FiercePharmaAsia—PD-1 royalty dispute; Takeda Latam asset sale; Chinese genomics investor in U.S.

PD-1 explorer and Nobel laureate Tasuku Honjo is demanding a bigger cut of Opdivo revenues collected by Japan's Ono Pharmaceutical. Takeda reportedly put its Latin American business on the chopping board as it looks to pay down debt after the Shire acquisition. In its latest move to restrict Chinese involvement in U.S. innovations, the U.S. Treasury Department's Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. is forcing China's iCarbonX to exit its majority stake in PatientsLikeMe. And more.

1. Nobel laureate behind Bristol-Myers' I-O superstar Opdivo demands a bigger cut

Tasuku Honjo, who won the Nobel Prize for his identification of PD-1, wants a bigger share of the Opdivo revenue posted by Bristol-Myers Squibb partner Ono Pharmaceutical. Honjo and Ono teamed up on PD-1 drug development back in the early 1990s and jointly filed a patent. Now, the scientist wants to bump his cut to 5% to 10%, arguing that the original 1% doesn't reflect the value of his contribution.

2. Takeda scouts buyers for Latin America business, a deal that could fetch $1B: report

Shire R&D chief Andy Busch jumps ship to Ironwood spinout amid Takeda megamerger

As it tries to pay down the huge debt it incurred with the Shire buyout, Takeda has invited private equity investors and Brazilian drugmakers to bid for its Latin American business, which could be worth $1 billion, according to sources cited by Reuters. Meanwhile, the Japanese pharma won’t count Shire’s ex-head of R&D among its executive ranks. Andy Busch, who jumped to Shire as chief scientific officer in December 2017, has taken up the chief innovation officer role at Ironwood spinout Cyclerion.

3. U.S. government forces Chinese divestiture in health data startup PatientsLikeMe: report

The Trump administration’s crackdown on Chinese investments in cutting-edge U.S. technologies has a new victim. The U.S. government is forcing real-world data collector PatientsLikeMe to find a new buyer for the majority stake held by China-based genomics firm iCarbonX, which was founded by genomicist Jun Wang and is backed by Chinese internet giant Tencent, CNBC reported.

4. WuXi AppTec hires cancer drug development vet as new CMO

WuXi AppTec named Frederick Hausheer, M.D., as its new chief medical officer to lead the CRO’s clinical operations. He brings more than 30 years’ experience in global oncology drug development as well as translational science in both biopharma and academic settings. WuXi is hoping his knowledge could help with the seamless integration from preclinical to first-in-human studies.

5. Manufacturing problems persist for Aurobindo, U.S.' second-largest generics producer

Aurobindo may have become the second-largest generics players in the U.S. after buying a suite of Sandoz products, but its manufacturing problems aren’t going away. The FDA dispatched a Form 483 to Aurobindo’s Telangana plant with nearly a dozen observations under one overriding issue: The plant’s quality control unit doesn’t seem to know what it’s doing.

6. FDA declares 40 generics free of carcinogens as 'sartan' recalls continue

The FDA has made a list of 40 “sartan” heart drugs that don't contain the three potentially cancer-causing compounds that have led to a global recall. Products from Daiichi Sankyo, Torrent Pharma, Sun Pharma, Aurobindo Pharma, Lupin, Glenmark, China’s Hisun Pharma and others are among those cleared.

7. Shanghai Miracogen taps Synaffix's antibody-drug conjugate tech in a deal worth up to $125M

In a deal that could be worth $125 million, cancer-focused Shanghai Miracogen is licensing Synaffix’s antibody-drug conjugate platforms, GlycoConnect and HydraSpace, to help bring its drug candidate into the clinic. Synaffix says its technologies can improve an ADC’s properties such as solubility and stability.

8. Catalent opens second clinical supply facility in Shanghai

Catalent has cut the ribbon on a new 30,000-square-foot clinical supply facility outside the free trade zone in Shanghai. The facility, which will employ up to 100 workers, will offer supply, secondary packaging, clinical storage and local distribution services, as well as clinical returns and destruction work, the company said.