HONG KONG – South Korea's biopharmaceutical venture Genome & Co. Ltd. recently secured KRW30.2 billion (US$25.2 million) in series C investment with an IPO and global clinical trial plans for next year.

HONG KONG – Upin & Co. Ltd., a fund and asset management company headquartered in London, plans to invest a total of KRW2 trillion (US$1.7 billion) over three years in the South Korean biopharma industry.

HONG KONG – Kobiolabs Inc., a microbiome-based venture from Seoul, South Korea, has secured a KRW26.6 billion (US$22.2 million) investment. Founded in 2014, the venture has achieved KRW193 billion of enterprise value.

HONG KONG – South Korean pharmaceutical company Chong Kun Dang Holdings recently invested KRW5 billion (US$4.1 million) in Biorchestra Co. Ltd., a Korean startup based in Daejeon that aims to develop Alzheimer’s dementia treatment based on microRNA.

PERTH, Australia – Australian cell therapy developer Mesoblast Ltd. has completed a AU$75 million (US$50.32 million) capital raising via an oversubscribed placement to existing and new Australian and global institutional investors.

HONG KONG – GI Innovation Inc., a microbiome combination drug developer based in Seoul, South Korea, has recently issued fully paid convertible preferred stock (CPS) worth KRW37.5 billion (US$31 million) for a series B investment.

HONG KONG – South Korean biotech venture Spark Biopharma Inc., based in Seoul, has secured KRW25 billion (US$21 million) in series B funding to support new R&D efforts. The company plans to accelerate its development of small-molecule compound-based immuno-oncology therapeutics and treatments for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

HONG KONG & BEIJING – Chinese biosimilar make Shanghai Henlius Biotech Inc. is ready to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) on its second try. The firm plans to issue 64.7 million shares globally under the stock code 2696. The maximum offer price is HK$57.8 per share, which means the biosimilar maker could raise as much as HK$3.74 billion (US$477 million).

BEIJING – Biologics developer Hisun Bioray Bio-pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Chinese state-owned drugmaker Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., received ¥3.8 billion (US$540 million) from Hong Kong investor PAG for a 58% stake in the company.

BEIJING – Chinese T-cell immunotherapy specialist Immunotech Biopharm Ltd., of Beijing, has become the seventh pre-revenue biotech on the waiting list to go public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX). In an application filed last week, the specific amount was not disclosed, but company said much of the proceeds are expected to advance its lead candidate targeting liver cancer.