ternational
stant
cisive
formative
[email protected]/ [email protected] ASIA EDITION
www.biopectrumasia.com
360biolabs leverages respiratory virus
experience to join fight against COVID-19
360biolabs has rapidly deployed their expertise and resources to develop assays in support
of COVID-19 vaccine development and antiviral discovery. Working with the live virus
provided by Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 360biolabs will support antiviral
screening efforts and clinical trials for prospective vaccines and antiviral therapies to
accelerate efforts towards a cure.
Based in Melbourne, 360biolabs is Australia’s most comprehensive specialty laboratory
services organisation for therapeutic, vaccine and diagnostic development. ISO accredited
quality systems drive preclinical and clinical activities from custom research to full assay
validation, compliant with ICH, FDA and EMA regulatory guidance.
360biolabs has a suite of services and assay technologies to support antiviral and vaccine
R&D including COVID-19. This includes pharmacokinetic assessment of small molecules,
peptides and biologics, immunology assays; ELISA, ELISPOT, flow cytometry and the
assessment of immunogenicity (anti-drug and neutralizing antibodies). 360biolabs’ classically
trained virology team, has proven experience of every required technique including plaque
reduction neutralisation tests, microneutralisation, viral culture, virus subtyping and resistance
characterisation. Within our modern laboratories we have a dedicated suite for quantitative
and qualitative PCR.
The team have been approached by a number of global biotechnology and pharmaceutical
companies searching for a specialty laboratory with extensive virology and immunology
expertise to assess their potential antiviral or support a vaccine trial.
The current Executive team led antiviral discovery efforts at Biota before founding 360biolabs
in partnership with the Burnet Institute in 2015. The team of 40 staff at 360biolabs includes
expert virologists, immunologists and chemists with many decades experience of drug and
vaccine discovery and clinical development.
Contact 85 Commercial Road,
Angela Luttick Melbourne, Victoria,
[email protected] 3004, Australia
T +61 3 9282 2184 www.360biolabs.com
4 BIO EDIT
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
Milind Kokje Tiny Innovations
Chief Editor The most complicated, but the most crucial, essential and integral factor of the
clinical trials is engagement of patients as well as healthy human beings. But
[email protected] patient enrolment and retention is a challenge as Forte research showed that
only seven of the 100 known patients complete trials successfully. Role of healthy
human beings, particularly in phase I trials is also often debated as a completely
new drug is tested on them which can involve a lot of risk. The third aspect is the
tests conducted on animals which also comes under scanners in some places.
But some of these issues may soon become irrelevant. Researchers may not
require animals to test toxicity of new drugs, neither healthy people to test the drug
in Phase I trials. And may be in future, even patients may not be needed for clinical
trials. The drug developers would get replicas of organs in petri dishes in their labs
to test their medicines. Much before a well-known pharma discovery that happened
in a petri dish was Penicillin. Now the human organs are getting developed in petri
dishes in labs.
Researchers from the Wake Forest Schools Institute for Regenerative Medicine
and The Ohio State University in the US have developed the world’s most
sophisticated lab model of the human body. It consists of an intricate system of
microscopic organ replicas including liver, heart, lungs, blood vessels, testes, colon
and brain known as organoids. They have developed 12 such organoids. This system
of organoids is used to determine whether a drug is toxic to the human body. The
researchers claim that this will eliminate testing on animals. Their findings have
been published in the journal Biofabrication.
Organoid is minuscule 3D tissue culture that is sourced from stem cells. Width of
organoids is between that of human hair to five millimetres. Research on developing
organoids has been going on since 2000. The process was on in several research
centres and some organoids have been developed in petri dishes at different times.
Researchers have been working on culturing organ specific tissues from
stem cells and they were successful. In 2013, researchers from the Institute of
Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science raised tiny 3D models
of embryonic brains. Before that, scientists at the University of Luxembourg
were successful in 2011 in turning human stem cells derived from skin samples
into brain-like culture. It behaved similarly to cells in the human midbrain. The
researchers were able to develop the most complex human organ brain.
Like the brain, other organs too were developed at different research institutes
at different times. But what Wake Forest institute has done is that it has gone a
step ahead and for the first time the organoids are used to correctly prove if the
drugs are toxic or not. With this development the organoids will help a lot in drug
development in the future. For instance, the artificially developed 3D brain tissue
cultures will help scientists to study neurodegenerative diseases and develop
medicines for them. The other organs too will prove helpful similarly to understand
organ specific diseases as well as testing different drugs to know their effects on
different organs.
This may lead to a possibility of no need for testing drugs on animals and healthy
human beings. In case of testing them, patients also will be the last phase and
probably the safest way as the drugs would be first tested on human organs in petri
dishes in labs. This may lead to overcoming the challenges of patient enrolment and
retention. One important aspect of testing drugs on organoids in labs is whether it
will save the huge cost of clinical trials. As per a research published in the American
Journal of Gastroenterology, development of a new drug costs an estimated $868
million to $1.24 billion. If that cost comes down due to testing on organoids, it will
reduce the drug prices too.
BIO MAIL 5
BIOSPECTRUM | |MAARPCRHIL20220020| w|ww.wbiwoswp.ebciotrsupmecatsriuam.caosmia.com
Acknowledgements
Thank you for the great interview with Eppendorf. We are happy to
Ahcelkpnyouwoleutdwgiethmmeonretsinterviews and further information.
Thank you for covering the interaction wit-hJuNloievoBrNaohrdmissk, GinertmheanFyebruary
edition. It has come out very well.
- Manisha Gupta, India
The article titled ‘Image guided therapy getting smarter’ has come out
well. The Philips team is happy.
Thank you so much for featuring the article ‘-HHeaelltehnsLpeened,iSnignghaapsorae natural
tendency to promote sustainability of health finance’, in the February edition.
Looks good.
Thank you so much for featuring the interaction with Merc-kD. Iatvhiads Bloom, US
come out really well.
- RekhaBijoykumar, India
The article on personalized medicine looks nice. It is clearly not a trendy topic
aTnhyemionrte,rviniefwacftematucreh wmiothreInth-ManetdhPatr.ognostics looks great. Thank you.
- M- AenguhaAJc,hIanrdyia, India
Vol 15; Issue 34; MAparriclh22002200 MM Activ Singapore Pte. Ltd. Taiwan
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6 BIO CONTENT
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
COVERStory 18
trials
underway
to treat
In just over 90 days of identification of a pneumonia of unknown cause, the novel coronavirus pandemic,
which is raging around the world and posing a challenge for all countries and regions. As on April 2,2020 the
number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide has risen above 1 million, according to the new tally from
Johns Hopkins University. Since the emergence of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), biopharmaceutical
companies across the world have stepped up their research efforts to develop vaccines and treatments in
order to contain the virus. As of March 26, 2020, there are a number of therapeutics currently in clinical trials
and more than 52 candidate vaccines are in preclinical evaluation for COVID-19 and 2 candidate vaccines are
in clinical evaluation. Over 80 clinical trials are underway to test new and existing medicines across the globe.
25 SPEAKING WITH 27 TECHNOLOGY
“Sustainable Financing Is Fast-
Framework” for ASEAN Tracking Digital
healthcare amidst Transformation
COVID-19 crisis combats
COVID-19
Franck Perraudin, Pandemic?
Head of External Affairs Asia,
Sanofi, Singapore
BIO CONTENT 7
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com 33
31 TECHNOLOGY How technology
can help for
How technology Elder Care in India?
can help alleviate
COVID-19 crisis? Prashanth Reddy,
Dr Chris Hobson, Founder & Director,
Chief Medical Officer, Anvayaa Kin Care, India
Orion Health, New Zealand
38
34 SPEAKING WITH
“We will continue
“Major challenge to invest in our
in China is the war India business”
for high-end talent”
Luca Visini,
Dr Kerry Blanchard, Managing Director, Eli Lilly and
CEO, Company (India) Pvt. Ltd, India
Everest Medicines Ltd, China
REGULARS
35
BioEdit.................................................................04
“We will launch BioMail.................................................................05
products within Policy and Regulatory News..............................08
next 2-3 years” Company News...................................................10
Finance News......................................................12
Jielun Zhu, Start-up News.....................................................13
CFO, WHO News..........................................................15
I-Mab Biopharma, China World News.........................................................16
R&D News............................................................40
37 Academic News..................................................42
Supplier News.....................................................43
“Our diamond People News.......................................................45
burs are the world’s Event Report........................................................47
first-of-a-kind” Digital Insight......................................................49
Malay Dikshit,
Founder & CEO,
Piscium Health Sciences, India
A Millipore® mind understands that setting The Life Science Business of Preparation, Separation,
standards moves our industry forward. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany Filtration & Monitoring Products
operates as MilliporeSigma in the
Understanding your world drives everything we do. Our products US and Canada.
and support constantly redefine reliability and performance at
every stage to ensure you stay ahead of the curve.
To find out more, visit:
SigmaAldrich.com/MilliporeMind
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 | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
Singapore launches app for contact tracing
The Government participating TraceTogether of such encounters are
Technology Agency of users in close proximity. Records stored locally on each
Singapore (GovTech), the user’s phone. If a user is
in-house IT agency of the interviewed by MOH as part
Singapore public service, of the contact tracing efforts,
in collaboration with the he/she can consent to send
Ministry of Health (MOH) his/her TraceTogether data
has launched a mobile to MOH. This facilitates
app called TraceTogether, the contact tracing process,
to help support and and enables contact tracers
supplement current contact to inform TraceTogether
tracing efforts in the users who are close contacts
nation-state in an effort of COVID-19 cases more
to reduce the spread of quickly. This enables users
COVID-19. TraceTogether to take the necessary action
works by exchanging sooner, such as monitoring
short-distance Bluetooth signals his own health closely for signs of
between phones to detect other flu-like symptoms.
China approves vaccine
trial for COVID-19
CanSino Biologics Inc., an stage in China. The vaccine
candidate is built upon
innovative biopharmaceutical CanSinoBIO’s adenovirus-
based viral vector vaccine
company dedicated to vaccine technology platform, which
has also been successfully
R&D and commercialization, applied to develop the globally
innovative vaccine against
has announced that its Ebola virus infection. Results
from preclinical animal
Recombinant Novel studies of Ad5-nCoV show
that the vaccine candidate
Coronavirus Vaccine can induce strong immune Thailand adds
response in animal models. COVID-19 to
(Adenovirus Type 5 Vector) The preclinical animal safety healthcare
studies demonstrated a good programme
candidate (Ad5-nCoV), safety profile.
The board of the National Health
co-developed with Beijing Security Office (NHSO) at Thailand
has approved the inclusion of
Institute of Biotechnology COVID-19 into its health care
coverage programme. A 3.5-billion-
(BIB), has been approved baht budget will be sought from the
contingency budget for treatment in
by the China government to the remaining seven months of fiscal
2020 ending in October. The budget
enter into Phase 1 Clinical will include costs such as prevention,
awareness campaigns, diagnosis
Trial. It is currently the first and treatment to rehabilitation, for
the 48.3 million members of the
novel coronavirus vaccine for national health programme.
COVID-19 that made to this
REGULATORY NEWS 9
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
Australia accelerates India to develop
COVID-19 vaccine research bulk drug parks
A funding injection of up to $17 million for vital University of The government of India
Queensland (UQ) research could help cut the timeline for an has approved the scheme
effective vaccine for COVID-19 by six months. The Queensland on promotion of bulk drug
parks for financing common
Government will infrastructure facilities in
allocate $10 million three bulk drug parks with
and the Australian financial implication of Rs 3,000
Government has crore for next five years. The
pledged $3 million to government has also approved
the project led by UQ’s the production linked incentive
School of Chemistry (PLI) scheme for promotion
and Molecular of domestic manufacturing
Biosciences. UQ is of critical drug intermediates
the only Australian and APIs in the country with
organisation tasked financial implications of Rs
by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to 6,940 crore for next eight years.
develop a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, and the funding is an The scheme is expected to
important extension of CEPI’s ongoing financial support. reduce manufacturing cost of
bulk drugs in the country and
Japan supports healthcare dependency on other countries
services in Jerusalem for bulk drugs.
The United Nations Office budget. The support from
for Project Services (UNOPS) UNOPS and Japan to Al
and the Government of Japan Makassed Hospital throughout
have joined efforts on a the 12 months project, will
project that aims to procure ensure that urgently needed
and deliver urgently needed essential drugs and medical
essential drugs and medical consumables are available for
consumables for Al Makassed around 1,350 patients (at least
Hospital in Jerusalem with 50 per cent female) seeking
the award of a new grant health services at Al Makassed
under Japan’s supplementary Hospital.
Cell culture tailored precisely The Life Science Business of
to your requirements Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
operates as MilliporeSigma in the
Every biopharmaceutical production project is unique, which is why we US and Canada.
provide a comprehensive off-the-shelf and custom cell culture portfolio
that ensures consistent high performance to meet your precise needs.
Our expert guidance and support, along with technical and cell culture
application expertise, ensure you always achieve your perfect fit.
To find out more, visit:
SigmaAldrich.com/PerfectFit
MilliporeSigma, the vibrant M and SAFC 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.
10 COMPANY NEWS BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
Serum ChemPartner introduces new
Institute operation centre in Shanghai
collaborates
with Novavax Shanghai ChemPartner has discovery chemistry, biology and
for malaria announced the opening of a pharmacology, and the exploratory
vaccine new, state-of-the-art, 24,000 toxicology departments. It also
sqmt laboratory facility in the has a nearly 2,000 sqmt, AAALAC
US based Novavax, Inc., a Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in accredited animal facility. The
late-stage biotechnology Shanghai, China. The building, company has invested $35 million
company developing operating as ChemPartner’s new into this new facility to make it
next-generation vaccines Global Operation Centre, houses a premiere drug discovery and
for serious infectious approximately 700 employees and development solution for its global
diseases, and India based new laboratories for ChemPartner’s clients.
Serum Institute of India
(SII) have announced Arctic Vision builds innovative
a commercial license ophthalmology therapies for Asia
agreement for the use
of Novavax’ proprietary US based Clearside Biomedical, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company
Matrix-M vaccine adjuvant dedicated to developing and delivering treatments that restore and
with SII’s malaria vaccine preserve vision for people with serious back of the eye diseases, announced
candidate. SII licensed that Arctic Vision, a company focused on developing and commercializing
the R21 malaria vaccine, innovative ophthalmology therapies in China and Asia, has acquired
which targets the most an exclusive license for the commercialization and development of
severe plasmodium
falciparum-induced XIPERE (triamcinolone
malaria disease, from acetonidesuprachoroidal
the Jenner Institute injectable suspension) in Greater
at Oxford University China (mainland China, Hong
in 2017. Matrix-M is a Kong, Macau and Taiwan)
key component in the and South Korea. XIPERE is a
malaria vaccine candidate, proprietary suspension of the
currently in a Phase 2b corticosteroid triamcinolone
clinical trial sponsored by acetonide formulated for
the Jenner Institute, with suprachoroidal administration
top-line data expected to via Clearside’s proprietary SCS Microinjector that is being investigated as
be reported in the second a targeted treatment of macular edema associated with uveitis. Under the
quarter of 2020. Under the terms of the agreement, Clearside may receive up to a total of $35.5 million
terms of the agreement, in development and sales milestones. This amount includes a $4.0 million
SII is granted rights to use upfront payment plus additional milestone payments for the achievement
Matrix-M in the vaccine of specified events prior to and including receipt of approval of XIPERE in
in regions where the the United States.
disease is endemic and
will pay Novavax royalties
on its market sales of the
vaccine. Matrix-M will
be manufactured and
supplied to SII by Novavax
AB, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Novavax
based in Uppsala, Sweden.
COMPANY NEWS 11
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
Takeda initiates Arcturus, Duke-NUS
development of work on COVID-19
plasma derived vaccine for Singapore
therapy for COVID-19
US based Arcturus
Japan based Takeda Pharmaceutical Therapeutics, a
Company has initiated the development of an leading messenger
anti-SARS-CoV-2 polyclonal hyperimmune RNA medicines
globulin (H-IG) to treat high-risk individuals company, and
with COVID-19, while also studying whether Singapore based
Takeda’s currently marketed and pipeline Duke-NUS Medical
products may be effective treatments for School (Duke-
infected patients. As a leader in plasma- NUS), a research
derived intensive, graduate
therapies with entry medical school,
more than have announced
75 years of their partnership to develop a COVID-19 vaccine for
experience in the Singapore. The development of a COVID-19 vaccine
development of will be based on the company’s STARR technology and
plasma-derived will take advantage of a unique platform developed
products, at Duke-NUS allowing rapid screening of vaccines
Takeda has for effectiveness and safety. The STARR Technology
the expertise to research, develop, and platform combines self-replicating RNA with LUNAR,
manufacture a potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 a leading nanoparticle non-viral delivery system,
polyclonal H-IG, which Takeda is referring to produce proteins inside the human body. Due to
to as TAK-888. Because the plasma needed superior immune response and sustained protein
for TAK-888 is unlikely to come from current expression, Arcturus’ STARR Technology is expected
plasma donors, Takeda will initially produce to produce a vaccine response at much lower doses
the therapy in a segregated area within compared to traditional mRNA vaccines. This could
its manufacturing facility in Georgia, and lead to the ability to treat many more people with a
development and production of it should not single GMP-manufactured production batch, thereby
negatively impact Takeda’s ability to produce greatly increasing efficiency and reducing the time
its other plasma-derived therapies. required to produce sufficient quantities of vaccine for
large populations.
Enzychem develops new treatment candidate for COVID-19
Enzychem Lifesciences, Corp., associated molecular pattern
a global biopharmaceutical
company headquartered in (DAMPs), that accumulate when
Seoul, Korea, is advancing a
domestic clinical trial of EC-18, cells are damaged by radiation
a new coronavirus treatment
candidate, in South Korea. and the compound also prevents
The company has also been in
communication with the relevant tissue damage produced by the
U.S. government authorities for
development collaboration. EC- sudden activity inflammatory
18 has high efficacy to reduce the
gathering of inflammatory cells cells.With this unique mechanism
due to rapid removal of damage
of action, the company is
developing EC-18 for indications
including chemoradiation
induced oral mucositis (CRIOM),
chemotherapy induced
neutropenia (CIN) and acute
radiation syndrome (ARS).
12 FINANCE NEWS
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
BioNTech SE, Fosun Pharmaceutical
strike vaccine deal for COVID-19 for $135M
German firm BioNTech companies will work jointly on the leveraging Fosun Pharma’s
SE and Shanghai Fosun development of BNT162 in China. extensive clinical development,
Pharmaceutical have announced The companies will collaborate regulatory, and commercial
a strategic development and to conduct clinical trials in China capabilities in the country.
commercialization collaboration When approved, Fosun Pharma
to advance BioNTech’s mRNA will commercialize the vaccine
vaccine candidate BNT162 in in China. BioNTech will supply
China for the prevention of the mRNA vaccine for clinical
COVID-19 infections. Fosun trials from GMP manufacturing
Pharma will pay BioNTech up facilities in Europe along with its
to $135 million in upfront and partner Polymun. BioNTech will
potential future investment and retain full rights to develop and
milestone payments. Under the commercialize the vaccine in the
terms of the agreement, the two rest of the world.
Atomwise inks $1B FUJIFILM invests
agreement with Bridge Bio $83M to expand
microbial
US based Atomwise, the will evaluate and initiate production capacity
programs for Pellino E3
leader in using artificial ubiquitin ligases and Japan based FUJIFILM Corporation
other targets nominated has announced that it will invest
intelligence (AI) for small by Bridge. Atomwise will $83 million to expand the microbial
receive upfront, milestone, production capacity of FUJIFILM
molecule discovery, and royalty payments Diosynth Biotechnologies (FDB), a world
upon success of each leading cGMP Contract Development
and South Korea based research program. Based & Manufacturing Organization
upon historical averages (CDMO) supporting its partners in the
Bridge Biotherapeutics, for small molecule drugs, biopharmaceutical industry with the
Atomwise estimates that it development and production of their
a clinical stage biotech could receive up to $1.08B biologics, vaccines and gene therapies.
(including royalties) with The expansion will be made in its United
company, has announced success in all research Kingdom site and is scheduled to be
programmes. operational after 2022. It will triple
a research collaboration FDB’s current capacity of microbial
production at the United Kingdom site.
to launch up to 13 small FUJIFILM’s investment in the United
Kingdom site will allow FDB to respond
molecule programmes to the increased demand of microbial
expressed therapies. The expansion
across multiple therapeutic will include a new production line
equipped with 2 X 2000L fermenters
areas using structure- and a modular purification suite. The
utilities at the facility will be upgraded
based AI technology for to accommodate for high volume
production.
drug discovery. Under
the agreement, Atomwise
START-UP NEWS 13
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
C-CAMP inks LoI with HarbourBioMed
University of Basel raises $75 M
in Series B+
Centre for Cellular and
China and US based startup
Molecular Platforms HarbourBioMed has announced
successful completion of its Series
(C-CAMP), India’s premier B+ round financing of $75 million
to accelerate the advancement
bio-innovation hub has signed of its clinical-stage compounds
and growing portfolio of next
a Letter of Intent (LoI) with generation biotherapeutics
for treating cancer and
University of Basel, one of the immunological diseases. New
investors participating in the
world’s leading life science financing – SK Holdings, Greater
Bay Area Fund, Efung Capital,
clusters and headquarters to Zheshang Venture Capital and
Zhejiang University Future
globally leading companies Capital and JT New Century
- joined existing investors,
in pharma, life science and including Legend Capital,
AdvanTech and GIC Pvt. Ltd. The
medical technologies. The LoI company previously completed
an $85 million Series B financing
is a formal initiation of the in August 2018. The funds from
the Series B+ will help drive these
Indo Swiss Life Sciences Sister programes towards key clinical
and development milestones.
Innovation Hub, a forerunner This round of financing further
underscores both company’s
of a dedicated Bangalore-Basel medicine and anti-microbial existing and new investors’
resistance (AMR) among other confidence in HBM, and the
Innovation Corridor that aims areas. As per the agreement the team’s ability to execute with
Hub will provide a soft landing conviction and commitment.
to promote deep science and pad for Indian startups and
innovators in the life sciences
deep tech innovations with and biotech domains expanding
in Swiss markets and vice versa.
societal impact in life sciences in
both countries. The focus areas
of the agreement are health-
tech, digital health, precision
Temasek invests
Rs 832 Cr in Curefit
Integrated health, wellness and existing investors of Curefit,
fitness startup Curefit based in which include venture capital
India has raised an estimated firms Accel Partners and
Rs 832 crore in fresh funding Chiratae Ventures, along with
led by Temasek, the Singapore the investment arm of global
government-backed investment consumer goods giant Unilever,
company. The financing round, have also participated in the
has also seen the entry of two latest funding round. This is
new investors to the startup’s the second major investment in
investor cap table, GableHorn the Indian startup ecosystem
Investments and Ascent in the last few months by
Capital. Additionally, several Temasek.
14 START-UP NEWS
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
Lucence develops medical device for COVID-19 diagnosis
Singapore based molecular diagnostics startup Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology of
Lucence has announced the development of the A*STAR, the Agency for Science, Technology and
SAFER-Sample (Stabilization of nucleic Acid Research of Singapore.
Formulation for Evaluation of RNA) kit, a sample
collection medical device to facilitate more accessible
testing of viral infections such as COVID-19. The
SAFER-Sample medical device is a collection kit that
comes with a bottle of stabilization fluid to be mixed
with the sample at the point of collection, keeping
viral RNA stable at room temperature for up to one
week. The sample can then be transported to a testing
lab without the need for chilling, especially useful in
countries where samples must be transported across
large geographical areas for testing. The reagent
used in the SAFER-Sample kit was invented at the
Australian startup Japanese investors
ResApp secures fund Indian
$5M funding health tech startup
Australia based and sophisticated India based startupTricog, one of the world’s
startup ResApp, which investors. Under the largest healthcare analytics firms, has raised
creates smartphone placement, ResApp $10.5 million in Series B funding round from
apps for the diagnosis will issue 25,000,000 UTEC - The University of Tokyo Edge Capital,
and management of new ordinary shares Japan; Aflac Ventures, LLC, Japan; TeamFund,
respiratory diseases, at an issue price of 20 USA and Dream Incubator, Japan. Existing
has received firm cents per share. The investors Inventus Capital and Blume Ventures
commitments from startup has successfully also participated in this round. The investment
investors to raise $5 completed functional comes two years after Tricog’s Series A funding
million. The funds testing of both round, bringing the company’s total funding to
raised will be used to handheld and wearable $17.5 million. Since the previous round, Tricog
accelerate European device prototypes has grown its presence in over 12 countries
commercialization and received from UK- in South-East Asia and Africa. Tricog’s AI-
for general working based medical device powered platform has been used by over 3
capital. The placement companies, Avanti million patients globally for wellness, screening
received strong support Med Limited and OSI and diagnosis of acute as well as chronic heart
from institutional Electronics. diseases.
WHO NEWS 15
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
WHO, ICC team up WHO unveils
against COVID-19 coronavirus
information hub
In a coordinated effort to combat the
coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the WhatsApp has actionable guidance
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) announced the for health workers,
and the World Health Organization (WHO) global launch of the educators, community
have agreed to work closely to ensure the Coronavirus Information leaders, nonprofits,
latest and most reliable information and Hub in partnership local governments and
tailored guidance reaches the global business with the World Health local businesses that
community. ICC will regularly send updated Organization (WHO), rely on WhatsApp to
advice to its network of over 45 million United Nations communicate. The site
businesses so that businesses everywhere Children’s Fund also offers general tips
can take informed and effective action to (UNICEF), and United and resources for users
protect their workers, customers and local Nations Development around the world to
communities and contribute Programme (UNDP). The reduce the spread of
to the production WhatsApp Coronavirus rumors and connect
and distribution Information Hub with accurate health
of essential will provide simple, information.
supplies. ICC
will also
contribute
to enhancing
information
flows on the
coronavirus
outbreak by
surveying its
global private sector
network to map the
global business response.
This will both encourage businesses to adopt
appropriate precautionary approaches and
generate new data and insights to support
national and international government efforts.
WHO, UN launch COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund
A new coronavirus disease efforts, and has been created by countries particularly those most
(COVID-19) Solidarity Response the United Nations Foundation vulnerable and at-risk, and with
Fund will raise money from and the Swiss Philanthropy the weakest health systems,
a wide range of donors to Foundation, together with to prepare for and respond to
support the work of the World WHO. Funds will go towards the COVID-19 crisis including
Health Organization (WHO) actions outlined in the COVID-19 rapidly detecting cases, stopping
and partners to help countries Strategic Preparedness and transmission of the virus, and
respond to the COVID-19 Response Plan to enable all caring for those affected.
pandemic. The fund, the first-
of-its-kind, enables private
individuals, corporations and
institutions anywhere in the
world to come together to directly
contribute to global response
16 WORLD NEWS
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
Merck puts focus on researchers in Africa
Merck Foundation, the (specially in women) & 2) Africa as well as outside is
philanthropic arm of Merck Vaccines Development. The encouraged. UNESCO-Merck
Germany plans to conduct the applicants should be primarily Africa Research Summit - MARS
New Edition of their “UNESCO based at African Research 2020 will have scientific support
– Merck Africa Research Institutes and Universities, from UNESCO (United Nations
Summit (MARS) 2020” with although collaboration within Educational, Scientific and
the aim to Empower Women Cultural Organization, African
& Youth in Research Zambia Union Scientific, Technical and
on the side of their annual Research Commission (AU-
conference Merck Africa Asia STRC), Infectious Diseases
Luminary in October 2020. Institute, College of Health
Abstracts are invited from final Sciences, Makerere University,
year African PhD students and Kenya Medical Research
young investigators involved Institute (KEMRI) Graduate
in research related to either of School, Tata Memorial Centre,
the following topics: 1) Cancer India and Merck Foundation.
India, South Africa to jointly Sudan vaccination
drive tackles measles
boost R&D in biotech
While South Sudan is currently free of the
India and South Africa Innovation Program coronavirus pandemic alarming the global
agreed to strengthen which was signed after community, the country is battling a severe
cooperation in the area the Joint Committee measles outbreak, with over 4,700 confirmed
of biotechnology and Meeting attended cases and 26 deaths since January 2019. The
others at the 12th Joint by DrVipin Kumar, government of South Sudan has partnered
Committee Meeting Director, NIF, and with the World
(JCM) on science and NonhlanhlaMkhize Chief Health
technology which was Director, Innovation for Organization,
held recently in Pretoria, Inclusive Development, UNICEF,
South Africa. National DSI, South Africa. Gavi, the
Innovation Foundation The joint committee Vaccine Alliance
(NIF), India and also appreciated the and ONE,
Department of Science progress in the HIV-TB the anti-
and Innovation (DSI), programme and agreed poverty
South Africa finalized to organize a final project campaign
the implementation review meeting during co-
plan for the Grassroot the last quarter of 2020. founded
by Irish
musician
and celebrity-activist Bono, to carry out a
nationwide measles vaccination drive that
aims to reach 2.5 million children by April.
The campaign launched in February at the
only pediatric medical facility in the entire
country – Al-Shabbah Children’s Hospital.
Situated in the heart of Juba, it provides
healthcare to more than 5,000 people
monthly, reaching some of the poorest people
in the city.
WORLD NEWS 17
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
AbCellera, Lilly to Pfizer, BioNTech to
bring Ab therapies co-develop mRNA
for COVID-19 vaccine for COVID-19
AbCellera and Eli Lilly and Company have Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE have agreed to a letter of
announced that they have entered into intent regarding the co-development and distribution
anagreement to co-develop antibody (Ab) (excluding China) of a potential mRNA-based
products for the treatment and prevention of coronavirus vaccine aimed at preventing COVID-19
COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS- infection. The companies have executed a Material
CoV-2 novel coronavirus. The collaboration Transfer and Collaboration Agreement to enable
will leverage AbCellera’s rapid pandemic the parties to immediately start working together.
response platform, developed under the The collaboration aims to accelerate development of
DARPA Pandemic Prevention Platform BioNTech’s potential first-in-class COVID-19 mRNA
(P3) Program, and Lilly’s global capabilities vaccine program, BNT162, which is expected to enter
for rapid development, manufacturing and clinical testing by the end of April 2020. The rapid
distribution of therapeutic antibodies. Under advancement of this collaboration builds on the research
the terms of the agreement, AbCellera and and development collaboration into which Pfizer and
Lilly have committed to equally share initial BioNTech entered in 2018 to develop mRNA-based
development costs towards a product, after vaccines for prevention of influenza.
which Lilly will be responsible for all further
development, manufacturing and distribution.
If successful, Lilly is ready to work with global
regulators to bring a treatment to patients.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation addresses COVID-19 crisis
The Bill & Melinda Gates drugs and biologics to treat patients are no broad-spectrum antivirals
Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and with COVID-19 in the immediate or immunotherapies available
Mastercard have committed up term, and other viral pathogens in for the fight against emerging
to $125 million in seed funding the longer-term. Currently there pathogens, and none approved
to speed-up the response to the for use on COVID-19. The Gates
COVID-19 epidemic by identifying, Foundation and Wellcome are
assessing, developing, and scaling- each contributing up to $50
up treatments. The partners are million, and the Mastercard
committed to equitable access, Impact Fund has committed up to
including making products $25 million to catalyze the initial
available and affordable in low- work of the accelerator. The Gates
resource settings. The COVID-19 Foundation’s funding is part of its
Therapeutics Accelerator will play $100 million commitment to the
a catalytic role by accelerating and COVID-19 response announced
evaluating new and repurposed previously.
18 COVER STORY
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trials
underway
to treat
In just over 90 days of identification of
a pneumonia of unknown cause, the
novel coronavirus pandemic, which is
raging around the world and posing a
challenge for all countries and regions. As
on April 2,2020 the number of confirmed
COVID-19 cases worldwide has risen
above 1 million, according to the new tally
from Johns Hopkins University. Since
the emergence of the novel coronavirus
(COVID-19), biopharmaceutical
companies across the world have
stepped up their research efforts to
develop vaccines and treatments in order
to contain the virus. As of March 26,
2020, there are a number of therapeutics
currently in clinical trials and more than
52 candidate vaccines are in preclinical
evaluation for COVID-19 and 2 candidate
vaccines are in clinical evaluation. Over
80 clinical trials are underway to test new
and existing medicines across the globe.
COVER STORY 19
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t the close of 2019, i.e. on December CEPI calls for
31 the WHO China Country Office $2B for
was informed of a pneumonia of vaccine against
unknown cause, detected in the COVID-19
city of Wuhan in Hubei province,
China. According to the authorities, CEPI has identified five funding
phases that will enable us to start work
Asome patients were operating now:
dealers or vendors in the Huanan $100 million immediately, to support
Seafood market. After 7 days the Chinese authorities l Vaccine development for 8 candidates through
identified the virus that caused the pneumonia-like
illness as a new type of coronavirus (called novel phase 1 clinical trials
coronavirus or nCoV). The first death in China due $375 million by end of March, 2020, to support
to this nCoV was recorded on January 10 even as l Manufacturing of clinical trial material for
officials confirmed a case of the novel coronavirus
out of China-in Thailand-on January 13. WHO noted phase 2/3 trials for 4-6 vaccine candidates
that it was not unexpected that cases of the novel l Preparation of phase 2/3 trials for 4-6 vaccine
coronavirus would emerge outside of China and
reinforced why WHO calls for active monitoring candidates (potential initiation of phase 2 trial
and preparedness in other countries. Then it was no for 1 candidate)
looking back for this novel coronavirus as it spread l Initial investments to expand global
to over 200 countries with a total of 1,002,159 people manufacturing capacity. These investments
being diagnosed across the world, a death toll of are needed to ensure the vaccine is ultimately
51,485 and recovery of more than 200,000 patients available at scale and globally
$400 million by end of June, 2020, to support
l Execution of phase 2/3 trials for at least 2
candidates
l Preparation of phase 2/3 clinical trials in a
number of locations globally
l Production of additional phase 2/3 clinical trial
material
l Further investment in scaling up / technology
transfer of manufacturing process for up to 6
candidates
$500 - $750 million in 2021, to support
l Enhancing global manufacturing capacity with
tech transfer to geographically distributed
locations of up to 3 candidates
l Completion of clinical trial testing
l Completion of regulatory and quality
requirements for at least 3 vaccines
l Preparation of regulatory dossiers for
emergency authorization/licensure submission
To ensure availability of funds and reflecting
the many uncertainties that still surround
COVID-19, the World Bank has created a financial
vehicle whereby funds can be returned to donors if
not used for the response or if the epidemiological
picture changes and vaccine development is
deemed unwarranted. Alternatively, at the donor’s
discretion, funds may be retained at the World
Bank for use in a future Disease X scenario.
Source: CEPI
20 COVER STORY
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asshown by the regularly updated tally of the Johns R&D efforts
Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and from
Engineering in the USas on April 2. Biopharma
Industry
Disease outbreaks present a unique opportunity
for research, but this can only happen if experts in Treatment development
different countries share information promptly. The Currently a number of existing and new
decision by Chinese authorities to release the genetic
sequence of the newly discovered beta coronavirus for treatments are in various research phases and clinical
researchers worldwide exemplifies the transparency trials to test their efficiency and safety for treating
needed to tackle unfolding public health emergencies. COVID-19. Listed below is a snapshot of the different
This helped the scientists to have vital genetic data areas of research focused on finding an effective
that will help speed up the development of diagnostic treatment.
tests, case detection and, potentially, a vaccine. l AbbVie announced it is partnering with global
The rapid publication of genetic sequences, less authorities to determine the effectiveness
than a month after the ‘mystery’ disease caused the of HIV drugs in treating COVID-19. AbbVie is
first of a cluster of pneumonia cases in the Chinese supporting clinical studies and basic research
city of Wuhan, demonstrates the speed one can now with lopinavir/ritonavir, working closely with
achieve in identifying and characterizing new threats European health authorities and the U.S. Food and
(by comparison, the sequencing and sharing of Severe Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus Control and Prevention, National Institutes of
took 6 months from initial case identification in Health and the Biomedical Advanced Research
November 2002). and Development Authority to coordinate these
efforts.
On February 11-12 more than 400 experts and l AstraZeneca’s Research and Development (R&D)
funders met at Geneva to accelerate research to stop teams have also been working expeditiously
the COVID-19 outbreak. The rapid pace with which to identify monoclonal antibodies to progress
researchers have been able to understand this novel towards clinical trial evaluation as a treatment
strain of virus and get medicines into human clinical to prevent COVID-19. More than 50 virology,
trials is a testament to the lessons learned from past immunology, respiratory, and protein engineering
public health emergencies. experts across research, clinical, regulatory, and
manufacturing are placing the highest priority on
R&D efforts developing a treatment to minimise the global
impact of the disease.
Responding to the pandemic situation on March l Eli Lilly and AbCellera (Canadian biotech firm)
19, International Federation of Pharmaceutical have entered into an agreement to codevelop
Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), antibody products for the treatment and
representing the world’s leading biopharmaceutical prevention of COVID-19. The collaboration will
companies, confirmed that having already mobilized leverage AbCellera’s rapid pandemic response
on an unprecedented scale to respond to the platform, developed under the DARPA Pandemic
COVID-19 pandemic, they commit to do more. The Prevention Platform (P3) Program, and Lilly’s
biopharmaceutical industry commits to accelerate global capabilities for rapid development,
its effort to use its skills, technology and resources manufacturing and distribution of therapeutic
to bring safe, effective diagnostics, treatments and antibodies.
vaccines to patients around the world as a matter of l EFPIA is working with the Innovative Medicines
urgency. Initiative (IMI) on potential actions to support
collaborative research programs in order to fast-
track the development of therapeutics.
l Gilead has initiated two Phase 3 clinical trials
of remdesivir in countries with high prevalence
COVER STORY 21
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of COVID-19. The company is also supporting beyond their approved indications in response to the
two Phase 3 trials in China and a global Phase 2 pandemic.
trial led by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy l Pfizer announced that it completed a preliminary
and Infectious Diseases. Gilead donated drug and assessment of certain antiviral compounds that
provided scientific input for these studies. Gilead has were previously in development and that inhibited
provided remdesivir to physicians for compassionate the replication of coronaviruses similar to the one
use to treat several hundred severely ill patients causing COVID-19 in cultured cells. Pfizer is engaging
with confirmed COVID-19, and has accelerated with a third party to screen these compounds under
manufacturing of remdesivir at risk, in anticipation of an accelerated timeline and expects to have the
potential future supply needs. results back by the end of March.
l GSK is entering into the new collaborative research l Pfizer also outlined a detailed 5-point action plan to
effort, the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator. The battle COVID-19. The plan includes a commitment
aim of the Accelerator is to bring pharmaceutical to sharing its clinical development and regulatory
companies and expert academic institutions into expertise to support other smaller biotech companies
coordinated research programs, with the aim of that are screening compounds or existing therapies
bringing the most promising molecules forward for activity against the virus causing COVID-19.
that could be used to treat cases of COVID-19. GSK l Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced an expanded
will contribute by making available compounds agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and
from its libraries for screening for activity against Human Services (HHS) to develop new treatments
COVID-19. In addition, GSK is evaluating its combating the novel coronavirus
marketed pharmaceutical products and medicines l Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi SA started a
in development to determine if any could be used clinical program evaluating Kevzara, originally a drug
beyond their current indications in response to the to treat arthritis, in patients hospitalized with severe
pandemic. Further, GSK is evaluating options to make COVID-19. Kevzara is a fully-human monoclonal
available specialised laboratory space to help in antibody that inhibits the interleukin-6 (IL-6) pathway
research and testing of COVID-19. by binding and blocking the IL-6 receptor. IL-6 may
l Johnson & Johnson, in partnership with the Rega play a role in driving the overactive inflammatory
Institute for Medical Research, University of Leuven response in the lungs of patients who are severely or
(Belgium), are working to identify existing or new critically ill with COVID-19 infection.
compounds with antiviral activity against COVID-19 l Roche’s Actemra was approved by China on March
that could contribute to providing immediate relief to 5 to treat Covid-19 patients with lung complications.
the current outbreak. Roche has donated nearly $2m-worth of Actemra
l Merck, as part of the global effort to investigate to China to help the country manage the COVID-19
potential therapeutics for COVID-19 and their support outbreak”. Actemra has been on the European market
of independent research, recently donated a supply since 2010 for treatment of several kinds of arthritis.
of interferon beta-1a (Rebif®) to the French Institut l Roche announced that they are working with the
National de la Santé et de la RechercheMédicale Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a Phase
(INSERM) following a request for use in a clinical trial. III clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of
To date, Merck’s interferon beta-1a is not approved Actemra in hospitalised adult patients with severe
by any regulatory authority for the treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia. This is the first global study
COVID-19 or for use as an antiviral agent. of Actemra in this setting and is expected to begin
l Novartis announced that it has entered new enrolling as soon as possible in early April with
collaborative research efforts such as the a target of approximately 330 patients globally,
COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, coordinated including the US.
by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, l Takeda announced that it is initiating the
and Mastercard, as well as a COVID-19 directed development of a drug to treat people infected with
partnership organized by the Innovative Medicines the novel coronavirus. The experimental drug would
Initiative. Novartis is contributing by making be derived from the blood of coronavirus patients
available several compounds from its libraries that who have recovered from the respiratory disease. In
are considered suitable for in vitro antiviral testing. parallel, Takeda is also exploring whether currently
In addition, the company is rapidly evaluating other marketed and pipeline products may be an effective
existing products to see if any could be utilized treatment option for infected patients.
22 COVER STORY
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The commitments demonstrate the combined will variety of patients is warranted.
of leading companies in the field to share scientific The WHO on March 20 announced a large
expertise, technical skills and manufacturing
capabilities to bring forward therapies and vaccines global trial, called SOLIDARITY, to find out whether
to protect humankind from this escalating pandemic. any drug combo can treat infections with the new
The biopharmaceutical industry is uniquely coronavirus for the dangerous respiratory disease.
positioned to work in partnership with governments, It’s an unprecedented effort—an all-out, coordinated
the WHO and health systems across the world in a push to collect robust scientific data rapidly during
concerted, collective response. a pandemic. The study, which could include many
thousands of patients in dozens of countries, has
The industry has devoted significant resources been designed to be as simple as possible so that even
and worked with partners in public health to develop hospitals overwhelmed by an onslaught of COVID-19
technologies that have dramatically shortened patients can participate.The WHO has announced
the time it takes to decode viruses and develop a that Thailand will join a multi-country clinical study
potential vaccine. Hence platforms are available to for potential treatments for COVID-19, part of a rapid
facilitate development of vaccines that swiftly enter global search for drugs to treat COVID-19. In addition
clinical trials. to Thailand, the “Solidarity trial” will include the
participation of Argentina, Bahrain, Canada, France,
More than 80 clinical trials are underway to test Iran, Norway, South Africa, Spain and Switzerland.
new and existing medicines. At least nine IFPMA
member companies are researching and developing The SOLIDARITYtrial will test four different
new diagnostic tests, vaccines or treatments and drugs or combinations – remdesivir, a combination
testing existing medicines to treat those infected of two drugs, lopinavir and ritonavir, the two drugs
with the virus. Other companies are involved in plus interferon beta, and chloroquine – and will
fast-tracking diagnostic technology to help detect compare their effectiveness to what is called standard
cases more rapidly. The WHO noted that the first of care — the regular support hospitals treating
vaccine trial has begun, just 60 days after the genetic COVID-19 patients use now.
sequence of the virus was shared by China. This is an
incredible achievement. The CEPI, the organisation set up to accelerate the
development of vaccines against emerging infectious
There is an unprecedented level of collaboration diseases, estimated on March 14 that $2 billion would
taking place across the industry as it joins hands with be needed to accelerate development of a COVID-19
public agencies to further accelerate the development vaccine with 12-18 months. In response to this call
of new diagnostic tests, vaccines and treatments the Governments of Denmark, Finland, Germany,
for patients. Numerous collaborative research and the United Kingdom, have pledged $443 million
programmes have been agreed in order to fast-track in support. With Norway’s substantial contribution
the development of therapeutics and vaccines with CEPI has now raised $660 million (33%) of the $2
institutions such as Biomedical Advanced Research billion it urgently needs as on April 1, 2020.
and Development Authority(BARDA), Coalition
for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Impact on Industry
Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)and others. The
biopharmaceutical industry commits to continue As the number of global coronavirus (COVID-19)
collaborating with government agencies, academia cases continues to rise, governments around the
and other health care stakeholders to ensure patients world are taking unprecedented measures, to contain
get the care they need. the spread and support their economies throughout
the outbreak. These measures include billions worth
Scientists have suggested dozens of existing of rescue packages, tax postponements, liquidity
compounds for testing, but WHO is focusing on injections and interest rate cuts to new lows, says
what it says are the four most promising therapies: GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
an experimental antiviral compound called
remdesivir; the malaria medications chloroquine GlobalData’s latest annual report, “Healthcare
and hydroxychloroquine; a combination of two Industry Business Confidence Report 2020”, reveals
HIV drugs, lopinavir and ritonavir; and that same that health epidemics was the biggest concern among
combination plus interferon-beta, an immune system healthcare industry professionals. A total 95 per
messenger that can help cripple viruses. Some data cent of respondents surveyed between February and
on their use in COVID-19 patients have already early March 2020 were concerned about the impact
emerged—the HIV combo failed in a small study in of COVID-2019 on their companies’ performance,
China—but WHO believes a larger trial with a greater with respondents from the Asia Pacific (APAC) region
expressing the highest level of concern. Furthermore,
COVER STORY 23
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Vaccine Research and Development Authority
development (BARDA), part of U.S. Department of Health
& Human Services (HHS), and established a
While vaccines and small molecule new collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess
treatments are approved through different Medical Center (BIDMC) to accelerate
regulatory pathways and their development development of a potential novel coronavirus
programs vary, they generally both must vaccine.
complete three phases of clinical trials. However, l Johnson & Johnson announced the selection
there are differences in the data required to of a lead COVID-19 vaccine candidate from
show the safety of vaccines and the size of constructs it has been working on since
clinical trials for vaccines relative to small January 2020; the significant expansion of
molecules. the existing partnership between the Janssen
Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson &
Experts are hoping it will take as little as 12 Johnson and the Biomedical Advanced Research
to 18 months before there is a vaccine available. and Development Authority (BARDA); and the
This is a best-case estimate that assumes rapid scaling of the Company’s manufacturing
one or two of the first few vaccines that enter capacity with the goal of providing global supply
development will be successful. Typically, only of more than one billion doses of vaccines.
approximately one in ten experimental vaccines l Pfizer and BioNTech have entered into a
make it all the way through to regulatory partnership to jointly develop BioNTech’s mRNA-
approval. Therefore, the more companies taking based vaccine candidate BNT162 to prevent
different approaches to find a vaccine, the more COVID-19 infection. The collaboration aims to
“shots on goal” and significantly greater chances accelerate global development of BNT162, which
of success. is expected to enter clinical testing by the end of
l CEPI and GSK will collaborate to help April 2020.
l Sanofi announced a collaboration with
the global effort to develop a vaccine for the Biomedical Advanced Research and
the novel coronavirus. GSK is making its Development Authority (BARDA), part of the
adjuvant technology available to support U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
rapid development of candidate vaccines and (HHS), to advance a novel COVID-19 vaccine
is working with The University of Queensland, candidate. Work is underway to leverage
Australia. previous development of a SARS vaccine
l CSL Limited/ Seqirus is providing scientific candidate using Sanofi’s recombinant DNA
and technical expertise and its established technology. Sanofi is also coordinating with the
MF59® adjuvant technology to the University Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
of Queensland in Australia to help fast- (CEPI) and sharing its vaccine R&D experience
track the development of their CEPI-funded and expertise to advance vaccine solutions.
COVID-19 vaccine candidate, which uses l Sanofi and U.S. company Translate Bio
novel molecular-clamp technology. announced plans to collaborate on developing
l GSK announced it would partner with a vaccine to treat the coronavirus. The
the Chinese biotech company Clover companies said Translate Bio would work on
Biopharmaceuticals. Under the partnership, discovering, designing, and manufacturing a
GSK will provide Clover with its proprietary number of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates,
adjuvants – compounds that enhance the while Sanofi would provide its expertise in the
effectiveness of vaccines. By mid-March, field of vaccines and support from its research
GSK expanded their collaborations and is networks.
now working with five partner companies
and research groups across the world,
including in the USA and China.
l Johnson & Johnson expanded its
collaboration with the Biomedical Advanced
24 COVER STORY
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Diagnostics
Rolling out diagnostics to detect whether patients pharmaceutical companies through the Innovative
are genuinely infected with the new coronavirus is a
key step in preventing or slowing its spread. However, Medicines Initiative (IMI) in Europe to leverage
the rapid spread of COVID-19 has drastically increased
the demand for testing kits around the world, especially collective expertise in the hope of developing
in the United States and Europe, and governments are
trying to ramp up their testing capacities. diagnostics for COVID-19 as well as inhibitors to help
l AstraZeneca is accelerating the development
prevent future outbreaks.
of its diagnostic testing capabilities to scale-up
screening and is also working in partnership with In addition to the individual contributions companies
governments on existing screening programmes to
supplement testing. are already making, a consortium of life sciences
l Roche announced that the FDA issued an
Emergency Use Authorization for its diagnostic kit companies announced an important collaboration on
cobas® SARS-CoV-2 Test, advancing coronavirus
testing to meet urgent medical needs. Roche is March 25 to accelerate the development, manufacture,
committed to delivering as many tests as possible
and is going to the limits of production capacity. and delivery of vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments for
l Takeda is partnering with public entities and other
COVID-19, alongside the Gates Foundation. Co-chaired
23 per cent of respondents were very or extremely
concerned about supply and demand gaps – possibly by Vas Narasimhan, chief executive officer of Novartis,
tied to the coronavirus outbreak.
the consortium seeks out to accelerate solutions to this
A survey of healthcare industry professionals
revealed 95 per cent are concerned about the impact pandemic.
of COVID-19 on company performance, with those
from the Asian Pacific market expressing the highest Companies participating in the collaboration include
levels of concern. GlobalData’s report indicated that
23 per cent were also concerned about supply and BD, bioMérieux, BoehringerIngelheim, Bristol-Myers
demand gaps tied to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Squibb, Eisai, Eli Lilly, Gilead, GSK, Johnson & Johnson,
UrteJakimaviciute, Senior Director of Market
Research at GlobalData, says “Drug discovery and Merck (known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada),
manufacturing has traditionally been a global effort
with China and India establishing themselves as main Merck KGaA, Novartis, Pfizer, and Sanofi.
players in the global pharmaceutical supply chain.
Since the surge of coronavirus cases in Wuhan, the Source: IFPMA (Last updated: 30 March 2020)
pharmaceutical industry became worried that the
decreased Chinese production capabilities would coronavirus outbreak, turbulence in the global stock
result in drug shortages – once again reiterating the markets, countries moving towards strict border
global economy’s dependence on China.” controls and country-wide lockdowns are also taking
its toll on pharmaceutical sector and have industry and
Although China was blamed for delayed reporting governments rethinking the drug supply chains.
of the outbreak, it took aggressive actions to withhold
the further spread of the virus, which seems to be Jakimaviciute says “While most pharmaceutical
under control. While, until the beginning of March, factories in China resumed their production lines,
the virus was expected to hit Asian markets the most, the pharma industry’s concerns are heightened by
the increasing number of cases in the rest of the countries such as India restricting the export of
countries are changing the pattern. The fast-spreading dozens of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)
and the medicines made from them, the UK banning
the parallel export of more than 80 drugs to protect
supplies during the coronavirus outbreak, and the US
and the EU looking into bringing manufacturing back
to their soils.
“With Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) downgrading it’s global
growth forecast in the beginning of March, it is
clear that the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak
on economies is going to be severe. However, as
the spread of the coronavirus continues, what will
come in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak
is as yet unknown. It may take years before the full
global impact of the coronavirus is understood and
measured,”Jakimaviciute concludes.
Narayan Kulkarni
[email protected]
SPEAKING WITH 25
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
“Sustainable Financing
Framework” for ASEAN
healthcare amidst COVID-19 crisis
Stable and sustainable health financing is «
considered an essential component for
achieving crucial health goals in population. Franck Perraudin,
Appropriately deployed healthcare financing (HCF) Head of External
helps governments mobilize adequate financial Affairs Asia, Sanofi,
resources for health, allocate them rationally, and Singapore
use them equitably and effectively. A meticulous
design and implementation of health financing coupled with the informal economies found in
policies can stabilize sustainability in healthcare Southeast Asia, won’t get us much further ahead.
financing which are essentially expected to provide
access to key promotive, preventive, curative and Sustainable healthcare financing should involve
rehabilitative health interventions. a holistic model that requires a fundamental change
to the mentality and structure of how we approach
The pernicious effect of COVID-19 is having healthcare sustainability. The holistic model involves
significant impact on the healthcare revenue cycle two key areas – resolving inefficiencies and revisit
and financial operations. Expenditures are poised financing models.
to rise further due to aged population who are more
vulnerable to the advent of communicable diseases. Resolving inefficiencies
The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak is likely continue ● “Health for wealth”: Transform how
through 2020 and into 2021, with governments healthcare is viewed – from a cost item to an
rapidly accelerating into health and economic economic investment as key driver of economy – to
responses. make healthcare a forefront agenda across ministries
● Prevention: Prioritize three main initiatives
As the global crisis strikes, EU-ASEAN Business – immunization, encouraging healthy lifestyles,
Council, KPMG and SANOFI, took an initiative to and early detection to reduce future healthcare
provide a broad range of insights and guidance to expenditure
healthcare finance leaders on creating sustainable ● Nextgen healthcare service delivery
financing framework for ASEAN healthcare models: Promote the use of cost-effective delivery
fraternity. BioSpectrum Asia took this opportunity models such as primary care, self-care and digital
to converse with Franck Perraudin, Head of External interventions to share the load off hospitals
Affairs Asia, Sanofi who recognizes public health as ● Human capital: Develop and extend the
an economic investment. Edited excerpts; role of health practitioners such as nurses and
pharmacists to alleviate doctor shortages
How do you define an ideal architecture Revisit financing models
of sustainable healthcare financing in the ● Composite funding and emerging platforms:
ASEAN region? Secure funds through both tax and social health
The ASEAN region is facing unprecedented insurance contribution, unify fragmented schemes,
pressure on the financing of its healthcare systems. leverage private insurance to close financial
Expenditures are poised to rise further due to protection gap.
population ageing, the advent of both communicable ● Explore other novel funding models to
and non-communicable diseases, and the complement traditional sources such as social impact
commitment to achieve universal healthcare coverage bonds, crowdfunding, individualized healthcare
(UHC) by 2030. savings accounts and earmarked plans.
However, even if we correct this expenditure,
inefficiencies in current healthcare systems, as well
as growing demand, will continue to widen the gap.
An ageing population and smaller taxable workforce,
26 SPEAKING WITH
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
What are the measures to ensure that relationship between public and private sectors.
healthcare financing is sustainable under In healthcare, public-private partnerships (PPPs)
current COVID-19 situation? must evolve beyond infrastructure and include also
At this current point in time, we need to spend services, as well as directly into sustainable financing,
whatever it takes to ensure the health of our in order to pivot from viewing healthcare as a cost
healthcare workers and our people. However, while item. We need to evolve into a “health-for-wealth”
COVID-19 is placing our healthcare systems under model, where health is seen as an economic driver
tremendous pressure, as much as economies and that creates a more sustainable system for the future
life as we know it, there is also a strong need for all of our societies.
stakeholders involved to continue with discussions
and actions – without seeking any detraction from How is Sanofi strengthening its framework
the urgent work in ensuring COVID-19 management to address the emerging needs of medical
– on sustainable healthcare financing. It is a longer- innovations through sustainable healthcare
term vision that needs the stage set now. financing?
Discussions around health system financing are
Why is an ageing population of major concern not complete without addressing the matter of
to the sustainable healthcare financing access to medical innovation. Research shows that
mechanisms? in developed markets between2000 and 2009,
When a working-age population exceeds its pharmaceutical innovation is estimated to have
dependent population, which mainly comprises singlehandedly increased life expectancy by nearly
children and retirees, a country is expected to two years. Now is the time for all countries and in
reap what is known as a ‘demographic dividend’. ASEAN in particular to be investing in access to
East Asian countries have already experienced transformational interventions.
a demographic dividend as a result of heavy
investments in expanded access to programs such as At the same time, access models need evolving too
family planning. For example, South Korea’s GDP – medical innovation is nothing if it’s not accessible
grew by 2,200 per cent between 1950 and 2008. by those who need it the most. Sanofi, as with others
in the industry have a big role to play in actively
The demographic dividend is set to expire in driving collective discussion on the possibilities for
silver nations, which include ASEAN countries such what this continued investment means for medical
as Singapore and Thailand. Longer life expectancy is innovation and creating access to these innovative
increasingly accompanied by greater disease burden, medicines.
which factors into the now often-used Quality
Adjust Life Years (QUALYs) model. For example, in Amidst drastic adverse impact of COVID-19
Singapore average life expectancy increased from on the global economy what are the expected
76.1 in 1990 to 84.8 in 2017; Singaporeans now spend challenges and futuristic approaches to
10.6 years in ill-health, about 1.5 years more than in be followed by APAC healthcare financing
1990. system to maintain sustainability?
As a start, our traditional roles and responsibilities,
Ageing populations coupled with the rise in and ways of working will be kept aside as we all come
Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in an older together to address the impact that this pandemic
population will place a further strain on healthcare had on not just the healthcare system, but on global
systems. Prolonging the working years of a economies and livelihoods. Health is after all the
population due to good public health can serve to wealth of a nation.
reverse the threat that an ageing society has on the
economy. Furthermore, an aged population means When it comes to healthcare, both the public
a smaller taxable workforce that can contribute to and private sectors need to work together to ensure
national healthcare funding – and a major reason for a permanent, robust, professional and sustainable
the important need to evolve the current model of health system that protects the people by scaling
healthcare financing. up our research and testing capacity to ensure that
we are able to deploy solutions faster, as well as
How significant is a public-private ensuring a robust prevention strategy so that we
partnership for sustainable healthcare to aid have greater sustained preparedness for future
emerging APAC economies? pandemics.
The key to achieving the holistic strategy to
healthcare financing that I’ve outlined is the Hithaishi C Bhaskar
[email protected]
TECHNOLOGY 27
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Can COVID-19
Pandemic Fast Track
Digital Transformation?
COVID-19 will have a far-reaching effect on business communities globally. This crisis is seen as an
inflection point in the drive toward digitization across businesses globally. The connected, digital economy
is helping enterprises, employees, and consumers remain engaged and do business, even as the virus
continues to spread. This crisis has made it clear in the business world, more so than ever, that investing
in emerging digital technologies can potentially do a world of good. The growing dependency on business
conferencing tools, e-commerce, digital learning, VR-based training, and business apps supporting remote
workers cannot be dismissed as a blip and is likely to remain the new norm among businesses worldwide.
BioSpectrum illuminates few technologies joining the world’s battle to combat coronavirus.
The impacts and consequences of Coronavirus functionality, along with live broadcast functions for
pandemic on societies are immense to be more-complex scenarios.
tackled with existing healthcare systems in
order to secure lives, healthcare, businesses and Through video conferencing and real-time
stabilise economies. Though the pandemic is blowing artificial intelligence (AI) translationinto 11 languages
away industries and market, digital technology is (Arabic, Bahasa, Chinese, English, French, Japanese,
emerging to assist in COVID-19 pandemic warfare. Russian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese),
Alibaba Cloud aims to build a virtual community,
Emerging digital technologies have potentials to inviting Chinese doctors to share their experiences
drastically influence accessibility, tracing, diagnosis and answer questions from global peers.
and treatment to track COVID-19 global impairment.
Companies are transforming their business models to From Alibaba DAMO Academy, a global research
fast-track the innovations and discoveries at medical initiative by Alibaba, three proven solutions are being
and diagnostic care. Technology powered by artificial made available via free trial for medical professionals
intelligence (AI) is also encouraging and expediting
innovations.
Advanced cloud-based technology applications
Alibaba Cloud, the data intelligence backbone
of Alibaba Group is offering “advanced cloud-based
technology applications” for medical personnel
around the world to fight against the COVID-19
pandemic.
Alibaba Cloud’s solution experts, scientists and
researchers from Alibaba DAMO Academy and the
technical team at DingTalk have joined together to
develop a series of cloud-native anti-coronavirus
solutions.
DingTalk’s International Medical Expert
Communication Platform, hosted on Alibaba
Cloud provides a means of free communication
for medical workers all over the world to directly
contact doctors from medical institutions. DingTalk
is a digital messaging and communication platform
which provides free audio and video conference
28 TECHNOLOGY
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and research institutes worldwide. Alibaba Cloud 10 digital technologies helping
is working with local partners to deploy relevant humans in the fight against COVID-19
services and solutions in accordance with local laws
and regulations. Some of the services offered are as 1 Researchers can potentially use natural
follows. language processing to skim through
scientific papers and scholarly articles
Epidemic Prediction Solution models epidemic to help combat information overload. In
characteristics of COVID-19 in a particular region,
providing estimates of size, peak time and duration the US, as part of an announcement of a project
of the epidemic, as well as the spreading trends
under three conditions - optimistic, neutral, called the COVID-19 Open Research Dataset
and pessimistic. Based on machine learning, the
algorithm was already tested on 31 provincial data (CORD-19), the research team has developed
in China and averaged 98 per cent accuracy. It can
serve as a reference to policymakers and medical an AI platform that makes it easier for team
researchers on prevention and control measures,
medical resource allocation and travel advisories. members to quickly find relevant studies that can
CT Image Analytics Solution is a CT image potentially lead to new insights or approaches to
analytics technology service that can significantly
improve testing accuracy and detection efficiency for address the COVID-19 outbreak.
diagnosing COVID-19. With deep-learning algorithms
trained by data in China, the trained model can 2 Blockchain technology can potentially
predict the probability of different pneumonia types, be used to effectively manage medical
including the variety associated with COVID-19. It data, track the supply of virus
also performs computations of the proportion of prevention materials (disinfectants,
lesions and the affected volume ratio to the entire
lungs, by using the lung segmentation method. The sanitizers), and consult the public. The first two
whole test takes about 3 to 4 seconds to run and 15 to
16 seconds of transmission time, making it nearly 60 weeks of February witnessed the launch of 20
times faster than human detection.
new blockchain applications in China to help
Genome Sequencing for Coronavirus Diagnostic
Solution, an AI algorithm from Alibaba DAMO fight the COVID-19 outbreak. For example,
Academy and running on Alibaba Cloud, is a
virus genome sequencing solution for coronavirus Alipay launched a blockchain platform that
analytics, including viral genetic data screening,
evolutionary analysis, protein structure analysis, enables NGOs and federal organizations to
and diagnostic reporting. It can complete the
diagnosis of new coronavirus within 14 hours, which collaborate more efficiently and transparently,
is five times faster than other available sequencing
solutions in China. It can screen more than 20 people such as tracking allocation and donation of relief
simultaneously, making the averaged time for each
sample just around half an hour, much shorter than supplies, tracing medical supplies, etc.
the normal two hours with the PCR method. The
solution helps disease control centers, hospitals and 3 Chatbot tools can provide an online
clinics, and laboratories to address challenges such triage in infection diagnostics. A
as insufficient nucleic acid detection capacity, high digital health-based startup in Italy,
false-negative rates of the PCR method, and possible Paginemediche, has joined with
virus mutations.
medical experts to develop a chatbot that has
Jack Ma and Alibaba Foundation have also
established Multi-Lingual support on the Global already been adopted by the Provincial Health
MediXchange of Combating Covid-19 (GMCC)
Program to further enable sharing among medical Services Agency in Trento. It was developed
personnel worldwide. Over 440 medical institutions
from 104 countries and regions have applied to learn based on the guidelines set out by the Ministry
and share experiences in battling COVID-19 through
of Health, Italy. The tool is primarily used by
healthcare professionals to interact with patients
via remote visits. Similarly, BBDO Guerrero has
partnered with the National Union of Journalists
and the Center for Media Freedom and
Responsibility to develop a Facebook chatbot that
sniffs out fake news in the Philippines, where 98
per cent of the population uses Facebook as their
primary source of information.
4 The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted
many of the industry’s most important
conferences and expos this year.
Technologies like augmented reality/
virtual reality can be considered as digital
TECHNOLOGY 29
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alternatives to address the issue. HTC, for instance,
has announced that it will hold its Vive Ecosystem
Conference (VEC) using virtual reality in March
2020. Similarly, companies in the real estate
space, such as Beijing-based China Fortune Land
Development and Hong Kong-based Greentown
China Holdings, have recently launched programs
that allow their customers (property buyers) to take
VR tours of properties for sale.
5 3D printing can be used to help produce
vital hospital supplies amidst the COVID-19
pandemic. A hospital in Italy was able to
save the lives of many COVID-19 patients
by 3D-printing valves on reanimation devices.
Hundreds of 3D printing design engineers and
specialists have already created a public document
reflecting their eagerness to assist in the production
of respirators, valves, masks, etc.
6 Drones can be potentially used to carry reports. Zoom, a prominent cloud conferencing
test kits and medical supplies, cutting solutions provider, experienced a massive spike in
delivery time and improving response time its user base, adding more monthly active users in
for medical authorities. Further, drones the first quarter of 2020 than in all of 2019.
are being increasingly used in countries like South
Korea and China to spray disinfecting chemicals in 9 Social media platforms in recent
years have been a key medium of
public spaces and on epidemic prevention vehicles communication during a crisis. At a
time when the reach of traditional
commuting to the infected areas. Drones equipped
with thermal imaging technology are being used in
China to detect people with fever/flu symptoms. media has been limited due to social distancing
measures, social media users have kept the
7 Similar to drones, robotics can be put to world updated and have played a major role in
great use in checking temperatures and
identifying and disinfecting people in dissipating credible information. Mediums such
public spaces, thus eliminating human
as Twitter and Facebook have taken concrete steps
to ensure that only helpful and credible content
contact. In Wuhan, the epicenter of the Corona is distributed on their platforms by curbing the
outbreak, robots are being used to take vital signs, spread of fake and misleading content.
deliver meds and even entertain quarantined
patients in a smart field hospital. The use of robots in 10 5G can play an indirect role in the
containment of this virus outbreak.
hospitals can provide much-needed relief for medical Huge bandwidth, high speed, and
low latency allow for seamless
staff and other healthcare workers as they continue to
provide care for affected patients.
communication in hospitals and emergency
8 Video conferencing solutions have been command centers. It could potentially serve as
the lifeblood of companies and educational
institutions. With offices closed and travel a foundation that enables the implementation
being restricted, cloud meetings have kept
of the aforementioned technologies. China has
announced that the country plans to build at
companies from falling apart and have helped them least 500,000 5G base stations in 2020 following
minimize the business impact according to media recovery from the COVID-19 outbreak.
Source: Frost & Sullivan
30 TECHNOLOGY
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the International Medical Expert Communication HashLog allows real-time visualization of
Platform. COVID-19 status including: Confirmed cases, Deaths
and recoveries per hundred infections and its trends
Supporting advanced innovations during over continued period. HashLog data visualization
emergencies like COVID-19 requires extremely engine interacts in real-time with HederaHashgraph’s
scalable supercomputing power. For this, Alibaba Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) that can
Cloud offers Elastic High-Performance Computing provide computational trust, delivering consistent,
(E-HPC) Solution for Life Sciences, a cloud-native factual information across distributed user channels.
high-performance computing cluster solution designed
for researchers working on life sciences applications, To bring in transparency and accuracy to public
especially for Computational-Driven-Drug-Design knowledge each transaction or browsing event
(CDDD) and AI-Driven-Drug-Design (AIDDD). The is recorded through a verified hash reference on
solution already supports 20 research groups in China. Hedera’s DLT platform, showing the real-time audit
trail and data accountability. Data is then visualized in
Blockchain-enabled Real-time data aggregate or analysed through individual calculations.
visualization tool tracks COVID-19 This collective approach allows Acoer to ensure that
the information depicted is in coordination with
A software developer ‘Acoer’, with its HashLog data authoritative sources (CDC / WHO).
visualization engine has developed a tracking tool
for an easy data visualisation and navigation of The aggregate COVID-19 data on the application
COVID-19 pandemic globally to assist researchers, tool is updated daily considering drastic changes in
data scientists, healthcare professionals and even the the affected regions. The analytical data with dynamic
general public. filtering options shows the number of cases in each
category as interactive visuals and can be downloaded
The Acoer Coronavirus HashLog dashboard for further research and statistical studies.
allows an easy understanding and accountability of
global viral spread congregated from a broad set of Acoer Coronavirus Tracker dashboard, Powered
public data sources, including data from the Centre by HederaHashgraph is available free of cost to the
for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health general public (acoer.com/coronavirus). Acoer
Organization (WHO). The objective of using HashLog team is bringing visibility, consistency, and trust
is to make data collection automated with rich to an essential set of data to boost quick relief from
visualization, dynamic, and intuitive. COVID-19.
Along with utilizing data available at different Given the current level of mistrust and
authoritative sources like CDC, WHO and Google confusion around various data sources related to
Trends, the tracker also visualizes related clinical trial the Coronavirus, imputing computational trust in
data and Twitter updates. A collective representation this way is critical in the ongoing collection and
of global cases from multiple resources makes it a distribution of data to multiple parties.
highly informative COVID-19 dashboard than any
other data centres deploying a single source of data. Hithaishi C Bhaskar
[email protected]
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How technology can help
alleviate COVID-19 crisis?
The current COVID-19 pandemic provides an
opportunity for technology to help healthcare «
providers manage patients amidst an outbreak
and ensure their health system is not overloaded. Dr Chris Hobson,
With technology, healthcare providers can facilitate Chief Medical Officer,
the care of individual patients in a community and Orion Health,
derive population-level measures, fundamental to New Zealand
understanding the state of healthcare needs and its
corresponding resources.
The emergence of a global pandemic due to a new contracting Covid-19, the severity of their clinical
pathogen, SARS-CoV-2, is having a major impact on situation, and the likelihood of hospitalisation now
health systems around the world. Based on what we or in the near future. The website should also help
have seen in China, Italy and other countries, health reassure the “worried well” that they are fine, thus
systems need to prepare for the impact of massively reducing overload on the health system – including
increased load, especially on their hospitals. Demand any public-facing services or call centre help lines.
for key items such as intensive care unit (ICU) beds,
respirators, ventilators, and personal protective Reducing hospital patient load
equipment will greatly exceed available supply. The
disease is so new that we know little about its biology, Once a person has taken the SARS-CoV-2 RT-
and our interventions need to be agile to meet this PCR test, it is important that the result is available
rapidly evolving threat. This Interaction outlines within the clinical record, ideally within a Health
key technologies health systems should consider Information Exchange (HIE). This will ensure that
combating this pandemic. Together these technologies every clinician in contact with the patient knows
form a complete package for health systems to about the test result. Patients will need notification
use in managing an unprecedented threat to their of their test result, either via secure messaging or via
sustainability and their ability to minimise loss of life. their patient portal. Next, we turn to the most critical
aspect of the entire process - managing and reducing
Patient self-assessment to reduce the load the total patient load on hospitals. There are several
ways to do this. By safely managing regular patients
The first major step is to screen large volumes of at home, hospital resources can be freed up to focus
patients, many of whom are anxious members of the on the outbreak victims. To do this, a key enabling
“worried well” and will not require further treatment. technology will allow clinicians to monitor regular
Nevertheless, finding and enrolling those patients patients at home via a remote monitoring solution.
who will need additional medical attention is critical.
A self-assessment website that considers all relevant For remote monitoring to be successful, the
factors of an individual and provides evidence-based technology must offer clear trigger points at which
recommendations to them is therefore desirable. patients can call for help or transfer to a hospital.
For patients with Covid-19 who are low risk for
Self-assessment has many advantages in this deterioration, RPM is again very helpful. Alerts can
current environment. It automates early steps also be sent to healthcare providers when patients
in the disease process and follows the maxim of deteriorate at home.
“letting patients help.” Self- assessments need to be
in the context of each patient, especially their age, Reducing the burden
contact with Covid-19, and the presence of a chronic
disease or significant comorbidities. Based on the Overall, healthcare providers will need to monitor
information entered by the patient, it should be their patient population, sorted by their level of risk,
possible to determine the likelihood of that patient with the use of population- level dashboards. These
32 TECHNOLOGY
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Taking advantage of solutions such their medication without proper assessment and
as the use of a self-assessment tool, balance of risks and benefits. This will be easier
remote patient monitoring, collaborative for clinicians once we know for sure whether ACE
worklists, population-level dashboards and ARB medications do in fact contribute to poor
and integration with care coordination outcomes. Integration with other clinical data, such
tools will significantly alleviate the as information in an HIE, is valuable for managing
burden on health systems during this patients given the importance of comorbidities.
rapidly evolving crisis. A multi-pronged Individual case management tools are also important,
approach that uses technology to address especially for complex patients where Covid-19 is just
the key issues health systems face, will one of their multiple medical and social problems.
ease their burden during this pandemic. As Case management and care coordination tools will
the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases add significant value in helping such patients by
grow globally, it will be critical to take allowing clinicians to see a more complete view of the
action now to make an impact during this patient record.
pandemic and ensure health system can
deal with the increased load. Challenge in developing technology
dashboards should feed into worklists to enable The biggest challenge when developing technology
healthcare providers to allocate work to the care during a pandemic crisis, is the rapid emergence
team, reducing the load on individual clinicians. of new requirements as the disease progresses and
impacts an exponentially increasing numbers of
Worklists can be made available to healthcare patients. There is also a lack of highly reliable best
providers both in the community and in the practices and scientifically validated information about
hospital. An ideal format for a worklist is a shared the disease that can impact decision making. The need
or collaborative worklist, which facilitates active to adjust to rapidly changing processes means that
collaboration on the same lists of patients by health the software must be easy to configure and change.
care teams. The speed and ease of implementation of the software
throughout the course of the pandemic is key to the
Understanding current and predicting future success of a good population health outcome.
load
A multi-pronged technology approach
High-quality analytics are key in understanding
both current and predicted workloads on healthcare The current COVID-19 pandemic provides an
providers. Analytics can provide critical information opportunity for technology to help healthcareproviders
on the number of patients requiring hospital manage patients amidst an outbreak and ensure
admission, ICU beds, and ventilators. This is crucial in their health system is not overloaded. With
avoiding deaths due to overwhelmed ICU admissions. technology, healthcare providers can facilitate the
Over time and as data becomes available, we want to care of individual patients in a community and
be able to track recovery of patients and use these data derive population-level measures, fundamental to
sets to inform future algorithms via machine learning. understanding the state of healthcare needs and its
corresponding resources. Incorporating machine
Integrating care with coordination tools learning will give greater future insights, with more
data being collected during the outbreak on COVID-19.
Today, there is still much that is unknown about
the disease. For instance, if the virus latches onto Taking advantage of solutions such as the use of
the angiotensin- converting enzyme (ACE) in the a self-assessment tool, remote patient monitoring,
lungs, there is a possibility that ACE inhibitors and collaborative worklists, population-level dashboards
angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) may increase the and integration with care coordination tools will
patients risk for severe outcomes, including death. significantly alleviate the burden on health systems
At the same time, ACE and ARB medications are during this rapidly evolving crisis. A multi-pronged
important to patients to manage their hypertension, approach that uses technology to address the key
cardiovascular disease and a range of other issues health systems face, will ease their burden
medical problems. These patients should not stop during this pandemic. As the number of confirmed
COVID-19 cases grow globally, it will be critical
to take action now to make an impact during this
pandemic and ensure health system can deal with the
increased load.
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How technology can help
for Elder Care in India?
There is a dire need for tech-enabled solutions
for eldercare in India. Primarily, there are «
two reasons for this – The rising senior citizen
population and increasing urban nuclear families.A Prashanth Reddy,
possibly revolutionary change which the private Founder & Director,
companies have brought in is the use of technology at Anvayaa Kin Care,
each step in their programmes to support elder care in India
the country.
Population ageing is a growing problem across the countries tend to feel stresses and worried that they’re
globe, and India is no exception. Although the Indian not providing adequate support to their parents.
demographic is skewed towards young people—which
is a good thing— in the short term, the country will Living separately from one’s kids can be an ordeal
have to deal with a burgeoning elderly population in of its own, and the elderly have to face several other
the decades to come. This is a concern that needs to be problems when unassisted. It can lead to several mental
addressed now, as building systems and environments health issues, or the aggravation of present disorders.
for an entire demographic takes time. While the It leaves them vulnerable to theft, electronic scams and
population as a whole is set to grow by around 40 per frauds, and even physical abuse.
cent in the 2006-2050 period, the elderly population
will have grown by 7 times as much, in the same How Tech is Changing Elderly Care
period. In fact, due to increasing life expectancy, the
increase in the population of people over 80 years of While the government has time and again vowed to
age will be 700 per cent. With higher welfare of the increase expenditure on healthcare and elderly welfare
population in general, the senior population has vastly programs, those promises are either too far in the future
different expectations and requirements than even a or woefully inadequate. For example, the incumbent
couple decades ago, as they are used to a certain level of Prime Minister has stated that the government is set to
comfort and solace. When seniors have the assistance increase healthcare spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by
and support of a variety of healthcare services and 2025, from the present 1.2 per cent. Even this initiative
wellness professionals, they feel a greater sense of falls short when you notice that the global average for
belonging and involvement in society, as opposed to this metric is about six per cent.
feeling like they have been ‘abandoned’ in the economic
churn of this democracy. Eyeing a key value making endeavour, the private
sector has started venturing into healthcare and wellness
Rise in Nuclear Families services for the elderly. A possibly revolutionary change
which the private companies have brought in is the use
Moreover, a second major factor to consider is the of technology at each step in their programmes.
sharp rise in the number of nuclear families, and their
migration to Metro cities and abroad. Although this is Various tech-based solutions can be deployed
not a problem in itself, it can create situations wherein to assist the elderly with their daily needs, and
the parents of people in nuclear families can be left even emergencies. For example, cameras and other
on their own terms, without a proper support system. monitoring devices are utilised to protect the elderly
NSSO (National Sample Survey Organisation) data from abuse, as they can be placed in discreet locations
from 2014 shows that households that comprise senior to ensure that hired caregivers aren’t causing any
citizens spend 3.8X on healthcare per month, than ones trouble or mistreating seniors. Furthermore, the elderly
that don’t. Elderly parents are increasingly reliant on feel more at ease when they use apps to take care of
their kids for basic needs, healthcare and other utilities. themselves, by tracking healthcare, setting reminders,
Also, their kids who have moved to different cities and buying medicine etc. They feel a greater sense of
independence this way.
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BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
“Major challenge in China is
the war for high-end talent”
« address critical unmet medical needs for patients in
Greater China and other Asian markets. In the near-
Dr Kerry Blanchard, future, we expect to expand our business development
CEO, activities to include more earlier-stage assets, where
Everest Medicines Ltd, we can leverage China’s vast clinical resources, as well
China as the global-quality clinical development capabilities
that Everest has built, to generate clinical data that
Everest Medicines Ltd appointed Eli Lilly veteran adds to the global value of these assets. Longer-
Dr Kerry Blanchard as its CEO. Dr Blachard has term, we plan to create sustainability by building out
spent 17 years at Eli Lily, where he built and discovery capabilities.
executed the company’s external partnership drug
development portfolio model in China.He has also Can you share with us some of the trends,
worked with CBC Group, a healthcare private equity opportunities and challenges in the Biopharma
firm and Innovent Biologics. In an email interaction industry in China and what’s your strategy to
with BioSpectrum Asia, Dr Blanchard shares his vision face them?
for Everest, their clinical development strategy and The acceleration of drug approval, acceptance of
market opportunities for China. Edited Excerpts; global trial data as well as the reform of national drug
reimbursement system have positively impacted the
Can you give us an overview of Everest biopharma industry in China. As the China government
Medicines, vision, candidates in the pipeline continues to develop new healthcare policies, we
etc.? expect to see relaxed regulations on commercial
Everest Medicines is a leading biopharmaceutical insurance and a shortened drug approval process.
company focused on licensing, developing and China’slarge population is aging and has adopted
commercializing globally innovative therapies to a more urban lifestyle, factors that contribute to a
address critical unmet medical needs in Greater higher incidence of chronic diseases. All these features
China and other emerging Asia Pacific markets. Our coupled with a strong and growing economy creates an
world-class clinical and regulatory teams, insight- opportunity for the pharmaceutical industry to provide
driven, business development engine, and integrated therapies for the unmet needs to improve the lives of
commercial platform uniquely position us to close the patients. China lags behind the U.S. in the innovative
gap between innovative drugs available in China and pharmaceutical industry, but China is rapidly catching
those in Western countries, and fulfil our mission of up. A major challenge in China is the war for high-
building a leading biopharmaceutical company. Our end talent from discovery through manufacturing.
current portfolio consists of several promising assets We wholeheartedly face this challenge by providing a
that we are developing in partnership with renowned workplace that is engaging and rewarding. Our people
partners including Novartis, Immunomedics, Arena are our most valuable resource and we provide them a
Pharmaceuticals, United Therapeutics and Calliditas. great opportunity to develop and grow into the leaders
of their field of interest.
What is your vision and key priorities for the
company? What are the main lessons you have learned
Overall, we’re focused on licensing regional rights throughout your extensive career in the
to late-stage, global, first-in-class therapeutics that Biopharma?
First, success in this business is best achieved through
understanding and addressing the needs of the patients.
Second, great science will always win the day. Third,
never give up. Finally, partnership and collaboration are
not only important but are critical to our success.
Ayesha Siddiqui
SPEAKING WITH 35
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
“We will launch products
within next 2-3 years”
Chinese startup I-Mab recently completed its
most successful US initial public offering «
(IPO) and raised more than $100 million.
In an email interaction with BioSpectrum Asia, the Jielun Zhu,
firm’s CFO Jielun Zhu shares plans of the company CFO, I-Mab
post IPO, their portfolio and challenges faced. Biopharma,
Edited excerpts; China
Having just completed an IPO, it seems the development of TJC4 in China in patients with
company has many exciting milestones in the hematologic malignancies such as acute myeloid
pipeline. How will these newly acquired funds leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome
be allocated? (MDS).
2019 was a highly-productive year for I-Mab, which
culminated in the successful completion of our ● TJD5 (differentiated CD73 antibody)
initial public offering in the beginning of 2020. Clinical development in the United States: TJD5
This achievement signals a critical turning point is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1, dose-
for the company to transitioning from I-Mab 1.0 escalation clinical trial in patients with advanced
to I-Mab 2.0. We have made significant progress solid tumors in the United States through our
on the key value drivers of the pipeline such as partner Tracon Pharmaceuticals.
TJC4 (differentiated anti-CD47 antibody) and Clinical development in China: In March 2020,
TJD5 (differentiated CD73 antibody) from our I-Mab dosed the first patient in a Phase 1 clinical
global portfolio, as well as TJ202 (in-licensed CD38 trial of TJD5 in China to evaluate the safety,
antibody), and TJ101 (in-licensed long-acting tolerability, PK/PD, and potential efficacy primarily
growth hormone for pediatric growth hormone in patients with solid tumors, including lung
deficiency) from our China portfolio, along with cancer.
other clinical and pre-clinical programs. In ● TJM2 (anti-GM-CSF antibody)
particular, we believe that TJC4, our differentiated Development in COVID-19: In March 2020,
CD47 antibody offering potential safety advantages, I-Mab announced plans to develop TJM2 to treat
holds great potential. cytokine release syndrome (CRS) associated with
severe and critical illness caused by coronavirus
● TJC4 (differentiated anti-CD47 disease (COVID-19), initially in the United States
antibody) with plans to expand into other countries hardest
hit by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Clinical development in the United States: TJC4 Development in China: I-Mab received IND
is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1, dose- clearance of TJM2 from China’s National Medical
escalation clinical trial in patients with advanced Products Administration (NMPA) for a multiple-
cancers in the United States. We have completed dose Phase 1b study in patients with rheumatoid
three dose cohorts and have not observed severe arthritis (RA). We are also in the process of
adverse events or severe anemia. The on-going U.S. exploring additional indications for TJM2, such
study is expected to expand into a combination trial as reducing or preventing CRS and neurotoxicity
with PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA) associated with CAR-T therapy as well as potential
in cancer patients with several types of solid rare disease indications.
tumors through a collaboration with Merck Sharp The proceeds from our IPO will be used
& Dohme Corp (MSD), and also with Rituximab in three areas: (1) R&D of existing and future
(RITUXAN) in patients with lymphoma through a
collaboration with Roche.
Clinical development in China: I-Mab
has obtained IND approval to start clinical
36 SPEAKING WITH
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
drug candidates, (2) investment in our own already for the transition. Our strategy is to join
manufacturing facility and research facilities in the forces with trusted leading commercial partners to
United States, and (3) general corporate purposes, enter for commercialization of our clinical assets,
potential strategic alliances, and investments or while progressively building our own capabilities
acquisitions. and expertise. As a company we are always well
prepared and well strategized to meet these
What is the rationale behind raising capital challenges. The challenges will present tremendous
through the public markets? opportunities to the company, as we are on a
We are fortunate to have successfully completed fast trajectory towards a fully integrated global
our NASDAQ IPO before the Coronavirus outbreak. BioPharma.
The IPO, which was heavily over-subscribed with
the participation of many U.S. and European What’s the development timeline for the
investors, allowed us to raise $114.5 million to products in your portfolio?
continue to advance our globally competitive I-Mab has a well thought plan that is being
pipeline and upgrade our capabilities. executed to launch our products within the next 3-5
years. TJ202, our differentiated CD38 monoclonal
IPO on NASDAQ represents a significant antibody for multiple myeloma, is expected to
milestone for us. For biotech companies, become our first product to launch in China with
establishing a long-term financing channel through aNDA submission in mid-2021. This product
the public equity markets is critical as R&D- launch will be followed by a series of new product
driven funding needs are always there. Raising launches from our pipeline, including TJ101, our
money through on-the-market follow-ons is a very differentiated long-acting growth hormone, and
important financing instrument for us. Second, other assets that are currently entering pivotal
listing on a world-class platform such as NASDAQ clinical studies.
demonstrates that we have met the requisite
financial and corporate governance standards – Given the endless sea of potential molecules out
we are now ready for the big league. Third, being there today, can you walk us through the company’s
a public company gives us the tools to better due diligence process when it comes to selecting the
motivate management and staff through long-term right compound, as well as the right partner?
equity incentive programs. For us and many other
biotech companies, the benefits of going public far I-Mab is uniquely positioned to focus only on
outweigh the costs and risks. novel and highly differentiated biologics. This
position has been guiding us through all our
Could you please give a brief history of the R&D efforts to develop new molecules, regardless
company and tell us what have been the main through internal R&D or licensing-in/partnerships.
challenges that you have faced in moving the The key guiding principles that we have been
company forward? implementing include the focus on science (new
I-Mab has evolved rapidly from an early stage pathways or properties enabling drug class novelty
discovery company to now a clinical stage company or differentiation), clinical demand to address
in less than 4 years, currently managing an unmet need (lack of safe and efficacious drugs), and
innovative and globally competitive pipeline of 17 the delicate balance between novelty/innovation
clinical and pre-clinical stage assets in both the and development risk. Our due diligence process or
United States and China. The successful listing thought process applies to all programs, whether
in NASDAQ in January 2020 signals a critical for starting a new program internally or for in-
turning point for the company to transitioning licensing or participating in an external program
from I-Mab 1.0 to I-Mab 2.0. The goal of I-Mab for further development. This system focusing on
2.0 is to move towards a leading, fully integrated, the guiding principles, but not random thoughts
and global biopharmaceutical company. This by business calculation, has been working well
transition, however, presents many challenges for us, which is demonstrated by the innovative
that we must face and, at the same time, brings and risk-balanced pipeline we have built over the
great opportunities we must embrace. In the next past four years. One of the shining examples is
phase, I-Mab will evolve into a commercial stage TJC4, our differentiated CD47 antibody, which is
BioPharma with manufacturing capabilities, and now standing out as a globally competitive, highly
launch products in the China market, all within differentiated clinical stage CD47 asset for cancer
the next 2-3 years. We are building our capabilities treatment.
Ayesha Siddiqui
SPEAKING WITH 37
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
“Our diamond burs are
the world’s first-of-a-kind”
Mumbai based Piscium Health Sciences
has emerged as India’s first domestic «
startup involved in the smart dental
equipment space. Currently incubated at the Society Malay Dikshit,
for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), an Founder & CEO,
umbrella organisation at the Indian Institute of Piscium Health
Technology (IIT) Bombay, and recognized by the Sciences, India
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion
(DIPP), Piscium has developed its first indigenously of its kind in the market and it has a huge potential. As
developed product in the form of nano engineered in India, all the dental equipment is imported as their
dental burs, after securing a grant of Rs 50 lakh from quality hasn’t been different for many years. Diamond
the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance burs are not specifically cheaper than the present
Council (BIRAC). Ahead of the market launch of alternatives but they are definitely cost effective in the
the dental burs in April-May 2020, BioSpectrum long run as they are long lasting and they give better
interacted with Malay Dikshit, Founder & CEO, results to patients which is the main concern with
Piscium Health Sciences to delve more into this any doctor. As for the market scenario, since this is
unique development. Edited Excerpts; the only product, we have a huge market to explore
and it is growing at a CAGR of 12-13 per cent. India’s
Please share more details about the innovation dental market has a huge potential with 80 per cent
behind the nano engineered dental burs. of the population suffering from some kind of dental
Dental burs are small drilling equipment used for problems and 50 per cent of them visiting dentists
cutting hard tissues such as tooth or bone. They regularly. Indian dental consumable market is priced
are made of steel, stainless steel, tungsten carbide at $240million and the dental equipment required for
and diamond grit. Existing burs that are available almost all procedures are imported from various parts
in the market generally use diamond dust on metal of the world. Overall, the global dental consumable
blade tool. What we have done is grown nano sized market is priced at $300 billion. Out of this, the dental
synthetic diamonds on a specialized grade metal for bur market in India is priced at $78 million, and at
a long lasting smoother cavity. So it is the world’s $182 billion globally.
first nano engineered diamond burs. It has many
advantages in terms of heat generation, lubricity, What are the major plans lined up for the future?
tooth smoothness, microleakage etc. Another Presently we are based out of IIT-B campus in Mumbai
advantage is in terms of cost effectivity. The price and we are planning to expand our manufacturing
of a single bur in the market is Rs 85 as against facility soon around Mumbai in industrial zone. As of
our pricing of Rs 102. But the price value equation now, we are not planning any collaboration but we are
is different because Rs 85 is set for 3 teeth in the looking forward to tap into the distribution market for
market, while our price of Rs 102 is set for 9 teeth. wider reach of the products once they are launched.
We will be launching the product around April- We hope to become an idea magnet for path-breaking
May 2020. Further we also have innovative dental R&D in medical sciences by creating a platform for
alginates coming up. Piscium is also in the process reaching out to the entire country, and even the world,
to launch nano engineered implants and screw-for with innovative products. We are looking forward to
dental &ortho, nickel titanium root canal, dental creating 2-3 innovations per year.
alginate and fractured file remover in the future.
Vallari Mathure
What is the current market scenario for such [email protected]
products in India and globally?
So our diamond burs are the world’s first ever product
38 SPEAKING WITH
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
“We will continue to invest
in our India business”
« and Lupin for marketing and distribution of our
diabetes medicines to expand access to healthcare
Luca Visini, practitioners and patients. This is done with the
Managing Director, aim to make our innovations accessible to people
Eli Lilly and Company in need, thereby bringing down the burden of
(India) Pvt. Ltd, diabetes in India. We will continue to invest in our
India India business and continue to deliver life-saving
breakthrough medicines and solutions to address the
country’s specific health needs.
In 2019, US pharma major Eli Lilly and Company As Diabetes constitutes the largest part of
completed 25 years of its presence in India Lilly’s portfolio in India, how much is spent on
through its Gurugram headquartered wholly the R&D and how much revenue is generated?
owned subsidiary Lilly India. Currently headed by All our research and development is consolidated
Luca Visini who is serving as the Managing Director globally. We have R&D facilities in 8 countries,
of Lilly India, the company is committed to offer and we conduct clinical research in more than 55
advanced treatment options for chronic diseases countries. Over 7800 of our global employees,
such as diabetes, lung cancer, gastric cancer, that’s about 23 per cent of our workforce, is
osteoporosis, men’s health and growth-hormone engaged in research. In 2018 alone, Lilly invested
deficiency. To celebrate this landmark occasion $5,307 million in R&D which was 21.6 per cent as a
with Lilly India, BioSpectrum got in touch with percentage of our sales.
Luca Visini in an elaborate conversation about
the company’s growth and future plans. Edited How was the growth of the company during
Excerpts; the FY18-19 in India, and what are your
expectations from this year?
Since its inception in India 25 years ago, Eli I am happy to share with you that Lilly India is
Lilly has developed around 8 products for growing every year and we are excited that we have
diabetes treatment in India. How has been the the opportunity to serve unmet needs in the market
journey and the subsequent evolution over the through our medicines. We are optimistic about
years? our business prospects and the value we bring to
Our journey of over 25 years in India has been both patients in India and will continue to invest in our
rewarding and challenging. We have maintained India business to deliver life-saving breakthrough
a steady growth pace and have made available our medicines and solutions to address the country’s
most innovative drugs for patients with diabetes specific health needs. We collaborate with various
in India. We see a large unmet need for India’s industry associations to promote dialogue on
growing diabetic population. Over the years we have bringing more predictability to the pharmaceutical
introduced several innovative diabetes drugs in India environment in India. Predictability on various
to cater to this unmet need. These include human fronts such as Intellectual Property protection,
insulin, analogue insulin, basal insulin and the first pricing policies, new drug launch process,
once-weekly GLP-1 therapy in 2016. India has the streamlined regulatory structures and uniform
second highest number of patients with diabetes. marketing and commercial practices will be good for
Given the current trends, it is projected for India the industry and will help promote innovation.
to have the highest number of diabetes patients by
2045. We have strategic partnerships with Cipla Besides diabetes, Eli Lilly has developed very
few products in its other priority areas in
India. A growth hormone related product was
developed back in 1999. Are there any new
SPEAKING WITH 39
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
products coming up in this area? Why has “Our new product pipeline includes
there been so much lag? molecules in different stages of
Given our legacy in diabetes, we have a strong development for diabetes, oncology,
portfolio and an excellent track record of drug immunology and pain. We are also working on
innovation in this disease area. But we have also innovative drug delivery devices. Today, Lilly
focused on other therapies where there is urgent has one of the richest mid-to-late stage
need for new medical solutions such as cancer, pipelines in its history, with 7 molecules in
bone health, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), erectile regulatory review, 18 molecules in Phase
dysfunction and growth disorder. We launched III clinical development, 13 molecules in
a new medicine for RA and entered into the Phase II testing and 24 molecules in Phase
autoimmune segment in India in 2018. As and when I. We would like to bring these innovative
there is a new drug development, we analyze the molecules to India depending on the market
need gap in the market and introduce the medicine needs over the next decade.
in the market. Our new product pipeline includes
molecules in different stages of development for As CSR initiatives at Eli Lilly, what is in store
diabetes, oncology, immunology and pain. We are for India in 2020?
also working on innovative drug delivery devices. Lilly is working on community initiatives in the areas
Today, Lilly has one of the richest mid-to-late of Education and Healthcare.
stage pipelines in its history, with 7 molecules in
regulatory review, 18 molecules in Phase III clinical EDUCATION: As part of our commitment to
development, 13 molecules in Phase II testing and 24 the local community, Lilly supports a school for
molecules in Phase I. We would like to bring these the underprivileged called – KADAM - STEP UP.
innovative molecules to India depending on the Located in Jharsa, Guragon, the school is run with
market needs over the next decade. the support from Humana People India (HPPI) since
February 2014. We provide remedial educational
What are the recent developments in the area support through tuition classes for children, after
of cancer at Eli Lilly? Any new products in the they return home from school and a three-month
pipeline for India? basic computer programme. The school also runs the
We have a strong portfolio in oncology including Mid-day Meal programme for children at the centre
lung and gastric cancer. In 2017, we launched the through Akshaya Patra Foundation. Lilly India has
first solution for second line treatment of gastric also partnered with United Way of Delhi to support
cancer to patients in India. This is another drug other education related initiatives in the past.
we believe can improve the treatment prognosis
for Indian patients suffering from stomach cancer. HEALTHCARE:In the space of healthcare,
Early last year, Lilly acquired LOXO Oncology Lilly India has partnered with United Way of Delhi
which was the largest ever acquisition by Lilly to to work with Project HOPE for a comprehensive
broaden its cancer treatment efforts. This acquisition capacity building programme for primary care
will expand the scope of Lilly’s oncology portfolio physicians. The programme is focused on the
into precision medicines through the addition of a prevention, early diagnosis, management and timely
marketed therapy and a pipeline of highly selective referral of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
potential medicines for patients with genomically In partnership with the Uttar Pradesh Ministry of
defined cancers. Health, Project HOPE is leading a project to build
the capacity of healthcare professionals in the public
For India, Eli Lilly has another priority area sector to promote and practice relevant, up-to-date
which is untouched- osteoporosis. What are patient-centric care. The training modules include
the plans in this sector? pathophysiology and management of common
I would like to state here that osteoporosis has been NCDs, basic principles of healthy lifestyle, treatment
on our agenda for a long time. In 2004, we launched and management of complications. We also have
a recombinant DNA medicine for osteoporosis a course that focuses on the development of
in India. Then in 2010, we launched a medicine interpersonal and counselling skills.
administering device that made it easier for patients
to administer their treatment. The current treatment Dr Manbeena Chawla
in osteoporosis continues to be highly innovative and [email protected]
is benefiting many patients in need.
40 R&D NEWS
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
Singapore designs molecular therapy to treat leukaemia
Scientists and clinicians from early-stage or chronic phase (CP)
Duke-NUS Medical School, the CML who are at increased risk of
Agency for Science, Technology developing BC, and potentially
and Research’s (A*STAR’s) preventing disease progression.
Genome Institute of Singapore The team is currently working
(GIS), and the Singapore General on approaches to identify CML
Hospital (SGH), have devised patients who are at risk of BC
a novel drug combination that transformation, and also to
could treat a particularly deadly determine why the key polycomb
form of leukaemia, known as repressive complex or PRC
blast crisis (BC) chronic myeloid related events occur in the first
leukaemia (CML). The team place, that alter the regulation
has also developed strategies of a set of genes which drive BC
that may identify patients with progression.
Taiwan develops Korea designs
new treatment for biochip for delivering
Parkinson’s Disease nanomaterials
A research team at Taiwan based National Tsing Scientists at Korea University have developed a
Hua University led by Associate Professor Yu- microfluidic platform that can deliver a variety
Chun Lin of the Institute of Molecular Medicine of nanomaterials (gold nanoparticles, functional
and Professor Chih-kuangYeh of the Department of nanoparticles, synthetic biomolecules, mRNA,
Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences etc.) into millions of cells per minute. The best
has successfullyimproved the motor symptoms of features of the technology include high cell
Parkinson’s disease in mice by injecting cellular throughput (millions of cells per minute), high
proteins that are highly sensitive to ultrasound and stable delivery efficiency regardless of the
waves into the deep brain region and afterwards size and type of target material, inexpensive
using ultrasound to activate the neuron cells. The platform price, and access for non-specialists
team has produced a video showing how a mouse without special training. The research has been
with Parkinson’s disease stops short while crossing a supported by the Samsung Research Funding
wooden bridge, and how the same mouse, following & Incubation Center for Future Technology
cell transplantation and ultrasound treatment, and jointly conducted with Amy Shen of OIST
crosses the bridge easily. It has also been found (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
that the treatment results in a significant increase Graduate University) and In-Hee Choi of the
in dopamine levels in the brain, demonstrating its University of Seoul.
effectiveness in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
This same procedure can also be used to treat diabetes
by stimulating insulin-producing cells.
R&D NEWS 41
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
Japan paves way for India
affordable electron microscope innovates
malaria
Scientists from the Okinawa conventional cryo-EM.In the detection
Institute of Science and future, the team hopes to improve assay
Technology Graduate University image resolution further, by
(OIST) in Japan have developed changing the electron gun to Bhubaneswar based
a cheaper and more user-friendly one that creates a higher quality Institute of Life Sciences
cryo-electron microscope (EM), electron beam. (ILS) and Bengaluru based
which could ultimately put it in Jigsaw Bio Solutions in
reach of thousands of labs. In a India, have come up with
six-year construction process, a method that promises to
the team built the microscope by overcome the problem of
adding a new imaging function to inadequate identification
a scanning electron microscope. of asymptomatic carriers
They used the hybrid microscope of malaria. The researchers
to image three different have used a new concept
biomolecules: two distinctly of genome mining that
shaped viruses and an earthworm identifies identical multi-
protein. With the current set repeat sequences (IMRS)
up and optimized samples, distributed throughout the
the microscope produced malaria parasite genome
images with a resolution of up and successfully targeted
to a few nanometers, which them to develop what is
the researchers acknowledge called a ultra-sensitive
is far lower than the near- qPCR assay for malaria
atomic resolution achieved by diagnosis. Validation with
clinical samples collected
Hong Kong to develop from malaria endemic
COVID-19 vaccine regions in India showed
that that assays were highly
Norway based CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness sensitive - about 20-100
Innovations, has announced its seventh COVID-19 vaccine project. CEPI times more than the
will be investing an initial $620,000 in a partnering agreement with The traditional method.
University of Hong Kong (HKU) to rapidly develop a vaccine candidate
against COVID-19. This
collaboration brings
CEPI’s total investment in
COVID-19 vaccine R&D to
$24.3 million. CEPI will
provide initial funding
to HKU to undertake
preclinical testing of their
vaccine candidate and
will consider additional
funding for further clinical
testing pending results of
these preclinical studies.
Researchers at HKU have created a vaccine candidate using a weakened
version of the flu virus and have adapted it to express the surface protein
of the COVID-19 virus.
42 ACADEMIC S NEWS
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
Institutes in SCTIMST develops technology
for treating brain aneurysms
Singapore
Australia based Griffith University has inked a Memorandum of
collaborate with Understanding (MoU) with Luina Bio, a leading biopharmaceutical
contract manufacturing organization in Australia, to make a
Novo Nordisk significant contribution towards a COVID-19 vaccine. For its part,
Griffith University’s Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, at
The Agency for Science, Technology the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery (GRIDD), has developed a
and Research’s (A*STAR’s) rapid response vaccine platform technology that enables the design
Genome Institute of Singapore and manufacture of a particulate viral vaccine. Under this MoU,
(GIS), and the National University Luina Bio and Griffith University aim to work on a variety of vaccine
of Singapore (NUS)’s Yong Loo manufacturing projects over the next 5 years. The technology being
Lin School of Medicine (NUS used is said to provide unique advantages in achieving a viable
Medicine) have entered a strategic vaccine that puts it ahead of others in development.
research collaboration with global
healthcare company Novo Nordisk,
to enhance the understanding of
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
(NAFLD), and its more severe
form, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
(NASH). The study aims to discover
new molecular hallmarks and
biomarkers of the disease specific
to Asian populations, which could
lead to the development of effective
treatment strategies. The research
collaboration will contribute to the
understanding of a Singaporean-
and Asian-centric NAFLD as part of
a national research platform named
Ensemble of Multi-Disciplinary
Systems and Integrated Omics for
NAFLD (EMULSION).
Gifu University, Astellas to create
new treatments for bacterial infections
Japan based Gifu University take on the challenge of creating treatment that uses engineered
and Astellas Pharma Inc. have multiple lead programmes in bacteriophages, to further bring
announced that the parties have the field of bacterial infection benefit to patients.
established, inside Gifu University
Graduate School of Medicine, a
joint research course entitled,
Phage Biologics Research Course.
In the course, Gifu University and
Astellas will conduct a joint study
on bacterial infection treatment by
using engineered bacteriophages.
The course will be retained for a
term of three years from March
2020. Through this joint research,
Gifu University and Astellas will
SUPPLIER NEWS 43
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
NuProbe, QIAGEN to explore NGS based cancer tests
NuProbe Global, a global enrichment and sequencing Extension (SPE)
molecular diagnostics technologies: NuProbe’s technology, for accurate and
company based in proprietary Blocker Displacement affordable analysis of DNA
Shanghai and Suzhou, Amplification (BDA) technology mutations with very low
China and Houston, TX, and QIAGEN’s Single Primer variant allele fractions and
have announced it has to advance non-invasive
entered into a collaboration cancer genomic profiling.
agreement with QIAGEN The QIAGEN and NuProbe
to develop next-generation teams will initially work
sequencing (NGS) based on developing research
cancer diagnostic tests use only products, for
for non-invasive liquid biopsy. clinical researchers in oncology.
Under terms of the collaboration The two companies may explore
agreement, NuProbe and further strategic collaboration
QIAGEN will explore integrating and develop other commercial
their two amplicon-based products in the future.
Agilent Technologies Thermo Fisher acquires
improves bioanalytical QIAGEN for $11.5B
workflow solutions
Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced the
Agilent Technologies, a global leader in life sciences, acquisition of Germany based QIAGEN N.V.
diagnostics, and applied chemical markets has which is the provider of molecular diagnostics
announced important improvements to its line and sample preparation technologies for €39 per
of regulated bioanalysis and bioequivalence (BA/ share in cash. The transaction values QIAGEN at
BE) offerings. BA/BE analysis is a critical step approximately $11.5 billion at current exchange
in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical rates. Thermo Fisher has built leading specialty
manufacturing process for the regulatory compliance diagnostics capabilities, including allergy and
and export of products in developed markets autoimmunity, transplant diagnostics and
particularly in India, which serves as a hub for many clinical oncology testing. QIAGEN has a strong
U.S. and European clinical trials. Agilent improved presence in molecular diagnostics with a product
its workflow solution to meet customers’ need to portfolio focused on infectious disease and other
adapt to changing scientific, business, regulatory, growth opportunities. The combined company
and industry challenges addressing many software will accelerate the development of higher-
and data security concerns. The biggest potential specificity, faster and more comprehensive tests
impact of the system for BA/BE analysis is increased that may improve patient outcomes and reduce
productivity and reduced cost per sample. the cost of care.
44 SUPPLIER NEWS
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
Shimadzu introduces new UV-i selection series
Scientific Instruments (SSI) has six of the spectrophotometers in pass/fail determination for
introduced the new UV-i group the series include an automatic improved efficiency. The systems
of UV-Vis spectrophotometers are equipped standard with a
designed to provide improved spectral evaluation function in
quality control productivity,
data analysis and the software that automatically
management, and operating determines whether data
efficiency. The new series satisfies specified criteria.
consists of six models: This function is designed to
UV-1900i, UV-2600i, help improve the efficiency of
UV-2700i, UV-3600i quality control operations by
Plus, SolidSpec-3700i, and eliminating the manual data
SolidSpec-3700i DUV. All analysis steps required after
spectra are acquired.
Waters launches Eppendorf buys
new products centrifuge biz of
Koki Holdings
Waters Corporation has introduced new products
that bring greater productivity and efficiency to Eppendorf AG and Koki Holdings Co., Ltd.,
materials science research. The new Discovery X3 have reached an agreement that Eppendorf
Differential Scanning Calorimeter, Discovery Hybrid willacquire Koki’s centrifuge business, including
Rheometers and TAM IV Micro XL isothermal the premium himac brand. A corresponding
microcalorimeter support the development of agreement was signed by both companies in
next-generation, high performance materials and Tokyo. The acquisition marks a targeted step
by Hamburg based Eppendorf AG to expand
products. Uniquely engineered to its centrifuge business and solidifies its strong
eliminate multiple testing steps, market position as one of the world’s leading
makers of high-end centrifuges for the pharma
the new Discovery X3 and life science industries as well as academic
Differential Scanning and commercial research. Japan based Koki
Calorimeter (DSC) Holdings will focus on developing its position as
generates three a comprehensive provider of power tools aiming
times the amount to become a leading global company through
of experimental strategic investment, accelerated technology and
data as a product development.
standard DSC,
effectively
consolidating
three
instruments
into one.
The new trio
of high-performance rheometers are five times
more sensitive than previous versions and offer
class-leading versatility in a platform that makes
it easier for users of all experience levels to obtain
accurate rheological data. The new TAM IV Micro
XL is a powerful isothermal microcalorimeter (IMC)
specifically designed to give researchers a better
understanding of battery discharging and charging
dynamics, including the precise mechanisms of
parasitic reactions that shorten battery life.
PEOPLE NEWS 45
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com H.E.L Group
appoints GM
Sanjeev Narula for China
steps in as CFO at Viatris
H.E.L Group (H.E.L) has
Mylan N.V. and Pfizer have announced that Sanjeev Narula, appointed Qing (Steven) Chen
current chief financial officer (CFO) of Upjohn, a division as China General Manager
of Pfizer, has been named incoming CFO of Viatris, the new (GM). Chen will support H.E.L’s
company that will result from the planned combination of Mylan transition to a wholly foreign-
and Upjohn. Upon closing, which is expected in mid-2020, owned entity in China, as the
Viatris will be a new champion for UK-based company expands its
global health with a portfolio of sales, marketing and support
approximately 3,000 brands and efforts in the region. Chen joins
molecules and a commercial presence the company with over 20 years’
in 165 countries. Narula’s strong, 16- experience in senior management,
year history with Pfizer encompasses including GM roles in the Chinese
several financial leadership positions, divisions of Bruker Optics and,
where he has worked under the most recently, Nanophoton
leadership of Pfizer’s Chief Financial Corporation. Previously, Chen
Officer and Executive Vice President held the position of Greater
of Business Operations and Global China President during a 10-
Supply, Frank D’Amelio. At Upjohn, he has worked closely year tenure with PerkinElmer,
with incoming Viatris CEO Michael Goettler and has developed where he took the leading role in
a deep understanding of financial and commercial dynamics business strategy implementation
across key geographies, including emerging markets, particularly for the area. As an experienced
China. He also has broad knowledge of the generic and branded commercial GM for scientific
pharmaceutical business, having previously served as Vice instrumentation companies, Chen
President, Finance, for Pfizer’s Essential Health Business. is ideally suited to lead H.E.L’s
programme to expand operations
in China. This will include
building a team of local talent
focused on customer support and
service.
Raffles Medical
names new CFO
Singapore based RAFFLES She replaces Goh Ann Nee
Medical Group has appointed who is now deputy managing
Sheila Ng as its chief director of Raffles China
financial officer (CFO). Ng healthcare division. Ng has
was previously the deputy been serving as the senior
chief executive and group advisor to Singapore’s
CFO of Interplex Holdings, a Ministry of Manpower and the
multi-technological solutions Central Provident Fund (CPF)
provider, from 2007 to 2017. Board. She was previously the
Before Interplex, she was chief executive of CPF Board
CFO of GES International. from 2015 to 2019.
46 PEOPLE NEWS
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
SGInnovate ropes in Dr Lim Jui as CEO
SGInnovate has announced commercialise research and to and Executive Director of the
that its Board has appointed build a thriving entrepreneurial Medical Engineering Research
Dr Lim Jui as the company’s ecosystem. Prior to his role at and Commercialisation Initiative
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), NTUitive, he was the co-founder (MERCI,) a medical device
effective May 1, 2020. He will accelerator, at the National
be taking the helm from Steve University of Singapore (NUS).
Leonard, who will be concluding Concurrently, he was also the
his term as Founding CEO. inaugural Programme Director
DrJui has more than 20 years of the Singapore-Stanford
of experience in innovation, BiodesignProgramme (SSB),
research commercialisation and a joint venture between the
investment. He joins SGInnovate Agency for Science, Technology
from NTUitive, a subsidiary and Research (A*STAR),
under the Nanyang Technological the Singapore Economic
University, Singapore (NTU) Development Board (EDB), and
charged with the mandate to Stanford University.
Antisense Therapeutics GSK India brings
Ltd hires consultant Sridhar Venkatesh
medical director as new MD
Australia based strategy, evaluation, Sridhar Venkatesh has been appointed as
Antisense Therapeutics financing and execution. Managing Director & VP of GlaxoSmithKline
Limited has announced Over the years Dr Price Pharmaceuticals Limited effective April 1,
the appointment of has served on multiple 2020. He succeeds AnnaswamyVaidheesh who
Gil Price M.D. as boards of public, private retired from the company effective March 31,
Consultant Medical and not-for-profit 2020. Venkatesh is a senior business leader
Director.Dr Price is entities. From 2007 to with more than 24 years of diverse experience
a clinical physician 2016, Dr Price was a in pharmaceuticals and healthcare and has a
trained in internal non-executive director strong track record of success in multiple roles
medicine with a long- of US based Sarepta within GSK. He joined GSK in 2011 as Head of
standing focus in Therapeutics, Inc., Commercial, Established Products, Branded
drug development, where he helped guide
adverse drug reactions, Sarepta’s transition Generics and moved as General
drug utilization from $80 million Manager, Singapore before
and regulation. He market capitalisation taking up the role of
is an experienced (2008) to multi-billion Commercial Head,
biotech executive and dollar company with the India from 2014 to
entrepreneur with a first approved drug for 2016. He was then
depth of expertise across Duchenne Muscular promoted as VP of
clinical asset investment Dystrophy (DMD). Central America &
Caribbean before
taking the current
role as Vice President,
Emerging Markets East
with direct management
of six markets (Philippines,
Vietnam, Thailand,
Malaysia, Indonesia,
and Sri Lanka).
EVENT REPORT 47
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
India Pharma and India Medical Device 2020
“Indian pharma industry likely to
reach $100B and medical devices
sector reach $50B by 2025”
DV Sadananda Gowda, Minister of Chemicals The Union Minister
and Fertilizers, Government of India said for Chemicals and
that the Indian pharmaceuticals and medical Fertilizers, D.V.
devices sector has the potential to become the world Sadananda Gowda
leader and government will provide all necessary along with the Chief
support. Indian pharma industry likely to reach $100 Minister of Gujarat,
billion and medical devices sector reach $50 billion by Vijay Rupani and
2025. the Minister of
State for Shipping
Speaking at the three day ‘India Pharma and India (Independent Charge)
Medical Device 2020’, organized by Federation of and Chemicals &
Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Fertilizers, Mansukh
on March 5 in Ahmedabad jointly with the Department L. Mandaviya
of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and lighting the lamp to
Fertilizers, Government of India, Gowda said, inaugurate the India
“India today is a major hub for medical devices and Pharma 2020 and
diagnostics. There has to be certain interventions by India Medical Device
the government as far as polices are concerned.” 2020 Conference, at
Gandhinagar, Gujarat
Gowda said that affordability of the medicines is on March 05, 2020.
one of the prime concerns of the society. “In developing
countries where a large section of population is poor Winners of ‘5th India Pharma and
and out of pocket expenses are very high, affordability India Medical Device Awards’
of the medicines is one of the prime concerns of the
society,” he added. ● India Pharma Leader Award - Lupin Limited
● India Pharma Bulk Drug Company of the Year
Gowda emphasized that government is making all
efforts to boost the Indian pharma and medical devices Award -SMS Lifesciences India Limited
sector. He said, “In countries where R&D are taken ● India Pharma Innovation of the Year Award -
care of, where academia and industry collaborate in
order to build a strong R&D eco-system. In India, we Laurus Labs Limited
need to follow this. Government has initiated various ● India Pharma Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) Programme of the Year Award - Sun
Pharmaceutical Industries Limited
● India Medical Device Company of the Year
Award - Innovation Imaging Technologies Pvt
Ltd
● India Pharma Swachhta Champion Award -
Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Ltd
steps for strengthening the Indian pharma and
medical devices sector, he added.
Speaking on the COVID-19, Gowda said that it is
challenging times and we should all stand together at
this time. Government has and is taking all necessary
steps in this direction. “There is no shortage of
medicines. We have sufficient medicines and sufficient
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) so that for
another three months to ensure there is no shortage in
producing medicines,” he said.
Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister, government of
Gujarat while highlighting the state’s contribution to
48 EVENT REPORT
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
Key highlights of FICCI-EY report ● Constructing dedicated zones or mega drug
parks
1. India has come a long way in becoming a hub
for manufacturing and supply of generic drugs and c. Creating sound and effective IP, legal
is today touted as the pharmacy of the world. and regulatory framework:
2. The country is still at a nascent stage in terms ● Establish transparent and predictable IP laws
of its activities in commercially oriented R&D and and policies
innovation. Despite being the third largest seller
of medicines in the world, India has been able to ● Facilitate knowledge transfer
produce only a handful of novel commercially viable ● Strengthen the regulatory framework
drug molecules. d. Ensuring availability of financing for
research and purchase of medicine:
3. The report examines what it will take to ● Adopt healthcare financing policies to increase
replicate this success to novel products and medical availability and usage of pharmaceutical innovation
devices: ● Risk sharing models are needed to incentivize
PE/VC funds for making investments in high-risk
a. Establishing top-down governance life sciences R&D for long-term
structure: ● Innovative financing models (e.g., debt-
type instruments) need to be institutionalized by
Creating a Centre of Excellence (CoE), where partnering with central banking organizations in
stakeholders are able to provide thought leadership the country
and direction to innovators to create commercially e. Streamline and fast-track regulatory
viable projects approval process: To boost the innovation in
emerging areas such biosimilars and biologics,
b. Enabling access to quality initiatives such as decreasing the number of
infrastructure and talent: authorities involved or specifying a maximum
time-limit for approvals and simplifying the
● Geographical proximity between universities documentation and submission requirement, can
supplying high skilled talent and R&D hubs of help facilitate growth
industries
● Enhancing industry-academia collaboration
● Improving the education level of the
workforces based on industry needs Building
sustainable clinical trial infrastructure
the national GDP said that Gujarat is one of the few setting up a ‘Pharma Bureau’, which will help facilitate
states in the country to provide all necessary support to both foreign as well as domestic investment in the
strengthen the pharma and medical devices companies. Pharmaceutical and Medical devices industry in India.
He said that the state government is planning to come “Pharma Bureau will act as a policy think tank to
up with two dedicated parks, one for bulk drugs support the Government as well as the Industry,” he
manufacturing and other for medical devices. said.
“In India, pharma and medical devices sector M K Das, Principal Secretary, Industries & Mines
is growing rapidly. Gujarat has become a hub in Department, Government of Gujarat highlighted the
manufacturing sector, agriculture and social sector. growth of Gujarat’s economy and enumerated various
Now, Gujarat is ready to take the lead in pharmaceuticals policy initiatives which enabled the state to attract 51
and medical devices sector,” added Rupani. per cent of the country’s Foreign Direct Investment.
Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State (I/C) for Pankaj R Patel, Past President, FICCI & Chairman,
Shipping and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of ZydusCadila while highlighting the current challenges
India said that today when the world is in recession, of the sector said that this is a wake-up call for the
Indian pharma sector is growing at 10 percent and sector. “The pharma industry in India, is today the
Indian medical devices sector is growing at 20-25 per pharmacy of the world,” he added.
cent. “India has lot of opportunities and this is not only
encashed by Indian companies, but also global players BadhriIyengar, Chairman, FICCI Medical Device
are also investing in these sectors,” he added. He Forum said that India contributes to 1.2 per cent of
further added that government is working on bringing the global medical device market and about 6 per cent
new policy to strengthen the Indian API market. of the total healthcare market globally.
Dr P D Vaghela, Secretary, Department of FICCI-EY report ‘Reshaping India into a life sciences
Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, innovation hub’ were also released during the event.
Government of India, said that government will be ‘5th India Pharma and India Medical Device Awards’
were also given away during the event.
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumindia.com DIGITALDIIGNITSAILGINHSTIGHT 4499
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
Marketing with an enticement,
not a mallet : content marketing
strategies for startups in biotech
Competing against the industry Goliaths that dominate the health and biotech industries can seem like
an impossible task for a company in its infancy. Fortunately, small businesses and startups can build a
competitive edge by combining innovation with an organized content marketing campaign. Small business
owners simply need to be aware of the key challenges they face and combat those challenges through a
strategic content marketing campaign aimed at health and biotech customers.
Source : FaceitInteractive
Identifying Key Challenges for The key is to use content marketing to humanize your
Startups in the Biotech and Health Arenas business and earn customer trust.
Breaking into the biotech or healthcare industry Give a face to your company
requires a small business owner to recognize the Let’s face it – health and biotech products are
barriers they face as a small fish in an ocean of large
sharks. Not surprisingly, many of these challenges cold, complicated, and lifeless without the people
related to difficulties earning the trust of prospective who design them and sell them. Your ‘About Us’ page
customers: is often one of the first pages customers will visit
● Establishing trust among customers who are when they arrive at your site. This is often because
customers instinctively want to feel comfortable and
unfamiliar with your brand safe with their biotech provider. Follow these steps to
● Demonstrating your commitment to product help build trust among new customers:
● Make sure your ‘About Us’ page is robust and
quality
● Figuring out how to bring energy to cold, lifeless regularly updated
● Post photos and curriculum vitae on your site
products such as pills and technology ● Spotlight a member of your team in each e-blast
● Breaking down complicated product properties
you send
into successful selling points ● Include your team photo in your catalogue
Content Marketing Strategies Example : https://www.incepbio.com/
for Health and Biotech Startups
Focus on your product quality
Fortunately for small business owners, content Your competitors may have you beat when it comes
marketing has the power to enable your business to
thrive in spite of its small size and limited resources.
5500 DIGDITAIGL IINTSAIGLHTINSIGHT BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumindia.com
BIOSPECTRUM | APRIL 2020 | www.biospectrumasia.com
to company size and industry experience. But that INVITE CUSTOMERS TO VISIT YOUR FACILITY
does not mean that their quality of product is superior Healthcare practitioners, purchasing agents,
to yours. In fact, the quality of product manufactured
by small companies is often superior because company distributors, and other potential buyers are often
resources are not divided among dozens of products. suspicious of healthcare products offered by an
emerging company. Strive to erase any concerns
https://www.biospectrumasia.com/ right out of the gate by extending a warm welcome
news/25/15294/eppendorf-safecode-system- to prospective customers to see your operations in
enables-a-safe-sample-vial-tracking.html action:
● Visits enable customers to witness your quality of
FEATURE CASE STUDIES OF
YOUR PRODUCTS IN ACTION product preparation firsthand
● Customers can meet your team of professionals in
Whether your company specializes in
pharmaceuticals or healthcare devices, you need to person
show prospective buyers the benefits of your products ● A visit enables customers to see supply chain
Case studies are effective because they illustrate how
your biotech products can impact the lives of medical activity and product packaging
professionals and the patients they treat. Source : http://www.worldbiotechtour.org/
● Name and location of the customer using your
home
product
● Photos of the product(s) in use at the customer’s SPOTLIGHT NEW PRODUCTS
Every product is new and exciting when your
healthcare facility
● Key benefits of your product as verbalized by the company is in the early startup phase. As your
company begins to gain traction in the market,
client you need to maintain your customers’ interest and
Ex : https://www.corning.com/worldwide/ loyalty. Introducing them to your newest product line
is a great way to maintain their interest, especially if
en/products/life-sciences/products/bioprocess.html you do the following:
● Start building anticipation before you release a
SHOWCASE YOUR INDUSTRY
CERTIFICATIONS new product by sending a “sneak peek” or preview
of the benefits
Is your company registered with the U.S. FDA, ● Give your newest product(s) a prime location on
ISO, CE or other well-known agency? If so, then your website
you know the level of effort and time required for ● Feature your newest products at the next industry
your company to earn that distinction. Fortunately, trade show
industry certifications often give prospective
customers a sense of security and comfort with your Ex : https://www.eppendorf.com/scivario/
products. List your company’s industry certifications
and approvals as advised: HIGHLIGHT YOUR AFFORDABLE PRICES
● On your company’s landing page Pricing is similar to quality when drawing
● Within your product inserts
● On technical specification sheets comparisons between small healthcare companies
and industry giants. As a small business owner of a
Ex : https://luinabio.com.au/memberships- health or biotech firm, you can usually dictate your
and-awards/ own pricing structure.
Ex : www.biomall.in
YOUR BEST The shortest, clearest path to outstanding content for your Biotech Brand is to enlist the guidance of a
PATH TO A trusted partner.
SUCCESSFUL
It sounds simple, but in practicality it’s easier said than done. The good news? You don’t have to go
CONTENT it alone. And, really, you probably shouldn’t. It’s really hard to read the label from inside the bottle. An
MARKETING objective approach helps.
CAMPAIGN Want to tap into B2B biotech marketing expertise?
Want to finally get your content marketing engine revved up in the right direction?
Email us [email protected]
Schedule a Free Content Marketing Consultation Ankit Kankar
Let’s Discuss How you can get the results you want from the [email protected]
engaging content you need
Schedule A Review : [email protected] Follow our tweets on twitter
@bsi_social and @Asiabiospectrum
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80 + trails underway to treat COVID-19
In just over 90 days of identification of a pneumonia of unknown cause, the novel coronavirus pandemic,
which is raging around the world and posing a challenge for all countries and regions. As on April 2,2020 the
number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide has risen above 1 million, according to the new tally from
Johns Hopkins University. Since the emergence of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), biopharmaceutical
companies across the world have stepped up their research efforts to develop vaccines and treatments in
order to contain the virus. As of March 26, 2020, there are a number of therapeutics currently in clinical trials
and more than 52 candidate vaccines are in preclinical evaluation for COVID-19 and 2 candidate vaccines are
in clinical evaluation. Over 80 clinical trials are underway to test new and existing medicines across the globe.
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