Novartis will launch a product for hepatitus B this year as it is China\\\'s prevalent disease with approx 20 million affected. CEO Vasella says they have been growing by 20% on average over the last 5 years and gained considerable market share....   more

this company is getting a lot of attention - sells products similar to Amgen but without the side effects. Very large growth potential...   more

Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, a leading manufacturer and supplier of branded generic pharmaceuticals in the rapidly growing China market, announced today that its initial public offering of 15,625,000 American Depositary Shares (ADSs), each representing two ordinary shares, was priced at an initial public offering price of $14.50 per ADS. The ADSs will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on April 20, 2007 under the symbol ''SCR.''...   more

Strong 2007 first quarter performance as Group net sales advance 18% (+15% in local currencies) to USD 9.8 billion on excellent performances from all divisions Group continuing operations operating income up 18%, net income up 17%...   more

Flush with cash from its US IPO, Simcere Pharmaceutical Group is looking to build its future on research. Late last month, Simcere weighed in with the largest IPO on the New York Stock Exchange for an Asian pharmaceutical company, raising 261 mln usd. Now it plans to put some of that money to work. 'We need to consider both the long-term and the short-term,' said Jinsheng Ren, chairman and CEO. 'Pharmaceutical technology can really set companies apart in China and that is why we say R & D is our focus.' "THIS HIGHLY RESPECTED COMPANY COULD BE A GOOD PARTNER FOR HLS"...   more

Sundia MediTech and Shanghai United PharmaTech report that they will be merging. This is a first for China’s young CRO industry, acording to Sundia’s CEO, Wang Xiaochuan, Ph.D. Both Xiaochuan and United PharmaTech’s CEO, Shi Xiongwei, Ph.D., signed a letter of intent agreeing to combine their two companies. Under the terms of the merger, both United PharmaTech and Sundia MediTech will become subsidiaries of Sundia Investment Group, the British Virgin Islands-based holding company that currently owns Sundia MediTech. Dr. Wang will become the new company’s chairman and CEO, while Dr. Shi will hold the positions of director and executive vp. The former senior management teams of both companies will join together into a new, combined management team. Zhang Suyang, a partner of IDG VC, said that he believes China’s drug development CRO industry is beginning to emerge from its initial state into one in which companies will begin to consolidate. “The CRO companies, and the overall size of the CRO industry in China are still relatively small, and there is huge potential for growth, so we can expect that in the following few years there will be many mergers,” explained Zhang. “Companies in this industry will grow quickly and soon; we will see companies of reasonable size and with good governance emerge as corporations with serious long-term potential.” Part of the reason for the merger, noted Dr. Wang, is that it will combine United PharmaTech’s and Sundia’s technical expertise in different fields....   more

The main business of this company is to provide contracted research (CRO) services to pharmaceutical and biotech company clients worldwide. Earlier this week, the company announced a merger in process with United Pharmatech Company, another CRO company in Shanghai....   more

Today, Sundia MediTech (Shanghai) Company was named one of the 50 best companies for investment in China by the top venture capital investors. Sundia ranked #16 of Venture 50, an event organized by Zero2IPO, an advisory firm for China investment....   more

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NEW DELHI: Multinational drug makers would prefer China for investments in pharmaceutical research so long as India keeps the bar for patenting a drug so high, warns drug major Novartis on Monday after the Madras High Court turned down the company\'s challenge to the country’s patent law....   more

On 27 July 2007, the Company and a Swiss financial corporation, entered into the Note Purchase Agreement in respect of the issue of the Convertible Notes in the principal amount of CHF 15 million (approximately HK$ 97.2 million) due 2012....   more

3SBio (SSRX), the Shenyang biotech that made its U.S. IPO in February, released its second quarter financial report, showing the company greatly increased both revenues and earnings....   more

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG will move hundreds of millions of dollars in planned investments from India to China over the next few years in response to an Indian court ruling that weakens intellectual property rights on new medicines, according to a report on the Financial Times\' Web site....   more

Hutchison China Meditech, the China-based pharmaceutical company, said its unit Hutchison MediPharma has agreed a research collaboration with US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) to co-develop oncology and anti-inflammatory medicines. Hutchison said it will receive milestone payments of 20-29 mln usd, depending on the clinical candidate, along with an upfront fee, annual research and development support costs and also potential royalties. Under the terms of the agreement, Hutchison will take responsibility for initial research and development, while Eli Lilly will offer technological advice and clinical trial expertise as the project advances. The research will be carried out in China to 'expedite the drug discovery process and reduce overall costs', Hutchison said....   more

Lotus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. released its second quarter results, with revenues topping $21 million, net profits of $4.1 million, and net assets of $17 million. r. Adam Wasserman, Lotus Chief Financial Officer, reported: ``Total revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2007 were $21,095,000 as compared to total revenues of $16,047,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2006, an increase of $5,048,000 or approximately 31.5%. Lotus' working capital position increased $4,783,000 to $13,429,000 at June 30, 2007 from $8,646,000 at December 31, 2006.'' Dr. Shaohua Tan, Genesis Director in Beijing, observed: ``Lotus seems to go from strength-to-strength. Just six weeks ago, Gold Horse International joined Lotus as a graduate from our private-to-public program. We are hopeful that a third Chinese partner company, prominent in environmental technologies, will join these alumni as a new U.S. public company before the end of Genesis' current fiscal year.''...   more

Sanofi-Aventis has signed a research collaboration agreement with a Chinese institute in the cancer stem-cell field, becoming the latest big drugmaker to tap into China's growing life science skills...   more

This company is off on the acquisition trail !...   more

Recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) injection product Epiao of Shenyang Sunshine Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (3Sbio, SSRX.NASDAQ) has seen brisk sales and now takes a market share of 37 percent in China....   more

In October Beijing released the 2007 tendering results for influenza vaccine, marking the first time the vaccine has been included in Beijing's reimbursement system. Sanofi Pasteur will supply 1.2 million doses of the influenza vaccine, an amount that should generate RMB 48 million for the company. Four domestic manufacturers, Sinovac, Jiangsu Yanshen, Zhejiang Tianyuan, and Dalian Yalifeng, will provide the remaining 1.6 million doses. Five additional manufacturers, Changchun Changsheng, Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, Berna, GSK, and Novartis, also took part in the bidding but were not selected to provide the drug. In September, Beijing announced that it would purchase 2.8 million doses of the influenza vaccine for approximately RMB 100 million to provide free flu vaccinations for Beijing citizens over 60 years of age and to subsidize vaccinations for schoolchildren. Vaccines from Sanofi Pasteur with a tendering price of RMB 40 will be used to vaccinate schoolchildren and charged at RMB 20. Vaccines from four domestic producers with a tendering price of RMB 34 will be provided free to Beijing's senior citizens. The influenza vaccine is a Class II vaccine in China and therefore is not covered by the national government reimbursement system....   more

Chinese biotech company 3SBio Inc. ( SSRX.NASDAQ) posted 57.3 percent net revenue rise in the 3rd quarter from the same period of 2006 to 7.5 million U.S. dollars, according to its latest financial report issued on Tuesday....   more