t have a vaccine until at least 2022.
Predicting that initial demand will outstrip In such a scenario, perhaps this is the best bet we
supply for COVID-19 vaccines, a global equitable have to get everyone vaccinated.
allocation system led by WHO must be followed
Ayesha Siddiqui

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“We are committed to
fast-tracking innovation and
transformative care to patients”

« collective action to drive impact to patients. This is
done through targeted partnerships that strengthen
Thomas Willemsen, healthcare systems in a sustainable way, at every
Senior Vice stage of the patient journey.
President, Takeda
Pharmaceuticals, Through our AtM programme, we have
APAC, Singapore equipped healthcare providers with diagnostic and
treatment training across our therapeutic areas,
The present pandemic scenarios are and also developed collaborative financing models
continuing to place immense pressure to ensure patients can complete their course of
on healthcare systems across Asia Pacific treatment, even when they cannot afford to pay
(APAC). Rapidly growing, aging population and in full. Since Takeda established these Patient
surging healthcare costs, making it challenging for Assistance Programmes in 2016, we have impacted
governments to ensure citizens receive affordable, the lives of close to 700 patients across APAC.
high-quality treatment and care. There is a need to
act swiftly to alleviate these challenges to prevent We are focused on long-term commitments and
prolonged stress on the healthcare systems by seek to shape the environment in these countries so
enhancing the healthcare sustainability. Amidst that in the long-term, a sustainable reimbursement
the severe burden on healthcare systems, global landscape that also covers complex and rare
pharmaceutical companies like Takeda are medical conditions may be possible.
expressing confidence to potentially transform
the lives through their breakthrough innovative What are Takeda’s APAC R&D focus during
vaccines and medications. Takeda is focusing on and post-COVID era? What upcoming
value-based healthcare to deliver personalized, assets can we expect in Takeda’s
precise treatments aimed at improving patient innovation pipeline?
outcomes, while ultimately lowering costs, to better
invest in innovation and deliver impactful value to As the world’s largest Asian biopharmaceutical
patients. Thomas Willemsen, Senior Vice President company, we have a responsibility to help increase
of Takeda Pharmaceuticals, APAC, Singapore the amount of R&D and number of clinical trials
has more to share on the Asia Pacific healthcare being conducted in Asia. Our Takeda Development
challenges and Takeda’s upcoming ventures, Centre Asia, based in Shanghai and Singapore,
especially in combating dengue and COVID-19. serves as a regional hub for clinical development.
Edited excerpts; Additionally, we are also generating local data
and real-world evidence post launch to facilitate
Takeda is committed towards accelerating access and better treatment outcomes for patients
access to innovative medicines? Can you in Asia. Many of our global brands were developed
provide more insight on this? with a strong focus on the US market, but we
are seeing more representation of Asian patients
Our Access to Medicines (AtM) initiative is about in the development of our current pipeline, and
radically increasing access to innovative medicines we are optimistic that this will continue to grow.
for complex and rare diseases by mobilizing Our R&D pipeline focuses on highly innovative
medicines across rare diseases, gastroenterology,
neuroscience, and oncology, with targeted
investments in plasma-derived therapies and
vaccines.

With a sharpened portfolio focus, and the huge
untapped growth potential in the APAC region,
we are committed to fast-tracking innovation and

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transformative care in these areas to patients. of understanding to raise public awareness
Our robust R&D pipeline will allow us to continue for rare diseases and drive collaboration with
delivering more positive impact long into the key government and healthcare community
future. stakeholders in rare disease policy development.
In Malaysia, we are one of five pharma MNCs to be
Our product pipeline that is particularly involved in the Malaysia Cancer Care Consortium,
relevant to Asian patients include TAK-788 for the an initiative to advance cancer care in the country.
treatment of a rare form of Non-Small Cell Lung
Cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR Exon 20 Insertion In response to COVID-19, Takeda initiated
Mutation – a disease that sees a higher prevalence a call for collaboration between leading plasma
of patients in North Asia; and TAK-003, a vaccine companies to form the CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance.
to protect from dengue, a healthcare burden that This is an unprecedented partnership of world-
affects 390 million people every year with 70 per leading plasma companies uniting to develop a
cent of the prevalence in Asia. non-branded plasma-derived therapy, called a
hyperimmune globulin (H-Ig), which will be one of
Can you elaborate more on Takeda’s the earliest treatment options for COVID-19 and is
endeavor to tackle APAC’s healthcare currently in preparation for Phase 3 clinical trials.
challenges.
How do you wish to execute your
In countries with a mature, established strategic plans to lead and transform the
reimbursement environment like Australia, Taiwan organization and meet patients’ needs with
and Korea, fast-tracking access to our highly innovation?
innovative portfolio requires that we continue
to collaborate with payors on value-based access Our strategy to follow the innovation with an
solutions. This means that we can help payors access-first approach and patients at the center,
manage their limited resources by paying only for aims to fast-track innovation and prioritize
medicines that meet the desired outcome. Once sustainable approaches, whilst focusing on lesser-
launched, we also aim to enhance outcomes of our known disease areas. This will enable us to invest
specialized treatments by additionally offering in the discovery, development, and delivery of
patient support services that include home- innovative medicines to create a positive impact
based care coordination to support adherence to on patient lives now and in the future. While
treatment schedules and improve patient quality of innovation, science, pipelines, and financials
life through education and minimization of disease are all crucial, the most important factor in our
burden. success will always be our people. I believe that
only an organization that is aligned on the same
In emerging markets such as The Philippines, values and trusts its leaders can transform and
Indonesia or Vietnam, where many communities perform at pace. During my first year with Takeda,
lack adequate and affordable healthcare, we follow travelling across countries for business reviews
a two-fold strategy. First, we focus on our AtM contributed to joined visits with medical and
strategy that aims to improve the diagnosis and commercial staff to meet customers, meetings
treatment of rare diseases. Second, we focus on with government stakeholders, internal town
some of Southeast Asia’s developing countries in halls and talent roundtables. These immersions
making our new dengue vaccine available to protect into each of the countries within our remit helped
people against this disease. me to understand the specific opportunities and
challenges and to connect to the employees at every
With plans to make available to patients 100 level of the organization. We have created a high
products across 10 APAC countries over the degree of transparency and employee engagement,
next five years, we are working closely with our which is also reflected through our repeated
stakeholders and customers to address unmet recognition as a “Top Employer” in the region.
medical needs in the region. We will further execute the strategy, leverage
key trends and opportunities, implement access
Share Takeda’s strategic partnerships programmes to advance our developing markets,
with local markets to increase access to build trust with stakeholders and continue to add
Takeda’s portfolio of medicines – including value and services.
immunotherapies as cancer treatment?
Hithaishi C Bhaskar
We are thoroughly of the belief that we can [email protected]
achieve more through collaboration. In Thailand,
we signed a 5-year rare disease memorandum

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“We are investing in larger
cleanrooms, better QA vision
systems, and more technical expertise”

« How do you foresee APAC healthcare SBS
market?
Mike Benevento,
President & CEO, The market in Asia Pacific (APAC) is well-positioned
Oliver Healthcare to serve its growing MedTech industry. An aging
Packaging, USA population, higher access to healthcare services, and
growing disposable incomes fuel the APAC region’s
Oliver Healthcare Packaging, one of the market potential and opportunities. Today, a large
leading providers of sterile barrier flexible portion of the market produces lower-end class I and
packaging for the global healthcare industry, II devices, but we also see growth in higher-end (class
emphasize on custom engineered design of Sterile II and III) device manufacturing, which are typically
Barrier System (SBS) to meet medical innovations more challenging from a packaging standpoint.
and packaging technologies. Oliver Healthcare with
its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, expanding APAC medical device and therapeutic manufacturing
global SBS manufacturing footprint to Asian markets are growing. Oliver has launched its state-of-
market. Mike Benevento, President & CEO, Oliver the-art manufacturing facility with ISO-7 cleanroom
Healthcare Packaging, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, manufacturing in Suzhou, China in 2018, and has
further elaborates on the critical role of SBS and its continued to invest in Asia. This year, we opened a new
significance as integral part of Asia Pacific (APAC) Technical Development Center and office in Singapore.
MedTech industry. Edited excerpts; The Tech Center offers customers a more interactive
experience, where they can work with our engineers
How do you assess the primacies in the to quickly generate and prototype package designs. As
development of sterile barrier systems both facilities serve the APAC medical device industry,
(SBS)? the collaborative process and advanced expertise has
been transformative for all of us.
The aseptic operations at medical devices and
pharmaceuticals industry comprises of unique What are the proprietary technology
challenges, opportunities, and most importantly the implemented to present an optimal SBS to the
regulatory landscape. Those developing devices and market?
drugs should engage packaging firms with dedicated
design and technical expertise to design and develop It is essential to bring products with suitable sterile
medical sterile barrier systems. Organizations often integrity to uphold the SBS regulations. The potential
undertake some form of in-house development advantage of accessing proprietary technology is that
of their SBS. This can be driven by many factors,
including cost savings, and can be valuable in setting
the stage. Yet, as part of regulatory due diligence,
it is essential to note that there are complex SBS
vulnerabilities that may be unknown to the product
design team. Engaging with a medical packaging
team can take early concepts to optimal solutions
and success.

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new technologies and processes offer the prospect The essential requirement for all sterile packaging is
of better, or more efficiently, meeting a need. As an that there is no breach of seal or surface integrity and
example, in our organization, we offer a vast array of that the device it contains will arrive at its point-of-
adhesive coatings. Our in-house developed coatings use with the sterile barrier intact. Definitively knowing
are either aqueous or hot melt, and assist in meeting the best products and methods that will consistently
the needs to reach optimal performance. meet that need leads to success. And that is one of the
areas of expertise we are pleased to support across
Whether one is a maker of components required APAC. One of our missions is to leverage our 50+
for SBS design, as we are, or a MedTech producer years of medical packaging experience to empower
on the journey to market, there is an intrinsic value new markets and pioneers.
that proprietary products often offer. Though the
traditional approach serves the purpose, it is worth Do you see a balance between innovation and
weighing proprietary innovation against conventional ensuring patient safety in SBS design?
options.
Innovation in SBS is rare at the material level due to
For example, sterilizing pre-fillable syringes is a demand for time-proven materials with a long history
high demand SBS with an “ultra-clean” application of success. As a result, material changes are relatively
where particulate control is of the utmost importance. stagnant and have not seen major shifts in the past 40
Standard materials for this type of SBS may work, but years. However, an unwavering attention to quality
they come with the risk of unacceptable particulate and sterile integrity is a priority.
levels. Considerable scientific development is required
to create a highly optimized coating that can consistently In both aspects, the balance thus falls on systems
outperform a generic product in particulate reduction. and package design. At a systems level, Medical Device
Particulate is a significant risk to pre-fillable syringe Manufacturers (MDMs) may use highly automated
drug’s solubility, stability, and efficacy. The need to form-fill-seal (FFS) equipment to do high volumes of
reduce particulate led us to develop hot melt coatings packaging. FFS requires adhesive coatings that can
specifically for this application. To demonstrate provide an adequate seal window while running at high
the effectiveness, an independently tested product speeds. Choosing adhesives specific for healthcare
shows statistically positive outcomes, the value of its scenarios should be the primary focus.
proprietary nature is exemplified. That knowledge can
help weigh the cost-risk-benefit equation that comes As medical device innovation gains ground across
into play for all SBS development. the APAC region, we look to our experiences in Suzhou,
Singapore, and around the world to identify additional
Another example is the use of de-nesting agents, ways to support and serve Asia’s MedTech industry.
which are important to separate rigid packaging
elements in a manufacturing process. Sometimes, Can you share Oliver’s approach in assisting
these agents can undermine the bond between the APAC medical centers combat the Coronavirus
rigid packaging element and the SBS’s flexible “lid.” pandemic?
Finding a team that understands these nuances and
how different adhesives work even in the presence of As the pandemic has unfolded, we have continually
de-nesting agents, can be a substantial risk mitigator. re-assessed how our position and multi-disciplinary
capabilities could best serve the public and the medical
industry. We are working with several large companies
in developing SBS for COVID-19 test kits, sample
collection devices, and personal protective equipment
(PPE). We take great pride in the role we play in
supplying doctors and nurses with the materials they
need to save lives. Oliver’s manufacturing sites were
deemed essential from the earliest stages, and our
production staff has continued to produce packaging
throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are investing in larger cleanrooms, better QA
vision systems, and more technical expertise between
our sites in Suzhou and Singapore. Oliver is fully
committed to helping the Asian medical world get
through COVID-19 and continue to advance.

Hithaishi C Bhaskar
[email protected]

38 Q&A

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“Indian companies are moving from
API manufacturing to Formulations”

« You say that Indian life sciences has witnessed
an exponential expansion in scope and
Sanjay Singh, capabilities along the value chain. Can you
Partner – Deal Advisory, share some noteworthy examples?
Head of Lifesciences,
KPMG, India India is the 3rd largest pharma market globally
by volume. Indian companies are moving from
The COVID-19 pandemic has unlocked several being leaders in API manufacturing to leaders in
opportunities for the life sciences sector in India. Formulations. 70 per cent of the world’s supply of HCQ
And in response to this, the sector has taken the (API and formulations are manufactured in India).
right plunge. KPMG’s new report on ‘Site selection for We are leading exports to regulated markets. North
life sciences in Asia’ reveals the true potential has India America is our largest exports market with 30 per cent
possess. In an interview, Sanjay Singh, Partner – Deal share followed by Africa (19 per cent) and Europe (16
Advisory, Head of Lifesciences, KPMG, India expounds per cent). We are a leader in low-cost medicines due to
on the key findings of this study and shares insights on manufacturing capabilities and a large pool of qualified
key market drivers. Edited excerpts; personnel.

KPMG has recently released a report on “Site Further, India also manufactures one of the
Selection for Life Sciences Companies in Asia”. largest sources of generic drugs, supplying 59 per
Can you tell us the key findings? cent of global demand for a range of vaccines. India
also is known to be the centre stage for complex
Asia is one of the fastest-growing markets for the life process chemistry and also has managed to build
sciences industry. A huge chunk of demand is met by world-class healthcare infrastructure to meet the
Asian countries alone. Along with this, there has been demand in the country.
significant improvement with respect to domestic
industries. This report covers key elements of businesses With India heading towards a robust life sciences
in these countries and discusses the value chain as well. industry, there have been wide-ranging actions taken. In
March 2020, the government announced an investment
When it comes to India, we discover that the country regarding the domestic manufacturing of APIs. While
has a key advantage such as manufacturing capabilities the industry in India has a known presence across
and cost-efficiency. Recently, there has been several the world, it still depends on other countries for APIs.
incubators and bio parks launched and with new This was a step towards lesser dependency which will
initiatives launched by the government will increase enhance the standards of this sector significantly. With
self-reliance and push growth in this sector. Along the government’s plan to make barcoding compulsory
with several growth drivers like patent cliff, rise in for every drug manufacturer, this will ensure high-
awareness, we could expect a few challenges to be dealt quality products and security. Also, the government
with on regulatory and quality standards. However, providing incentives for the pharmaceutical R&D
given the government’s focus on improving product sector in India will encourage innovation along with
quality and liberalised Foreign Direct Investment improving industry-academia collaboration. Overall,
(FDI) initiatives, the rise of pharma insurance schemes such steps will improve the standards across the value
along with incentivisation for R&D will lead to further chain.
motivation to make progress in this sector. Conclusively,
with collaborations occurring between life science Give us more insights into understanding on
companies, local governments and the academia, the the current market developments in India.
sector will surely reach its true potential.
India has startup incubators across various states of the
country, and for these to thrive, proper infrastructure
is mandatory. Also, with the government providing
incentives and focusing on R&D, the necessary resources
to make progress in R&D are several including proper
infrastructure. With growth in work from home (WFH),
that too needs to be factored in.

Raelene Kambli

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‘‘We are planning to deliver products

with better efficiency for APAC customers’’

Cytiva, formerly GE Healthcare Life Sciences, «
has recently announced an investment of $500
million for expansion of its manufacturing Francis Van Parys,
capacity and hiring nearly 1000 personnel in Austria, Vice President
China, Singapore, Sweden, and the United States. Commercial,
In addition, the company’s single-use capacity in Asia Pacific,
the APAC region will triple through a partnership Cytiva, South Korea
with healthcare technology supplier in China, Wego,
which is already producing consumables for Cytiva’s future trend in post-COVID era. COVID-19 has
customers in the region. BioSpectrum Asia took this forced companies to rethink supply chains and the
opportunity to speak with Francis Van Parys, Vice importance of being able to source regionally. For
President Commercial, Asia Pacific, Cytiva, South customers in Asia-Pacific, we are planning to deliver
Korea, to find out what more is in store at Cytiva. products with a lower cost, shorter lead time, and
Edited excerpts; agile implementation, due to local manufacturing. In
long term, Cytiva will continue to offer the same high-
What are the current opportunities being quality services as before. Our products and services
explored by Cytiva within the APAC region? are a critical part of our customers’ supply chain,
and they rely on us. We have leading brands in the
Region-wise, APAC is one of the most fast growing form of AKTA, Amersham, HyClone and Whatman,
and robust markets. By 2030, APAC is expected to among others. We have more than 100,000 systems
contribute roughly 60 per cent of global growth. in use globally. Our FlexFactory and KUBio solutions
Industry-wise, the demand for established enable our customers to get to market 50 per cent
biotherapeutics and new monoclonal antibodies is faster. Helping our customers manufacture novel
expected to grow double-digits year on year between therapeutics faster will continue to be a critical
now and 2025 at a CAGR of 12 per cent. In times bedrock of what we do. However, we are also looking
of COVID-19, the demand is high in every area. at new ways to drive growth and innovation.
Biotherapeutics are, and will remain, at the forefront
of curing many of the diseases and improving the What could be the future trends of the
quality of lives. Cytiva is well positioned to support biopharmaceutical industry?
the growth in protein-based therapeutics and future
treatments. That’s why Cytiva has announced its More new facilities, including vaccines related and for
investment plans. Cell culture media production bioprocessing supplies, will be located internationally,
will increase thanks to new manufacturing lines and with emphasis on regional manufacturing and
cleanroom space in Logan, Utah, as well as additional distribution of both supplies and biopharmaceuticals.
shifts and personnel. The Singapore and Pasching, This is now seen as essential to deal with any future
Austria locations are increasing output through pandemic. For example, suppliers expect to build more
more personnel and additional work shifts. In APAC, equipment capacity in India for the Indian market, in
single-use capacity will triple through a partnership China for the Chinese market, etc. Biopharmaceutical
with Wego in China, which is already producing manufacturing itself will likely be more internationally
consumables for Cytiva’s customers in the region. disseminated to increase flexibility and manufacturing
Single-use technologies are used to manufacture 85 redundancy. Also, those in the industry recognize
per cent of the biologics currently in pre-commercial the need for more collaboration and communication
and clinical manufacturing lines. As regulatory among bioprocessing professionals and companies or
approvals occur, demand for single use products at facilities at all levels.
manufacturing scale is expected to grow substantially.
Dr Manbeena Chawla
What are the strategies in place for the post- [email protected]
COVID-19 era?

In APAC, we will see ‘in region for region’ as a

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Connecting the Dots

« steered government efforts towards consolidating
and accelerating its telehealth infrastructure and
Nalin Amunugama, systems, with convenience and safety as the main
General Manager, drivers. Singapore launched its contact tracing
BOGE Kompressoren technology, TraceTogether in March 2020. About 64
Asia Pacific, per cent of healthcare professionals currently rely on
Singapore connected technology to diagnose, treat and manage
patients. Vietnam is tapping into telehealth to make
As the coronavirus pandemic rages across the globe, healthcare services accessible to its citizens. In April,
compounded by lockdowns, quarantine, and social the country launched its first telemedicine programme
distancing measures, many are turning to digital to cope with the pandemic. The programme connects
health. patients with doctors through a virtual platform and
offers remote healthcare services such as medical and
Aging populations, greater prevalence of surgical consultations and treatment.
chronic diseases, exponential advances in
innovative, but costly, digital technologies – The race is on to find new ways to provide patient
these developments continue to increase healthcare access to care while decreasing the overall cost of
demand and expenditures. By 2050, the rising aging healthcare. Fortunately, digital technology is making
population in Asia Pacific will increase to 1.3 billion. it easier for physicians to communicate with patients
Even more daunting is that twice as many to the and break down barriers that impede a patient’s
elderly will suffer from at least three chronic illnesses, access to medical care. The industry is seeing a gamut
ranging from hypertension to coronary heart disease, of innovation, from interoperability of health data to
arthritis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and dementia. next generation therapies, personalised medicine,
robotic surgery and AI-enabled medical devices. Big
As the demand for chronic care management tech companies like Amazon, Apple, and IBM have
outpaces that for acute care services, expenditures ventured into healthcare with advanced technology in
will grow at double the rate of the rest of the world. AI and cloud computing.
Patients are becoming frustrated with the long waiting
times and high medical costs. Top of the mind are Key stakeholders are taking proactive steps to evolve
convenience, wellness and preventative services, and in tandem with the increasingly digitalised healthcare
they want to have more control of their healthcare. landscape. These include investments in research and
Meanwhile, medical and healthcare professionals are development and forging alliances with pharmaceutical,
constantly being challenged to deliver high quality biotechnology and medical technology firms to deploy
care, despite a labour shortage. digital health tools to ease the current burden on the
healthcare system and maximise capacity.
As the coronavirus pandemic rages across the
globe, compounded by lockdowns, quarantine, and Leading companies are already redefining
social distancing measures, many are turning to digital themselves with digital transformation, applied to
health. Thanks to apps that facilitate live video, audio, their main functional areas with a customer-centric
and instant and cross-platform messaging, patients approach.
can easily interface with healthcare providers from
the comfort of their own homes. This is especially AI-powered imaging
beneficial for those living in rural communities, for
example, in Indonesia, who otherwise would have to Radiology examinations and imaging analyses remain a
travel for miles to see a doctor or specialist. critical process for various chronic illness treatment and
diagnosis. As a global pioneer of medical technology,
In Singapore, the COVID-19 pandemic has Siemens Healthineer’s AI-Rad Companion provides a
cloud-based augmented solution that automates post-
processing of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),
computerized tomography (CT) and X-ray imaging.
With the help of AI-powered algorithm the state-of-
the art intelligent assistant aids healthcare providers
in patient-focused decision-making to stimulate

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discussions and find the best individual treatment. Operating 24/7, the AimBot can perform the tasks of
Offering immediate access to information such as up to four frontline workers and reduce the workload of
patient history and tests, the analytical nature of the a nurse by 80 per cent, which can be redirected to more
software compares one-to-one cases against substantial pressing tasks requiring human attention and care.
and diverse datasets, enabling medical resources to When stationed at medical and quarantine facilities, AI
be channelled to more critical issues. Seamlessly and 3D navigational technologies increase the safety of
integrating data from health experts, institutes and staff and patients by minimising human interactions,
systems into a digital team play health platform, the assisting in patient care via video-conferencing services
AI-Rad Companion analyses key anatomical structures and other programmed complex tasks. The AimBot
and supports quantitative and qualitative findings for can also broadcast epidemic information and issue
efficient and precise patient care. reminders for safe social distancing when it detects a
high density of people. Countries like China, Italy and
Clean, breathable air Australia have started to utilise AI robots in critical
places like hospitals. China is now deploying robots in
The pandemic has resulted in a state of emergency schools, banks and road intersections.
worldwide. At BOGE, the collective aim is to ensure
that healthcare systems do not become overstretched, Virtual health is the future
caring for critical cases of COVID-19 as countries
work around the clock to increase hospital capacity. In the next 20 years, the healthcare system is going
Medical compressed air is a vital gas. Hospitals and to be further transformed with the help of new digital
medical facilities need compressed air on a daily basis technologies and tools. Physicians will be able to
to provide machine ventilation to patients in intensive identify diseases much earlier, intervene proactively,
care units and to operate different medical devices. and work directly with patients, who will have a
As a major supplier to plant constructors and device more active role in their own health and well-being.
manufacturers, compressed air specialist, BOGE is Telehealth will no longer be an extension of the current
prioritising orders from the industry to address the care delivery model with audio and video technologies.
high incidence of acute respiratory distress symptoms The industry will move closer towards a holistic
(ARDS) detected in COVID-19 patients. The company healthcare ecosystem that connects hospitals, clinics,
recently launched the BOGE EO Med mobile solution home health, with the primary focus on patients’
for small operations. Guaranteeing the highest emotional needs and what they value. Collaborative
quality air possible - clean, dry and free from oils strategies such as partnerships and joint ventures
and pathogens, the portable compressor can easily will ensure the effective transmission, analyses and
be installed as a stand-alone, or as an extension to management of data from connected devices. These
existing medical air systems, within hours and with collaborations will allow all stakeholders to improve
minimum installation works. The EO series is ideal for their understanding of patient needs and deliver more
sensitive areas, to feed temporary ventilation centres, proactive cost-effective care.
and exhibition and sports halls that are being used as
quarantine facilities. BOGE has already supplied large
numbers of its EO air compressors to a local hospital,
and will continue to accelerate its efforts in the region
to save as many lives as possible.

Humanoid robotics

Founded in 2012, UBTECH, a leader in artificial
intelligence (AI) and humanoid robotics company has
grown its worldwide research, design and development
capabilities to launch an entire portfolio of world-class
robots. AimBot, the latest addition, is an anti-epidemic
robot that is making the rounds in efforts to control
the spread of COVID-19. The robot is tasked with non-
contact temperature taking, mask detection, spray
disinfectant. Utilising infrared and visible spectrum
binocular cameras, the robot has a 99 per cent accuracy
in detecting temperatures of up to 200 people in a
minute, from a maximum distance of 3.5 metres.

42 PHARMA MANUFACTURING

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

Securing India’s pharma
industry from Cyber Risk

« growing. Therefore, to prevent future attacks in pharma
manufacturing, it is essential to identify security gaps
Dick Bussiere, that could impact the integrity of operations.
Technical Director
for APAC, Some of the gaps that can be leveraged by
Tenable, Singapore cybercriminals:

Increasing production in pharma manufacturing Security threats caused by convergence of IT
implies a higher convergence of IT and OT systems. and OT: The concept of air-gaps is slowly eroding as a
While convergence between IT and OT brings about practical means of securing pharma manufacturing as
efficiency, it also expands the attacks surface. The only many organizations meld their OT and IT systems. This
way to make this work safely is to have a unified, risk- convergence of OT and IT can open up new pathways
based view of the IT and OT environments. for cyberattacks in the system, which did not exist
before. Even the introduction of a seemingly harmless
As the world’s largest exporter of generic drugs, variable such as a USB thumb drive or an open port can
India imports more than 70 per cent of the destroy the most stringently enforced air-gap within a
necessary ingredients from other countries. facility. This is known as “accidental convergence”.
This arrangement came to a standstill due to the supply
chain disruptions caused by the global pandemic. The Security threats from within the
turn of events drove India to ramp up production of organization: The concept of insider threats is gaining
pharmaceutical ingredients at short notice to meet ground as not all cyber threats are external. Some threats
global demand for drugs. can exist within the organization. Stakeholders such as
employees, contractors and integrators with access to
To improve productivity such that urgent demand complex manufacturing processes can intentionally or
can be met, many Indian pharma manufacturing unintentionally cause a wide range of disruptions and
operators are increasingly connecting operating considerable damage.
technology (OT) with IT systems to make production
as cost-efficient and adaptable as possible. While the For example, a disgruntled employee with access
convergence of OT and IT systems brings about many to the control systems can maliciously modify a drug
benefits, it also creates new avenues for cyberattacks formula. That same employee could also steal valuable
to occur in once-isolated OT environments. A recent intellectual property with the intention of selling it to
Forrester commissioned study revealed that 97 per cent
of Indian organizations suffered one or more business-
impacting cyberattacks and that 67 per cent of those
involved OT systems.

According to a report, India-based pharmaceutical
facilities are listed as among the world’s most
vulnerable and are very likely to suffer a cyberattack.
In the same report, nearly 45 per cent of the devices
within Indian pharmaceutical facilities were targeted
by cybercriminals in 2019 and this number is steadily

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the highest bidder. OT lies at the heart of manufacturing According to a report from a global
facilities and many specialized components control the cybersecurity company- Kaspersky, India-
processing of drugs. A simple error such as making based pharmaceutical facilities are listed as
changes to the wrong programmable logic controller among the world’s most vulnerable and are
(PLC), or improper maintenance of a distributed control very likely to suffer a cyberattack. In the same
systems (DCS), can cause a wide range of disruptions report, nearly 45 per cent of the devices within
and downtime, that can likely result in unacceptable Indian pharmaceutical facilities were targeted
and potentially lethal products. by cybercriminals in 2019 and this number
is steadily growing. Therefore, to prevent
Security loopholes in ICS networks: Industrial future attacks in pharma manufacturing, it is
control systems (ICS) are highly vulnerable as they lack essential to identify security gaps that could
security controls. Access to the network usually means impact the integrity of operations.
that access is possible to all of the devices that are on
that network. Unprotected convergence between IT and created and actively maintained.
OT serves as a direct conduit for attacks against delicate ● Full inventory of communications patterns within
OT devices. Any malicious actor with network access
effectively “owns” the network once (s) he is on it. the ICS environment for baselining what is “normal”
and identifying suspicious activities must be performed.
Additionally, the lack of device inventory, event Constant monitoring of traffic within the ICS network
monitoring and alerting capabilities with deep to help identify suspicious activities, new devices,
situational awareness makes it challenging to identify disappearing devices and indicators of compromise
and track any alterations to systems. This lack of must be performed.
visibility, security and control in ICS networks and the
devices on the network prevents the early detection ● Real-time alerts, tunable to the specifics of
of incidents. As a result, problems are often detected the environment, must be present to provide early
after disruptions have occurred and faulty goods are detection of suspicious and unauthorised access so
produced. engineering staff can quickly address the issue and
avert or minimise damage.
Good cybersecurity practices in pharma
manufacturing ● Logging of detailed information about each
incident, whether legitimate or malicious, allows
Regulatory bodies worldwide and experts suggest engineers to quickly pinpoint the cause of the incident
that cybersecurity should be considered across the and shorten mitigation times.
complete lifecycle of a drug. Here are a few guidelines
that pharma manufacturing organisations can ● Comprehensive audit trails help engineers to
implement to protect their intellectual property and ensure maintenance was performed on schedule
reduce the risk of a damaging security breach: while enabling security teams to identify unauthorised
changes and determine the root cause.
● Full inventory of all devices within the ICS
environment, both IT devices and OT devices must be ● Replacement of error-prone manual tracking with
efficient and accurate automated asset management
processes, which also helps reduce costs and resource
investments.

Increasing production in pharma manufacturing
implies a higher convergence of IT and OT systems.
While convergence between IT and OT brings about
efficiency, it also expands the attacks surface. The
only way to make this work safely is to have a unified,
risk-based view of the IT and OT environments. Bad
actors will always test the integrity of security systems;
hence the key is to empower pharma manufacturing
organizations to have a holistic view across IT and OT
such that they can detect and react to disturbances or
malicious activity. This can be done by leveraging the
right security tools built for OT to ensure manufacturing
integrity and the health of patients that depend on
them.

44 PEOPLE NEWS BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

Qure.ai ropes Actimed appoints
in ex-GE Dr Chika Yoshinaga
Healthcare as advisor for Asian markets
officer
Actimed Therapeutics in London financial environments. Her broad
Headquartered in India, has announced the appointment network of contacts at Asian and
with US operations in of Dr Chika Yoshinaga as Advisor European companies has also
San Francisco and New to the company to provide support been instrumental in successfully
York, health tech startup for its development, partnering and facilitating cross-border company
Qure.ai has announced financing efforts in the key Asian transactions. Prior to launching
the appointment of Terri markets. Dr Chika is the founder Asajes Ventures, she worked as
Bresenham to their of Asajes Ventures that provides an independent consultant in
advisory team. Terri will local operational support including Asia to provide advice to western
provide counsel and serve regulatory, clinical, and business companies.
as a commercial advisor development as well as financing
for Qure’s global market to western biotech companies
expansion. She brings with to speed up innovative product
her 30 years of experience development in a more time and
in the healthcare field cost effective way in Japan and
and most recently served China, the two key markets in Asia.
as the Chief Innovation With over two decades of cross-
Officer at GE Healthcare, border industry experience, she
leading transformation has built a deep understanding of
and growth. Terri has Chinese and Japanese healthcare
led product development markets, including the regulatory,
for medical devices, clinical and commercial as well as
digital platforms and
most recently clinical Dr Charlie Qi joins Transcenta
data science working to head clinical development
with some of the most
respected health systems Transcenta Holding, a global Product Development in Roche
across the world. She is a biotherapeutics company with Global Product Development
board member for several fully-integrated capabilities in Center in Shanghai, where he
healthcare organizations, discovery, development and oversaw Roche oncology product
is active in community- manufacturing of antibody- development programmes in
based health projects, and based therapeutics in China, has China. He and his team had led the
is a champion for women announced the appointment of approval of multiple key products
leadership in technology Dr Charlie Qi as its Senior in China, including Tarceva,
and global health. Vice President of Global
Clinical Development. Avastin, Perjeta, Alecensa,
Dr Qi worked at Kadcyla and Tecentriq etc.
many well-known When working as the Head
pharmaceutical of Medical Sciences for
companies like Hutchison MediPharma, he
Roche, Hutchison led the global development
MediPharma and Eli programmes of two national
Lilly. Before joining first-class innovative
Transcenta, he served biological targeted therapies
as the Head for cancer treatment
of Oncology namely savolitinib
and surufatinib.

PEOPLE NEWS 45

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

ChemPartner hires Kaoru Sato to lead
Dr Steven Yu as VP of Japan operations
Regulated Bioanalysis for Prospection

ChemPartner has announced the appointment Australia based healthcare analytics startup
of Steven Yu, PhD as Vice President (VP) Prospection has announced the opening of its Japan
of Regulated Bioanalysis at the company headquarters, and appointment of health informatics
headquarters in Shanghai, China. Dr Yu has more and pharmaceutical veteran Kaoru Sato to lead the
than 15 years of experience in drug development company’s first global office. Sato has been appointed
and extensive expertise in assay development as Director of Customer
and validation, biomarker development, Success and will
immunogenicity assessment, biotransformation lead the company’s
assessment, and clinical dose selection and trial Japan operations.
design. Prior to joining ChemPartner, Dr Yu Prospection plans to
spent most of his career in the US with global hire 15 staff over the
pharmaceutical companies including Amgen, next year in Japan,
Boehringer Ingelheim, Shire, and Takeda. At his including customer
last stint at Takeda, Dr Yu was heading the drug success and delivery
metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) work experts. An experienced
for rare diseases. country head with a
demonstrated history of working in the consulting
and the pharmaceuticals industry, Sato is skilled
in business planning, business transformation,
management, pharmaceutical industry, and startups.
He has previously worked with IQVIA, Covance, PPD,
PwC and Medidata Solutions.

Brii Biosciences makes leadership announcements

Brii Biosciences has announced the Rogers Yongqing Luo Ankang Li
appointments of Rogers Yongqing
Luo, BM, MBA, as President of the general manager of China. Dr development, legal transaction
company and General Manager Li is responsible for corporate and biomedical research.
for greater China, and Ankang Li, finance & transactions, financial He joined Brii from Terns
Ph, J.D, CFA, as Chief Financial reporting and accounting, and Biopharmaceuticals, where he was
Officer (CFO) of the company. Both internal control & audit. He brings CFO, developing and deploying
executives are based in Shanghai. more than 10 years of experience financial and corporate strategies
Dr Luo will play a central role in in investment banking, business and budget.
running Brii Bio’s business in
China while supporting company’s
growth in the United States. He
will also lead the partnership with
Tsinghua University and Shenzhen
3rd People’s Hospital to develop,
manufacture and commercialize
COVID-19 antibody therapies in
China. Dr Luo has more than 25
years of experience in healthcare
industry. He joined Brii Bio
from Gilead Sciences, where he
was a global vice president and

46 R&D NEWS

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

Hong Kong launches COVID-19 alert system

Researchers from Hong Kong individuals’ privacy while alerting approach, the system, which has
Baptist University (HKBU) them on disease transmission been developed in four months,
have developed a COVID-19 risks associated with confirmed will not collect any personal
alert system, which will send infection cases. HKBU has information and location data.
a message to users through a launched a trial run of the system It is a safe and reliable system
mobile app if they and an infected on campus with the aim of that uses the latest cryptographic
person have visited the same enhancing COVID-19 surveillance technology to protect users’
place within a time period that inside campus venues and privacy. It also includes a
gives rise to risks of exposure. during teaching and learning mechanism that prevents users
The system will not collect activities. Staff and students from falsely claiming that they
users’ personal information and can join the trial voluntarily. By are one of the contacts of a
location data, thereby protecting taking a decentralised design confirmed case.

India develops viral Australia discovers
sequence predictor to potential treatment
counter COVID-19 for brain cancer

Researchers at the National Institute of Technical A recent study by Monash University, Australia
Teachers’ Training and Research (NITTTR), Kolkata, has uncovered a potential new drug that may
India have developed a web-based COVID- Predictor lead to new treatments for common brain
to predict the sequence of viruses online on the cancers. The study demonstrated that a protein
basis of machine learning and analyzed 566 Indian (P2X7R) known to enhance tumour growth
SARS-CoV-2 genomes to find the genetic variability can be inhibited by using a specific compound
in terms of point mutation and Single Nucleotide drug, currently known only as AZ10606120.
Polymorphism (SNP). They have mainly found that Most importantly, this drug was more effective
than the current conventional chemotherapy
57 out of 64 SNPs temozolomide. Using both human glioblastoma
are present in six cells and tumour samples from patients at
coding regions of The Alfred and Royal Melbourne Hospital, the
Indian SARS-CoV-2 findings give hope for an effective treatment to
genomes, and all fight this aggressive cancer. Gliomas are the most
are nonsynonymous common cancers of the brain, accounting for
in nature. The 80 per cent of all brain tumours. Among these,
scientists are on the glioblastoma is the most aggressive form, killing
track to identify the an estimated 225,000 people worldwide per year
genetic variability with patients only surviving for a median of 14-15
in SARS-CoV-2 months after diagnosis.
genomes around
the globe including
India, find the number of virus strains using Single
Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP), spot the potential
target proteins of the virus and human host based
on protein-protein interactions. The results show
that the US, England, and India are the top three
countries having the geometric mean, 3.27, 3.59, and
5.39 per cent, respectively, of mutation similarity
score with other 72 countries. The scientists have
also developed a web application for searching the
mutation points in SARS-CoV-2 genomes globally
and country wise.

R&D NEWS 47

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

Japan offers solution to tackle
hospital acquired infections

Proteins developed at Kyushu indicating the presence of the Malaysia makes
University in Japan may soon endotoxin. The research team advances
make tests for identifying has been developing a next- in cancer
the presence of particular generation Limulus test using treatment using
endotoxins on bacteria easier recombinant proteins that can gene therapy
to manufacture by ending the be produced from cells grown
dependence on substances in the lab as a substitute for the Malaysia based Sunway
from horseshoe crabs. In three enzyme precursors. While University along with their
response to a minute quantity they have previously made research collaborators from
of bacterial lipopolysaccharide, functional recombinant proteins Harvard Medical School’s Center
three precursors of enzymes of two of the components, for Stem Cell Therapeutics
referred to as ProC, ProB and they now report the successful and Imaging (USA) as well as
ProCE found in the broken- preparation of an alternative University of Tennessee Health
down cell material cause a for the remaining component, Science Centre (USA) have
chain reaction to form a clot, ProCE. completed a study that has
demonstrated the efficacy of
Korea focuses on molecular gene therapy as a new
detecting tropical fevers strategy for cancer treatment.
The research could potentially
Researchers from Gwangju by the scientists, is essentially a contribute to shorter treatment
Institute of Science and mini laboratory on a paper strip, time for cancers, reduce
Technology in Korea have vaguely reminiscent of over- treatment costs and minimise the
developed a simple and low- the-counter pregnancy tests. adverse effects of current chemo-
cost diagnostic platform, a lab- LAMDA performs all the steps drugs in cancer patients such as
on-paper strip that can readily of a standard nucleic acid test, susceptibilities toward microbial
detect the specific RNA of the namely sampling, extraction, infections, hair-loss and other
dengue, zika, and chikungunya amplification, and detection of side effects of chemo-drugs that
viruses from a small blood the target viral RNA, without drastically affect the quality of
sample. The team has developed external intervention at any life of cancer patients undergoing
a compact, fully automatic, intermediate step. It could therapy. The research is a result
and inexpensive tool that can be an excellent option for of a collaboration agreement
identify the presence of these resource-limited clinics and between Harvard Medical School
viruses from a blood serum hospitals. It could also bolster and Sunway University aimed at
sample. The device, named future research in the field of developing new cancer therapies
LAMDA (lab-on-paper for all- diagnostics for other infectious targeting drug resistant cancer
in-one molecular diagnostics) diseases. cells.

48 ACADEMIC S NEWS

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

Duke-NUS joins University of
TriNetX to increase Sydney receives
clinical trial research A$12.5M grant for
Parkinson’s research
Duke-NUS, the only graduate-entry medical school
in Singapore, has joined the US based TriNetX global New research into the genetic basis of
research network to increase clinical trial adoption and to Parkinson’s disease will be led by the
facilitate better collaboration with other global healthcare University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind
organizations (HCOs). This latest member for TriNetX in Centre, thanks to A$12.5 million grant
Asia will provide the network with access to de-identified administered by the Aligning Science Across
data from more than a million patients. Duke-NUS was Parkinson’s (ASAP) initiative. ASAP’s
established as a landmark collaboration between Duke implementation partner The Michael J.
University School of Medicine and the National University Fox Foundation
of Singapore (NUS), two world-ranking institutions of for Parkinson’s
higher education. The main objective of the collaboration Research issued
is to provide innovative education and impactful research the grant. ASAP
to enhance the practice of medicine in Singapore. Duke- seeks to support
NUS has five signature research programmes- cancer and international,
stem cell biology, neuroscience and behavioral disorders, multidisciplinary,
emerging infectious diseases, cardiovascular and metabolic multi-institutional research teams to address
disorders, and health services and systems research. key knowledge gaps in the basic disease
mechanisms that contribute to Parkinson’s.
The initiative is focused on understanding
the dynamics of Parkinson’s from its earliest
stages and before it presents as a fully-
recognisable condition. The research being
funded is focused on how mutations and/
or deletions in specific genes result in a
high probability of developing Parkinson’s,
suggesting their critical role in the health
and survival of specific brain cells.

India establishes School of Artificial Intelligence

The Indian Institute of faculty members will be those,
Technology, Delhi (IIT-D) has who are full-time in another
announced that the institute department, but will interact
has established an independent with ScAI’s faculty members on
School of Artificial Intelligence research initiatives, and may
(ScAI) on its campus. The AI also teach elective courses. The
school will commence its PhD major objective of ScAI is to
programme from January 2021. bring together the more than
The institute is also planning to 50 IIT Delhi faculty members
offer postgraduate (PG) degree individually invested in various
courses. As ScAI gets started, aspects of the field including
several existing faculty members healthcare. With this, ScAI
in the institute are likely to take expects to act as a force multiplier
joint appointments in ScAI, for overall research productivity.
and provide early directions IIT intends to initiate educational
to the school. Finally, adjunct programmes focused on AI.

SUPPLIER NEWS 49

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

SonoScape unveils high-end ultrasound systems

SonoScape Medical Corporation Auto OB and lucid imaging
in China has introduced its new technologies are built into the
generation high-end ultrasound platform as standard, making
systems, the ELITE series, the lineup a value-backed
integrating artificial intelligence choice beyond expectations.
solutions, advanced features, and The new offering has four
remarkably improved system times the data processing
processing capability. With a capability and 10 times the
pool of the parts that are used system response rate of
in the high-end models, as well previous systems, according
as components with similar to its official announcement.
design principles, the ELITE This kind of improvement
series is a wealth of technology greatly enhances clinicians’
advancement lying on the cutting workflow and diagnostic
edge SonoScape engineering confidence, featuring
core - Wis+ intelligent ultrasound advanced rendering modes
platform. Features such such as S-Live Silhouette,
automated tools like S-Fetus, Color 3D and others.

Qiagen partners with S2 Genomics
Australian firm for announces APAC
COVID-19 test distribution
partnerships
Qiagen has announced plans to launch a rapid portable test that
can detect SARS-CoV-2 antigens in people with active infections The US based S2 Genomics has
in less than 15 minutes and process on average around 30 swab entered into distribution agreements
samples per hour using a small digital detection system. The with SCRUM, PharmiGene,
Access Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antigen test, which is expected to LnCBio, Thunderbio Science, and
become available in the fourth quarter of 2020, is designed for TrendBio for the promotion, sales,
environments that require a high volume of fast and accurate and support of its Singulator 100
test results. The portable test offers a new combination of speed System and associated products for
and scale that marks an important step towards decentralized single-cell genomics and cell biology
mass testing that health authorities all over the world have applications in the Asia-Pacific
been urgently seeking. The Access Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antigen region. The distribution agreements
test extends the partnership with Ellume, an Australian digital cover Japan (SCRUM), South Korea
diagnostics company. It is the second Qiagen COVID-19 test to (LnCBio and Thunderbio Science),
make use of Ellume’s digital eHub and eStick system. Qiagen in Taiwan (PharmiGene), and Australia
August announced the Access Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test and New Zealand (TrendBio). The
that uses the same devices. company’s Singulator 100 system
enables consistent isolation of single
cells or nuclei from solid tissue
samples, essential to producing high-
quality single-cell data from difficult
tissue types. The Singulator 100
system uses single-use disposable
cartridges and proprietary reagents
to automate tissue dissociation in a
convenient workflow.

50 SUPPLIER NEWS

BIOSPECTRUM | OCTOBER 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com

CSafe Global opens RedShiftBio
new pharma hub in Taiwan picks Spinco
Biotech as
Headquartered in the US, CSafe Global, offering temperature- exclusive Indian
controlled container solutions for the transport of life-enhancing distributor

pharmaceuticals, has once again RedShift BioAnalytics, Inc. has
expanded the global reach and local announced its award winning
presence with the opening of a new AQS3 pro, based on Microfluidic
hub operation in Taipei, Taiwan. This Modulation Spectroscopy (MMS)
new addition to CSafe’s worldwide technology, is now available in
container operations facilities India. The US based company
ensures Taiwan’s thriving biotech has appointed Spinco Biotech
and pharmaceutical sectors have as exclusive Indian distributor.
consistent, easy access to the cold chain This partnership adds to recent
industry’s top-performing containers. distributor agreements signed
CSafe will have access to 2500 square in China and Japan, in response
feet of space to store CSafe RKN and to the rapid growth in global
RAP containers. CSafe continues expanding its presence in Asia by demand for the novel AQS3 pro.
investing in best-in-class facilities to provide the best service possible Designed specifically for protein
to customers in their local area. characterization applications in
the biopharmaceutical industry,
Merck expands BioReliance viral the technology has already seen
clearance offering in Singapore wide adoption in the analytical
toolkit of companies developing
Merck has announced an expansion of its Singapore biosafety testing life-saving biotherapeutics
and vaccines. The partnership
laboratory services. These services allow customers to conduct viral with Spinco Biotech will satisfy
the growing demand from the
clearance studies that ensure the safety and quality of their biological Indian biopharma industry for
multi-functional, easy to use
drugs during the clinical development process. Viral capacity at biophysical characterization tools
for protein secondary structural
Merck’s Singapore lab has increased by 50 per cent to meet demand analysis. The AQS3 pro allows
biopharmaceutical companies to
from biopharmaceutical and cell and gene therapy developers and accelerate and de-risk their drug
development pipelines with ultra-
manufacturers in Asia Pacific. Merck’s BioReliance technical team sensitive measurements of minute
protein structural changes.
performs viral

capacity studies

that adhere to the

customer’s protocol

using technology

and process

enhancements that

allow the customer

to have a similar

experience remotely

via secure, live feed

video. Customers do

not need to travel

away from their home labs and can watch experiments and receive

real-time updates as their process runs. The complete viral clearance

services offered by Merck scientists include inactivation, filtration

and chromatography, all conducted in a Good Laboratory Practice

environment. All services are supported by project managers fluent

in Chinese, Japanese and Korean and help ensure the safe release of

leading medicines to patients around the world.