JHL Biotech names new senior managers; China Biologic gets new collection point nod;

> Taiwan-listed JHL Biotech announced new senior executive appointments with Max Chan joining as chief financial officer, Charles Winter as vice president of Manufacturing and Technology, and Andreas Nechansky as vice president of Research and Analytical Operations. The company also recently promoted Nick Kotlarski to vice president of Corporate Engineering. Release (PDF)

> China Biologic Products ($CBPO) said its Shandong Taibang Biological Products subsidiary has received approval from local authorities to start plasma collection at its new plant in Zaozhuang City in Shandong Province. The company said in a statement that the new facility will begin trial collections immediately. Release

> India's Biocon said fiscal second-quarter net profit tripled to INR3.1 billion ($46.9 million) from the same period a year earlier, counting gains from the successful IPO in its CRO Syngene, though nearly flat otherwise, as it gets set to file biosimilar applications in the U.S. and Europe within two years. "The clinical advancement of five of our biosimilars programs has put us on track for regulatory filings for some of these in the US and Europe in fiscal year 2017," Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chair and managing director of the company, said in an Oct. 20 statement. Release (PDF)

> South Africa's Adcock Ingram is in talks with at least three private equity firms to offload its lossmaking Cosme Farma unit in India, The Economic Times reported. The newspaper also said some Indian companies were interested in acquiring the maker of dermatology treatments and anti-infection medicines. Report

> Sweden's Recipharm is buying majority control of India's Nitin Lifesciences for $105 million, the DNA news website reported. Recipharm will buy 74% of the maker of sterile injectables with the acquisition scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2016. Report

> The United States and Saudi Arabia may work to develop a vaccine for Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), Reuters reported, citing the head of the World Health Organization. Report

> India's Jubilant Life Sciences said its generic version of Merck's ($MRK) migraine treatment Maxalt-MLT has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Report

> India's Sun Pharmaceuticals said it has settled a patent lawsuit with Acorda Therapeutics over its Ampyra multiple sclerosis treatment and will be able to launch its generic version in the U.S. by 2027 as part of the deal. Report

> GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) said its CEO is joining the China-Britain Business Council in an effort to help restore its reputation on the mainland after it paid a fine of almost $500 million last year for bribing Chinese doctors. The 30-member council was set up to promote trade between Britain and China. Report

> Chinese drugmaker Jinyu Group and project development company AFECC are negotiating with the government of Namibia to build a plant in that country to manufacture vaccines for foot-and-mouth disease. Report

> Beijing-based private equity firm ZY Investments and Chinese manufacturing firm Sundiro Holding launched ZY Sundiro Healthcare Industry M&A Investment Fund, hoping to raise $473 million aimed at merger and acquisition opportunities in China's healthcare sector. Report

> Applied Materials and Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have jointly invested S$150 million for a new R&D laboratory in Singapore aimed at designing and making future generations of logic and memory chips. Release

> China-focused DelMar Pharmaceuticals said it has expanded its Phase II clinical study of VAL-083 to full enrollment. "We are pleased to confirm that 14 patients have now received at least one course of treatment in the Phase II expansion of this study," stated Jeffrey Bacha, president and CEO. Release