In this issue

Many Firsts in 2020

Although the current pandemic has created an unprecedented crisis for the modern world,
it has also pushed the industry to cultivate boxes of innovation and technology, leading to
many firsts in world history. The year 2020 saw maximum innovations reaching from lab to
market in minimum possible time

Takeda expands COVID-19 vaccine supply in Japan

Japanese firm Takeda Pharmaceutical has announced that it will import and distribute 50 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, starting in the first half of 2021, pending licensure in Japan.

1 min

Many Firsts In 2020

Although the current pandemic has created an unprecedented crisis for the modern world, it has also pushed the industry to cultivate boxes of innovation and technology, leading to many firsts in world history. The year 2020 saw maximum innovations reaching from lab to market in minimum possible time.

9 mins

“Opyl is seeking to solve PR&WD points of trial failure by applying PA and AI”

A real world data is a boon to improve health and wellness. Optimising data assets through digital activation can advance healthcare technologies. Opyl, an Australian health data analytics company enables biopharma and health organisations to access emerging AIassisted technologies with its professional guidance to improve healthcare design, development and delivery. Leveraging social media, the team is assisting patients, healthcare providers and researchers in mining social media data insights (with informed consent) using AI applications. This has been particularly important during COVID-19, as Opyl noted a 188 per cent increase in pandemic-related clinical and research findings being discussed and shared by medical researchers on social media channels. In an interaction with BioSpectrum Asia, Michelle Gallaher, CEO of Opyl, Australia with expertise on healthcare marketing, data science and knowledge on social media health trends shared more professional guidance based on predictive analytics (PA) for improvised healthcare deliveries. Edited excerpts;

4 mins

“Our plant 4 will have the world's largest biomanufacturing capacity”

Samsung Biologics, a fully integrated contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), offering state-of-the-art contract development, manufacturing, and laboratory testing services, has officially begun construction of its plant 4 in Incheon, South Korea. This is part of its long-term strategy to maximize its operational efficiency and scale up its development and manufacturing capabilities in response to growing biomanufacturing demands. In addition, the company has expanded its global footprint with opening of new San Francisco CDO R&D Center. BioSpectrum Asia reached out to Courtney Garcia, Senior Global PR Specialist, Samsung Biologics for further updates. Edited excerpts;

4 mins

“Digital transformation is becoming strategic imperative for companies to be competitive”

Thermo Fisher Scientific is continuously working to expand global capacity and capabilities across its leading pharma services network to support customers in government, industry and academia as they accelerate development and production of COVID-19 vaccines, therapies and other treatments. Amit Chopra, Managing Director, India and Middle East, Thermo Fisher Scientific, India recently spoke to BioSpectrum Asia about the company’s plans in the post COVID-19 era. Edited excerpts;

2 mins

“Push for digital-enabled care ecosystems to solve healthcare problems”

Singapore headquartered QuEST, a leading global product engineering and lifecycle services company, has been working with some of the world’s leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier1 suppliers in the Medical Devices domain, as their trusted thinking partner of choice, for the past two decades. This includes organizations based out of North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. In the recent past, the Medical Devices engineering team at QuEST had developed an AIPowered Diagnostic Solution to enable healthcare professionals accelerate the screening of COVID-19 patients with pneumonia symptoms. The solution, that uses advanced deep learning models, is deployed on the cloud to identify chest X-rays of patients with COVID-19. Backed by Microsoft Azure Machine Learning, the solution has an accuracy of more than 95 per cent. BioSpecctrum spoke to James Gallo, Head – New Business Development, QuEST Global, USA about the global market trends for medical devices and challenges before the market.

2 mins

Why Digitalisation Is Long Overdue For The Life Sciences Industry?

During the early stages of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, there was a lot of anticipation over the “return to normal” once a vaccine had been discovered. Analysts had predicted a “V-shaped” economic bounce-back from as early as fall 2019. But the reality has been far more sobering; government scientists and medical experts now express “cautious optimism” that a reliable candidate might only be available to the public in early 2021, with a stronger likelihood of its launch in the later part of the year.

5 mins

The ESRD crisis in Singapore

In Singapore – where the crude incidence rate of late-stage chronic kidney disease has been rising – there are more people in the country, who must be especially concerned about maintaining social distancing. This is a particular conundrum for ESRD patients, who need to visit dialysis centres for treatment.

5 mins

Read all stories from BioSpectrum Asia

BioSpectrum Asia Magazine Description:

BioSpectrum Asia Magazine is a monthly magazine published by MM Activ Sci-Tech Communication in India. It is a leading biotechnology magazine in Asia, covering a wide range of topics related to the biotechnology industry, including:

* Biotechnology news and trends: BioSpectrum Asia covers the latest biotechnology news and trends from India and around the world.
* Biotechnology company profiles and interviews: The magazine profiles leading biotechnology companies in Asia and interviews their CEOs and other top executives.
* Biotechnology research and development: BioSpectrum Asia covers the latest biotechnology research and development from academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies.
* Biotechnology product reviews: The magazine reviews the latest biotechnology products and services.
* Biotechnology industry events: BioSpectrum Asia covers biotechnology industry events from around the world.

BioSpectrum Asia Magazine is a must-read for anyone who wants to stay informed about the latest advances in biotechnology and their potential to impact the world around us.