Friday, March 05, 2010

Accelerator initiative to speed up entry to China life science market

While in Shanghai this week, I learned more about an accelerator initiative to help US life science companies establish operations in China.

ChinaBio Accelerator Company Ltd. will work with companies to enter the China market more quickly and with less risk than they could on their own. The ChinaBio initiative mirrors a concept that has been used successfully in the web industry by Baidu, Google’s primary China competitor. ChinaBio believes its Accelerator is the first time the concept has been applied to the life science industry.

Here are some examples of other collaboration which are accelerating market growth and potential:

Pharmaron Holdings Limited has completed its acquisition of Bridge Laboratories China. Both Pharmaron, which is headquartered in California, and Bridge have laboratory facilities in Beijing. Pharmaron said the acquisition would “extend” the range of services it offers. Bridge provided the first western standard GLP-compliant preclinical toxicology services in China.

bioMerieux, the French maker of in vitro diagnostics, has acquired Meikang Biotech, a China company also involved in rapid test manufacturing, together with Meikang’s production site in Shanghai. bioMerieux will locate its Asia-Pacific headquarters and China R&D facility on the site.

WuXi AppTec and QIAGEN formed a partnership focused on molecular biomarker development. QIAGEN will contribute a portfolio of instruments, training, and consumables which WuXi AppTec will use in its Shanghai laboratory, expanding its service offerings to its clients. WuXi will also help QIAGEN to develop biomarkers, assay panels, personalized healthcare diagnostics, and other products that QIAGEN will market.

Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co. has received a $1.8 million grant to conduct a clinical trial of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSC) as a treatment for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other degenerative diseases. The grant was awarded by Jiangsu’s Department of Science and Technology. Beike Biotech’s partners in the project are Jiangsu University and Nanjing University’s Drug Tower Hospital.

Mindray Medical, the Shenzhen medical device company, said it expects 2009 revenues will total between $624 million and $633 million, representing a 15% improvement over year-earlier results. Earnings per share (non-GAAP) will be not less than $1.29. Those results were well ahead of analysts’ estimates, which called for $621 million in revenue and eps of $1.21.

Sinovac Biotech has received the fifth order for its H1N1 vaccine, Panflu.1™, from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The latest order is for 8.57 million doses of the vaccine, bringing total Sinovac sales to 20 million doses. Sinovac must deliver 2.3 million doses by March 15, 2010, and the balance will be stockpiled in Sinovac’s warehouse.

Jiangbo Pharmaceuticals reported its oral Osteomyelitis treatment, Kang Gu Sui Yan Pian, has been included in the 2009 Edition of the National Basic Medical Insurance, Industrial Injury Insurance and Maternity Insurance Medicine Directory. 

Invida Group of Singapore announced plans to launch three dermatological brands in China: Dermatix®, Zalain® and Kinerase®. Invida, though mainly a commercialization company, also has proprietary products. With 13 subsidiaries and more than 3,700 employees, Invida was established as a Joint Venture in 2005 by Temasek Holdings, Quintiles Transnational and the Zuellig Group.

China Sky One Medical reported its AMI Diagnostic Kit for early detection of heart disease was designated a National Innovation Project. The award carries with it a 6 million RMB (US$.9 million) stipend for 2010.

Suven Life Sciences Ltd., a Hyderabad, India company that has made its name in bulk actives, drug and fine chemicals, was granted two patents in China for new chemical entities. The two molecules, which belong to the class of 5-HT compounds, are aimed at treating disorders associated with neurodegenerative diseases. The two patents are valid until 2023 and 2024 respectively.

You can follow more new about this “ascendant” life science market on ChinaBio.

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