Officials in China are hoping to promote "social cohabitation management" through a recent decree issued by the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) that requires the country's food and drug officials at all official levels to "strengthen propaganda" when complaints are aired about food and drug problems. China's CFDA said officials, in dealing with complaints, should "accept supervision by the masses" in order to "achieve social cohabitation effect." CFDA officials also said they wanted to create "smooth channels" for complaints to be aired and said complaint management should be handled at the county level but that in cases where whistleblowers come forth those cases can be handled at the provincial level. More | Release (Chinese language)
> China's National Development and Reform Commission said it has opened public consultations on the country's first antimonopoly guidelines on abuse of intellectual property rights. Report
> The venture arm of China's Ping An Insurance led a $4.5 million investment in U.S.-based 20/20 GeneSystems in Series A funds toward developing a biomarker test for lung cancer. Release
> Hutchison China MediTech. or Chi-Med, started a Phase I trial of rheumatoid arthritis candidate HMPL-523. Release
> Mumbai-based Indian drug firm Wockhardt's Chairman Habil Khorakiwala said recent U.S. FDA citations on problems at the company's Shendra manufacturing plant in Aurangabad are not "critical" in nature and that half of the 9 issues would be fixed in two weeks. Report
> Pune-based Indian drug firm Emcure Pharmaceuticals bought Canada-based International Pharmaceutical Generics and its marketing arm Marcan Pharmaceuticals, the Economic Times said. Price details were not disclosed. Report
> Hyderabad-based India drug firm Aurobindo Pharma won a U.S. FDA nod to sell its tranexamic acid injection and paricalcitol capsules, the Economic Times said. Report
> India plans to track vaccines and storage through an SMS-based monitoring and electronic vaccine intelligence network in an effort lauded by GAVI, the Economic Times said. Report
> Japan's Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency has updated its English-language section on pharmacopoeia harmonization topics. Release
> Tokyo-based Otsuka Pharmaceutical has filed a new drug application in Japan for Ariad Pharmaceuticals' ($ARIA) Iclusig to treat CML and AML. Otsuka holds joint development and commercialization rights to the drug in 10 Asian countries, including Japan where it was granted orphan status in 2015. Release
> Osaka-based Ono Pharmaceutical has filed a new drug application in Japan for Amgen's ($AMGN) chronic kidney disease treatment etelcalcetide. Release (PDF)
> Chinese officials say there is no evidence that current cases of H5N6 avian flu have spread by human-to-human transmission. Report
> Nanjing-based gene synthesis services provider Genscript Biotech raised $67.2 million in an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the company announced. Release
> A cellular imaging platform to predict the toxicity effects of compounds to the kidney has been developed by researchers at Singapore's Bioinformatics Institute. Release
> Tokyo-based Fuji Pharma has signed a licensing deal with Seoul-based Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical under which Fuji gets exclusive rights develop the biosimilar Darbepoetin Alfa to treat renal anemia. Release (PDF)
> Officials in China are developing new rules for animals used in laboratory testing to bring them up to international standards. Report