Business
BioSpectrum Asia
India–EU FTA Paves Way for Expanded Healthcare Trade
On January 27, 2026, after years of negotiations, India and the European Union announced a landmark Free Trade Agreement.
4 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
PreferCo and Glatt to open CoE for precision fermentation bioprocess scale-up in India
In a major boost to Government of India's BioE3 push, German major Glatt and India-based startup PreferCo have announced the launch of \"PreferCo-Glatt Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Bioprocess Scale-Up\" in Hyderabad's Genome Valley.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
Women's Health Surge in APAC
The rising burden of diseases such as ovarian cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, infertility, etc. is emerging as the key driver of the women's healthcare market across the globe. While North America led the women healthcare market in 2025, Asia Pacific (APAC) is expected to witness the fastest growth this year onwards. As a result, governments across the APAC region, are recognising the importance of women's health and are launching initiatives, particularly under female leaders, to improve access to healthcare services. Moreover, a number of women-led startups are now developing new solutions to address this growing burden of women-associated diseases in the APAC region. Let's take a closer look.
6 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
Hanchor Bio receives US FDA Orphan Drug Designation for HCB101 in gastric cancer
Taiwan-based biotech startup HanchorBio, Inc. has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to HCB101 for the treatment of gastric cancer.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
Daiichi Sankyo names Dr John Tsai as Global Head of R&D
Japan-based Daiichi Sankyo Company has appointed Dr John Tsai to succeed Dr Ken Takeshita, who is stepping down as Global Head of R&D, effective April 1, 2026.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
"The global trend is moving beyond centralised hubs toward distributed networks and domestic capability"
King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) and US-based Germfree Laboratories have announced a strategic partnership to develop Saudi Arabia's first fully integrated, modular Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) Manufacturing Campus.
4 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
SEOUL'S RISKY DRUG PRICING RESET
Drug pricing has once again moved to the centre of policy debate in South Korea, with the government recently stepping back from its proposed generic drug pricing reform.
2 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
Takeda and Iambic sign $1.7 B deal to advance AI driven design of small molecules
Iambic, a US-based clinical-stage life science and technology company developing novel medicines using its artificial intelligence (AI)-driven discovery and development platform, has announced a multi-year technology and discovery collaboration agreement with Japan-based Takeda Pharma that will use Iambic's industry leading AI drug discovery models to advance a select set of high-priority small molecule programmes, initially in Takeda's Oncology and Gastrointestinal and Inflammation therapeutic areas.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
S.Biomedics announces partnership with Catalent to develop and manufacture TED-A9
US-based Catalent and South Korea-based S.Biomedics have announced a strategic partnership to support the development and manufacturing of TED-A9, S.Biomedics' allogeneic pluripotent stem-cell-derived ventral midbrain-specific dopaminergic precursor cell therapy being developed for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
China revises drug administration regulations to spur innovation
China has revised regulations concerning drug administration in a bid to promote drug innovation, strengthen management of online sales of medicines and reinforce drug safety supervision.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
Dr Jitendra Singh calls for missionbased India-Australia technical cooperation
After talks between India's Union Minister for Science and Technology (S&T) Dr Jitendra Singh and Australian Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and Digital Economy Dr Andrew Charlton MP, India and Australia agreed to expand and restructure their S&T partnership towards missionoriented cooperation in the field of critical and emerging technologies.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
WHO announces new customs classification for vaccines
The World Health Organization, in collaboration with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Customs Organization (WCO), has helped update the system countries use to classify goods at customs.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
QuidelOrtho enters strategic supply agreement to expand global immunoassay portfolio
QuidelOrtho has entered a long-term strategic supply agreement with China's Lifotronic Technology, to expand QuidelOrtho's global immunoassay portfolio and accelerate customer access to scalable, high quality, cost-efficient solutions across select markets outside the United States.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
AusBiotech and Proto Axiom launch national partnership for life sciences companies
Aus Biotech and Sydney-based life sciences startup Proto Axiom have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen national coordination across investor-focused programmes connecting researchers, investors, and industry within Australia's life sciences ecosystem.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
WHO prequalifies Biological E's oral polio vaccine
The World Health Organization (WHO) has prequalified an additional novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), further strengthening the global supply of a vaccine at the heart of efforts to stop poliovirus type 2 outbreaks more sustainably and accelerate progress towards polio eradication.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
Juvenescence appoints Eileen Jennings-Brown as CTO and strengthens UAE presence
Juvenescence, a clinical-stage AI-enabled biotech company, has announced the appointment of Eileen Jennings-Brown as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), and a significant expansion of its operations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through the establishment of new research offices at Masdar City, Abu Dhabi's rapidly growing life sciences and biotechnology hub.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
New scholarship in Singapore to develop future leaders in engineering and medicine
The National University of Singapore (NUS) has received a generous gift from Dr Wong Ngit Liong, Executive Chairman of Venture Corporation, to fund postgraduate scholarships and expand opportunities for future leaders in engineering and medicine.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
Mission (im)possible? Efficient Global Antibody Drug Conjugate Product Approvals
The growth in Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) products hitting the market, including those following recent approvals in 2025 in Japan and China brings into sharp focus the importance of the regulatory strategy, especially considering that the global regulatory framework for ADCs has been in a state of evolution.
2 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
Saisei Ventures unveils bridge-to-biotech venture creation initiative
Saisei Ventures, a pioneering investment firm from Japan focused on advancing Japanese biotechnology and therapeutic innovations globally, announced the launch of Bridge-to-Biotech, a new initiative designed to support Japanese founders and entrepreneurs as they translate groundbreaking scientific discoveries into venture-ready biotechnology companies.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
CSL CEO Dr Paul McKenzie retires, Gordon Naylor takes charge as interim CEO & MD
The Board of Directors of Australia-based biotech firm CSL have announced that Dr Paul McKenzie will retire as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Managing Director (MD).
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
Singapore launches first set of menopause management guidelines
The KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) Maternal and Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI) has launched Singapore's first set of Guidelines on Management of the Menopause Transition.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
Hong Kong to nurture dietetic professionals with new academic programme
In response to the growing demand amid Hong Kong's rapidly ageing population for healthcare professionals such as dietitians, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has launched the Master of Science (MSc) in Dietetics programme in the 2025/26 academic year to nurture a new generation of dietetic professionals.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
Pharma Essentia invests $46 M to build manufacturing plant in Puerto Rico
PharmaEssentia Corporation, a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Taiwan with deep expertise in the development of novel biologics for haematology and oncology, and its US subsidiary PharmaEssentia USA Corporation have announced that the global corporate Board of Directors has approved an investment of approximately $46 million to establish a new, wholly owned manufacturing subsidiary in Puerto Rico.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
Cipla partners with IISc to set up Centre for Pulmonary Medicine in India
Cipla Foundation has announced its partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to support the establishment of a state-of-the-art Cipla Foundation Centre for Pulmonary Medicine at the Tata IISc Medical School in Bengaluru, India.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
Asia is a growth engine, and India is a cornerstone of that strategy — both as a destination for advanced therapies and as a contributor to global innovation
Dr Stefan Miltenyi, Founder, President, and Managing Director of Miltenyi Biotec, a Germany-based global biotechnology leader founded in 1989, pioneered Magnetic-Activated Cell Sorting (MACS) technology and has driven the company's growth into a leading provider of tools and integrated solutions for cell and gene therapy. BioSpectrum Asia met him at the 23rd edition of BioAsia, hosted by the Government of Telangana in Hyderabad, India where he outlined the company's vision for deeper ecosystem integration, scalable cell therapy infrastructure, bioinformatics advancement, and long-term capacity building – underscoring why India stands central to Miltenyi Biotec's regional growth roadmap over the next five years. Edited excerpts;
4 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
The Dragon Targets 80-year Life Expectancy
China's first-ever national policy dedicated specifically to the pharmaceutical retail sector marks more than a regulatory update—it represents a structural redesign of how medicines and primary health services are delivered to nearly 1.4 billion people. Issued by the Ministry of Commerce alongside eight other departments on January 22, the new framework aims to transform traditional pharmacies into comprehensive “health stations,” strengthening their role in prevention, access, and emergency response.
2 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
Australian trial of personalised vaccines to treat children with deadly brain cancers
A world-first clinical trial will test cancer vaccines designed specifically for children with advanced or treatment-resistant brain tumours, following a $2.578 million investment from the Australian Government.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
Thermo Fisher elevates Charudatta A. Dedhe as Senior Director - Services (Asia Pacific & Japan)
US-based Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced that Charudatta A. Dedhe has taken on the role of Senior Director - Services (Asia Pacific & Japan), where he now leads Services and Operations across the Asia Pacific and Japan region, driving service excellence, digital transformation and AI-enabled customer experience innovation.
1 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
"We believe Korea outpaces many Western markets in its appetite and readiness to adopt integrated digital-biological innovation"
Quanterix Corporation, a U.S.-based biotechnology company focused on ultrasensitive biomarker detection, has entered an exclusive distribution agreement in Korea with Seoul-based digital healthcare company Emocog Inc., led by Co-CEOs Jun-Young Lee and Yoo-Hun Noh. The agreement, which includes Quanterix's clinical diagnostics brand Lucent Diagnostics, covers the Simoa Single Molecule Array platform, including the HD-X immunoassay analyser and blood-based Alzheimer's biomarker reagents. The deal marks the first launch of Simoa in Korea as a formally authorised In Vitro Diagnostic device rather than a Research Use Only instrument. David Wilson, Vice President of Clinical Strategy at Quanterix, discusses the strategic rationale behind entering the Korean market, the role of local partnerships in APAC expansion, competitive dynamics across regions, and how ultrasensitive biomarker detection could shape precision medicine in Asia-Pacific over the next five years. Edited excerpts:
3 min |
BioSpectrum Asia March 2026
BioSpectrum Asia
APAC Accelerates CERVICAL CANCER Elimination
Cervical cancer remains one of the most pressing women's health challenges in the Asia Pacific region, accounting for approximately 58 per cent of global deaths, according to an Economist Impact analysis commissioned by the Asia Pacific Women's Cancer Coalition and supported by Roche.
10 min |