A busy stretch of deal-making across Asia all includes transactions involving Innovent, Alector, Ono, Numab, Alphamab, 3DMed, Healios, Athersys, Laekna, Novartis, Asahi Kasei, SBI Biotech, Glenmark, Hindustan Unilever, Hanlim, Alteogen, Ildong, Evotec, AJU Pharm, Ribomec, Tyligand, Context

The companies are combining their technologies to seek neutralizing antibody therapeutics that could prevent or treat COVID-19, building on their previous partnership in monitoring minimal residual disease in blood cancers.

Akero’s FGF21 analog yields 63%-72% relative hepatic fat reduction in Phase IIa study; the company awaits biopsy data hoping to see a fibrotic benefit. Also, Genfit says COVID-19 pandemic should not significantly delay its Phase III NASH readout.

Efficacy seen in reducing hospitalization in high-risk heart failure patients, but not in reducing the risk of cardiovascular death. Analysts say this portends a more niche opportunity for vericiguat.

Deals involving Hoth/Voltron, Vir/Xencor, Akers/Premas, WPD/CNS address coronavirus outbreak. Separately, Roche and Forge hope to develop a novel antibiotic for Gram-negative infections using the LpxC enzyme.

Zeposia, one of three Celgene candidates central to last year’s merger with BMS, obtains US FDA approval in relapsing MS. BMS, however, will delay the launch due to the COVID-19 pandemic.