On May 2, 2022 Sysmex Corporation (HQ: Kobe, Japan; Chairman and CEO: Hisashi Ietsugu) reported that Astrego Diagnostics AB (HQ: Uppsala, Sweden; CEO: Ove Öhman) has become a wholly-owned subsidiary through the acquisition of outstanding shares and that the company name has changed to Sysmex Astrego AB (Press release, Sysmex, MAY 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234613265]). Going forward, in addition to accelerating the clinical application of rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing1 for urinary tract infections,2 the companies aim to contribute to solving the problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)3 and other issues related with healthcare.

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Urinary tract infections are infectious diseases with a high rate of incidence and are said to affect 150 million people globally4. Making a proper diagnosis and using an effective antimicrobial in a timely manner is of crucial importance in the treatment of bacterial infections. For this purpose, in addition to clinical findings, bacterial identification tests5 and antimicrobial susceptibility tests are required; however, such testing can require several days in the current situation, making it difficult to prescribing antimicrobials based on test results at the first consultation. As a result, the appearance of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria due to improper antimicrobial use has become a problem. This is not limited to urinary tract infections. As a factor in the development of drug-resistant bacteria, the improper use of antimicrobials is becoming a global issue. If measures against AMR are not taken, in 2050, it is estimated that annual worldwide deaths due to drug-resistant bacteria will exceed 10 million6, more than those due to cancer. At the World Health Assembly held in May 2015, the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance was adopted and initiatives toward countermeasures have been gathering speed, particularly among developed countries.

Astrego’s unique and proprietary microfluidic technology (View Source) involves forming microchannels at the micrometer to nanometer level, capturing individual bacteria from among the multiple bacteria present in a fluid and the bacteria are then cultured unidirectionally within these tiny channels, which achieves a rapid antimicrobial susceptibility test result. Astrego has been developing a rapid antimicrobial susceptibility test for urine samples. With the aim of commercializing Astrego’s rapid antimicrobial susceptibility test, Sysmex acquired 24.99% of Astrego’s shares in 2020. The companies have been conducting joint product development activities and on March 23, 2022, completed a self-declaration and CE-marking according to Directive 98/79/EC on in vitro diagnostic medical devices.

In May 2022, Sysmex acquired outstanding shares in Astrego to strengthen synergies between the companies and accelerate clinical application of the rapid antimicrobial susceptibility test. With the acquisition, Astrego became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sysmex, and the company name changed to Sysmex Astrego AB.� In addition to working on the further development of diagnostic technologies, the two companies will contribute to solving medical issues through such endeavors as measures to reduce the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance and promote the proper stewardship of antimicrobial drugs to improve patient QOL and efficiency in medical care.

Overview of Astrego Company name: Sysmex Astrego AB Location: Uppsala, Sweden Representative: Mikael Olsson Capital: 76,476 Swedish Krona Capital supplied by: Sysmex Corporation Employees: 38 Line of business: Development of in vitro diagnostic products related to drug susceptibility References January 29, 2020 press release entitled "Sysmex Invests in Astrego Diagnostics with a View to Developing New Urinalysis Solutions for the Primary Care Business" View Source November 4, 2021 story entitled "What Is Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?-Tackling Global Threats and Aiming to Create a Sustainable Society-" View Source

Terminology

1 Antimicrobial susceptibility test: A test to determine the efficacy of various antimicrobial drugs against pathogenic bacteria detected in a sample.
2 Urinary tract infections: The urinary tract runs between the kidneys and the urethral opening. Inflammations due to the incursion of bacteria into the urinary tract are known as urinary tract infections. Such infections can lead to bladder inflammation and pyelonephritis (inflammation of the kidneys).
3 Antimicrobial resistance (AMR): This phenomenon occurs when living organisms develop a resistance to a drug, whose efficacy is reduced or nullified as a result. Bacteria that have developed microbial resistance are known as antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.
4 "Antimicrobial resistance among uropathogens that cause community-acquired urinary tract infections in women: a nationwide analysis." Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2001;33(1):89–94. doi: 10.1086/320880.
5 Identification test: A test to determine the name of bacteria that are the source of an infectious disease � detected in a sample.
6 "Antimicrobial Resistance: Tackling a crisis for the health and wealth of nations." The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, Chaired by Jim O’ Neill.

Sysmex’s materiality
Sysmex has identified "Resolution of medical issues through products and services" as one of the issues that we prioritize (materiality) as we work to develop and supply products with high clinical value. Leveraging our proprietary technology and the global network that we have cultivated thus far, we con

On April 30, 2022 Yiling Pharmaceutical reported its 2021 Annual Report Friday and disclosed the main development statistics (Press release, Yiling Pharmaceutical, APR 30, 2022, View Source;301536781.html [SID1234613262]). According to the report, its annual revenue reached USD 1.53 billion, an increase of 15.19% from last year, besides, net profit attributable to equity holders reached USD 203.75 million, achieving a 10.27% growth YoY.

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The annual revenue of Tongxinluo Capsules, Shensong Yangxin Capsules, and Qili Qiangxin Capsules, Yiling’s 3 main products for cardio-cerebrovascular diseases, reached USD 687.4 million, accounting for 44.82% of the overall revenue, achieving a 31.56% YoY growth despite the Covid-19 hit. Notably, in 2021, the annual revenue of Lianhua Qingwen Capsules reached USD 622.8 billion. It also ranked No.1 in the sales of patented traditional Chinese medicine for cold in China’s public medical market in 2021H1, according to statistics.

Public information indicates that Lianhua Qingwen Capsules was developed in the SARS period, it is the only herbal medicine for cold and flu that has won the Second Prize of China’s National Progress Award in Science and Technology.

In 2020, a clinical study Efficacy and safety of Lianhuaqingwen capsules, a repurposed Chinese herb, in patients with coronavirus disease 2019: A multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial published in Phytomedicine, shows that along with routine treatment, oral administration of Lianhua Qingwen Capsules for 14 days, COVID-19’s clinical symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and cough can be alleviated significantly, and the pulmonary imaging lesions can be improved dramatically, the duration of symptoms was obviously shortened and the clinical cure rate was obviously elevated.

Lianhua Qingwen has been granted for sale in nearly 30 countries and regions. Furthermore, it has been approved for COVID-19 indications in Kuwait and Mongolia, and selected to be listed on the whitelist of anti-epidemic drugs issued by the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan. In July 2021, it has been adopted as a treatment in the COVID-19 patients’ self-care protocol at home by the Cambodian Ministry of Health.

On April 30, 2022 Genome Insight, a global leader in Whole Genome Sequence analysis and interpretation, reported $23 million in Series B funding (Press release, Genome Insight, APR 30, 2022, View Source [SID1234613261]).

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Dunamu & Partners led the financing with participation from InterVest, Signite Partners, KC, and VNTG Corporation, as well as existing investors DSC Investment, Paratus Investment, and Schmidt. The funding will be allocated towards advancing Genome Insight’s data production and curation pipelines that enable scalable investigation of whole-genome sequences (WGS), the most comprehensive technique for understanding the molecular origin of human diseases. These efforts will bring WGS in real-world clinics for clinicians and patients for next-generation medical practice, in particular, for cancer and rare diseases.

Genome Insight is a start-up company with expertise in the biomedical curation of WGS data. WGS examines the entire genomic sequence of diseased tissues, providing the most comprehensive characterization of tens of thousands of genomic mutations carried on it as a whole. While historically confined as a research tool, due to its massive data size and high cost for data curation, WGS is a leading driver for opening up an ultimate era of personalized medicine with entire genomic information. Making biomedical sense of the vast amount of WGS data at an affordable cost, predictable timeline, and standardized procedure has been the main barrier to the widespread use of WGS.

"With the falling cost of genome data production, we are at the tipping point of a whole-genome based transformation in treating genetically driven illnesses such as cancer and rare diseases. We plan to bring the analysis and interpretation technologies to make whole-genome sequences meaningful," said Young Seok Ju, founder of Genome Insight. "We are excited to have as our new investors, not only those in bio-tech but also those in digital-tech. This investment is a clear signal that the field is at the forefront of bio-tech and digital-tech convergence."

Genome Insight was founded in 2020 in South Korea by co-founders Young Seok Ju and Jeong Seok Lee, who are both physician-scientists and professors at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology). Earlier this year, the Company announced its incorporation as a US company and is now headquartered in San Diego, at the heart of the genomics hotbed of the west coast.

On April 29, 2022 – Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: LXRX), reported that it will release its first quarter 2022 financial results on Thursday, May 5, 2022 before the markets open (Press release, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, APR 29, 2022, View Source [SID1234616370]). Management will conduct a conference call and live webcast at 8:00 a.m. ET / 7:00 a.m. CT that day to discuss its financial and operating results and to provide a general business update.

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The dial-in replay will be available for 14 days following the call. An audio webcast will be available online at www.lexpharma.com/events, with a webcast replay accessible for 14 days after the call.

On April 29, 2022 Portage Biotech Inc., NCI, and Stimunity reported that it entered a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, under which they will collaborate with NCI’s Center for Cancer Research to advance preclinical and potential clinical development of STING agonists and anti-Receptor for Advanced Glycation End products (RAGE) agents to enhance the efficacy of cancer vaccines developed in the NCI CCR Vaccine Branch (Press release, Portage Biotech, APR 29, 2022, View Source [SID1234616275]).

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Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

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