Business
BioSpectrum Asia
Taiwan initiates new measures for management of medical masks
Taiwan has initiated two new measures to reinforce the management of medical masks.
1 min |
January 2021
BioSpectrum Asia
HiMedia gets multiple nods for COVID-19 products
HiGenoMB, the molecular biology division of Indian firm HiMedia Laboratories has received the CE/IVD approval and a nod from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for its COVID-19 range of products.
1 min |
January 2021
BioSpectrum Asia
EuBiologics partners with IVI for COVID-19 vaccine development
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and South Korean company EuBiologics have exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in the clinical development of the COVID-19 vaccine the company is currently developing.
1 min |
January 2021
BioSpectrum Asia
2021 beckons MAJOR investments IN R&D
The life sciences industry in Asia Pacific (APAC) region entered the year 2020 with companies entering into new agreements for expansion and focusing on applied research to develop new drugs that are affordable. During 2020, the industry, which acted timely, as covered in the January 2020 issue of BioSpectrum Asia, witnessed unprecedented collaborations with the governments due to the unexpected spread of coronavirus since December 2019. COVID-19 is expected to remain a defining issue for the life sciences industry across the globe in 2021, compelling companies to invest heavily in research and development.
6 min |
January 2021
BioSpectrum Asia
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 min |
December 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
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 min |
December 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
Australia Reveals New Finding On Covid-19 Re-Infection
Researchers at the Monash University in Australia have revealed, for the first time, that people who have been infected with the COVID-19 virus have sustained protection against reinfection for at least eight months.
1 min |
December 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
“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 min |
December 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
“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 min |
December 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
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 |
December 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
“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 min |
December 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
“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 min |
December 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
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 min |
December 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
Managing Diabetes The Figital Way!
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed several new challenges and an opportunity to transform diabetes care with digital innovation. Looking ahead, technology will play a greater role in diabetes treatment and management once lockdowns ease.
5 min |
November 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
Covid-19 Linked Maladies Startling Researchers
Although millions of people have recovered from the coronavirus worldwide, beating the initial sickness appears to be the first of many battles for those who have survived. The list of gnawing maladies associated with COVID-19, such as heart diseases, liver injuries, brain damage, anosmia etc., is surely of a huge concern for the world.
7 min |
November 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
“Chinese pharmaceutical market is growing rapidly and is now a key market for western companies”
Belgium based Bone Therapeutics recently announced its entry in China through partnership with Link Health and Pregene for ALLOB, its off-the-shelf, Allogeneic Osteoblastic Cell Therapy platform. In an email interaction with BioSpectrum, Stefanos Theoharis, Chief Business Officer (CBO), Bone Therapeutics, United Kingdom tells us more about the company, their strategy for China and the impact of COVID-19 on their firm. Edited excerpts;
5 min |
November 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
The Dragon beckons big pharma
Big pharma continues its fascination with China. The latest big pharma firm to push deeper into the country is the US based Pfizer, with its $200 million acquisition of CStone, a firm focused on cancer therapies. Most big pharma firms such as Amgen, USA and AstraZeneca, UK who have historically focused on mature markets such as the United States, Japan and Europe, are now eyeing China. Let’s explore this shift and what it means for the Chinese pharma industry.
4 min |
November 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
APAC's 5G ambitions in Healthcare
The surge in virtual healthcare has prompted physicians globally to engage in co-sharing their medical space and expertise. And Internet-of-Things (IoT) is driving next-generation smart healthcare. Boosted by advances in robotics, IoT and Artificial Intelligence, healthcare organisations across the globe have started using 5G network that promises to provide essential levels of connectivity to enable a new health ecosystem, which will align with a relatively recent idea known as 4P medicine—that is, it will be predictive, preventative, personalised and participatory, as noted by PwC.
7 min |
November 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
India Develops Viral Sequence Predictor To Counter Covid-19
Researchers at the National Institute of Technical Teachers’ Training and Research (NITTTR), Kolkata, India have developed a web-based COVID- Predictor to predict the sequence of viruses online on the basis of machine learning and analyzed 566 Indian SARS-CoV-2 genomes to find the genetic variability in terms of point mutation and Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP).
1 min |
October 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
China Leads The Coronavirus Vaccine Race
Of the nine leading candidate that are under Phase III trial for the novel coronavirus in the world, five are from China- a most from any country. China has emerged as a leader in the novel coronavirus vaccines, a development that will enhance it as a global power but also raises concerns over safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Let’s look into the pros and cons of its leadership in the COVID-19 vaccine.
6 min |
October 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
“Indian companies are moving from API manufacturing to Formulations”
The COVID-19 pandemic has unlocked several opportunities for the life sciences sector in India. And in response to this, the sector has taken the right plunge. KPMG’s new report on ‘Site selection for life sciences in Asia’ reveals the true potential has India possess. In an interview, Sanjay Singh, Partner – Deal Advisory, Head of Lifesciences, KPMG, India expounds on the key findings of this study and shares insights on key market drivers. Edited excerpts;
2 min |
October 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
‘‘We are planning to deliver products with better efficiency for APAC customers''
Francis Van Parys, Vice President Commercial, Asia Pacific, Cytiva, South Korea
3 min |
October 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
E-PHARMACIES IN INDIA, MUCH MORE THAN COMMERCE
Amazon, Reliance and Flipkart v/s the others… The question is who will win? Will this pitting of wits drive new innovations in healthcare delivery and add value to customers?
10+ min |
October 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
“We are committed to fast-tracking innovation and transformative care to patients”
Thomas Willemsen, Senior Vice President, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, APAC, Singapore
5 min |
October 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
Securing India's pharma industry from Cyber Risk
Increasing production in pharma manufacturing implies a higher convergence of IT and OT systems. While convergence between IT and OT brings about efficiency, it also expands the attacks surface. The only way to make this work safely is to have a unified, risk-based view of the IT and OT environments.
4 min |
October 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
“We are investing in larger cleanrooms, better QA vision systems, and more technical expertise”
Oliver Healthcare Packaging, one of the leading providers of sterile barrier flexible packaging for the global healthcare industry, emphasize on custom engineered design of Sterile Barrier System (SBS) to meet medical innovations and packaging technologies. Oliver Healthcare with its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, expanding global SBS manufacturing footprint to Asian market. Mike Benevento, President & CEO, Oliver Healthcare Packaging, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, further elaborates on the critical role of SBS and its significance as integral part of Asia Pacific (APAC) MedTech industry. Edited excerpts;
4 min |
October 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
Connecting the Dots
As the coronavirus pandemic rages across the globe, compounded by lockdowns, quarantine, and social distancing measures, many are turning to digital health.
5 min |
October 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
Time To Look For 2nd Gen Vaccines
Most pharmaceutical companies, across the world, are working at a breakneck speed to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. Some companies are concerned that these vaccines may not be particularly effective in preventing COVID-19 infections in the long-term. This has evoked the need in them to develop improved, next-generation vaccines against the novel coronavirus. BioSpectrum discusses this next phase of vaccine development and if it’s too early to think about the second generation when we don’t even have the first ready yet.
6 min |
BioSpectrum Asia September 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
Simulating Technology Solutions To Fight Covid-19
Use of engineering simulation technology is common in the global healthcare industry. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) & European regulatory agencies are encouraging the healthcare companies to use Computer Modeling & Simulation (CM&S) to aid the approval process for medical devices and achieve quality by design in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
3 min |
BioSpectrum Asia September 2020
BioSpectrum Asia
“Value of research conducted within academic institutions will be better appreciated in future”
Founded in 2009, Melbourne-based Affinity Biosciences, whose key focus is on discovering antibodies for cancer therapeutics, is now working on antibodies for COVID-19.
3 min |