Henan Agricultural University Develops Rapid 3-Minute Nucleic Acid Test Strip for SARS-CoV-2; Conjunctival Transmission Route Lacks Supporting Evidence

Henan Agricultural University Develops New Nucleic Acid Detection Test Strip, Delivering Results in 3 Minutes

On February 16, it was learned from the Henan Provincial Department of Science and Technology that a nucleic acid test strip for the rapid detection of the novel coronavirus, which yields results visible to the naked eye in just three minutes, has been successfully developed by the team led by Academician Zhang Gaiping of Henan Agricultural University. Reportedly, this project is an emergency scientific and technological breakthrough initiative launched by the Henan Provincial Department of Science and Technology to combat COVID-19.

Clinical Trial of High-Dose Vitamin C for the Treatment of COVID-19 Launched

Recently, Peng Zhiyong, Director of the Department of Critical Care Medicine at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, stated that vitamin C has a long history and demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of various types of pneumonia. The clinical trial on high-dose vitamin C for the treatment of COVID-19 conducted by his team has been registered on the U.S. ClinicalTrials.gov website, and patient enrollment has now commenced.

There is no data to support the conjunctival transmission route of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

In a recent paper published on the preprint server medRxiv (not peer-reviewed), a retrospective cohort study by Chen Changzheng’s team from Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University indicated that there is no data supporting conjunctival transmission of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The team concluded that while SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in the conjunctival sacs of COVID-19 patients, clinical analysis does not support viral transmission via the conjunctival route. Adequate clinical protective measures can effectively block this transmission pathway.

Oncology Academic Platform Liangyihui Completes Multi-Million Yuan Strategic Financing to Deepen Services for Cancer Patients, Physicians, and Pharmaceutical Companies

On February 17, 2020, Liangyi Hui, China’s largest professional academic platform for oncology, completed a strategic financing round worth tens of millions of yuan. The investment was exclusively provided by Juhe Capital, with Xinghan Capital serving as the exclusive financial advisor. Following the completion of this financing, Liangyi Hui will deepen its services for oncology patients and healthcare providers, as well as its services for pharmaceutical companies. It will continue to build an internet-based medical platform specialized in oncology and strengthen science popularization, communication, and education targeted at patients and the general public.

“Favipiravir,” the First Clinical-Stage Potential Drug for COVID-19, Approved for Market Launch with an Indication for Influenza

On February 15, “Favilavir” (formerly known as “Favipiravir”), developed by Hisun Pharmaceutical, was officially approved for market launch by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for the treatment of novel or re-emerging influenza in adults. Favilavir is a novel broad-spectrum anti-RNA virus drug and one of the three Western medicines previously announced by the Ministry of Science and Technology to enter clinical trials for COVID-19. At the relevant press conference held on February 15, Zhang Xinmin, Director of the Biotechnology Development Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology, stated that preliminary clinical trial results for favipiravir demonstrated relatively significant efficacy and a low incidence of adverse reactions.

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi + Lynparza Achieves 50% Pathological Complete Response Rate

Recently, a single-arm Phase II study (NCT03534492) presented at the 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (ASCO-GU 2020) in San Francisco demonstrated that the combination of AstraZeneca’s anti-PD-L1 therapy Imfinzi (generic name: durvalumab) and the targeted anticancer drug Lynparza (generic name: olaparib) showed robust efficacy in the neoadjuvant treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), achieving a pathological complete response (pCR) rate of 50%.

Takeda’s Subcutaneous Entyvio Achieves Success in Phase III Clinical Trial for Active Moderate-to-Severe Crohn’s Disease

Recently, Takeda presented the results of the Phase III VISIBLE 2 clinical trial evaluating subcutaneous (SC) Entyvio (vedolizumab) for the treatment of Crohn’s disease (CD) at the 2020 Annual Meeting of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) held in Vienna, Austria. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted in adult patients with moderately to severely active CD to assess the efficacy and safety of Entyvio SC as maintenance therapy. In this study, clinical response was defined as a decrease of ≥70 points from baseline (Week 0) in the Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (CDAI) score. The primary endpoint was clinical remission, defined as a CDAI score ≤150 at Week 52.

Yitai Pharma Completes Pilot-Scale Trials of Key Intermediates for the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) of the Antiviral Drug Remdesivir

Recently, Hubei Yitai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. actively responded to the national call to combat the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemic and has successfully completed pilot-scale trials for the synthetic process technology of key intermediates used in the production of remdesivir active pharmaceutical ingredient (API).

Biopharmaceutical Company Demiurge Announces PI3K Inhibitor as a Novel, Highly Effective and Safe Candidate Therapy for COVID-19

On February 14, biopharmaceutical company Demiurge announced the discovery that phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors show promise as highly effective and safe novel therapeutic candidates selectively targeting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), although PI3K inhibitors may not demonstrate comparable efficacy and safety against SARS coronavirus or MERS coronavirus.

Innovent Biologics’ IBI362 for Injection Files for Clinical Trial Approval

On February 15, the clinical trial application for IBI362 for injection, submitted by Innovent Biologics, was accepted by the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE). IBI362 (OXM3), developed by Eli Lilly, is a potential best-in-class dual agonist of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucagon receptors, currently in mid-stage clinical development. On August 22, 2019, Innovent Biologics and Eli Lilly entered into a strategic collaboration to jointly advance the development and commercialization of OXM3 in China.

Bristol Myers Squibb Announces Long-Term OS Data for Opdivo in Renal Cell Carcinoma: 5-Year Overall Survivalrate reaches 26%

On February 15, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced the five-year follow-up data from the Phase III CheckMate-025 study evaluating Opdivo in patients with advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). CheckMate-025 is an open-label, randomized Phase III clinical trial designed to assess the efficacy and safety of Opdivo compared with everolimus in patients with advanced or metastatic RCC who had previously received anti-angiogenic therapy. After a minimum follow-up of 64 months, 26% of patients treated with Opdivo remained alive, compared with 18% in the everolimus group. Additionally, the objective response rates (ORR) were 23% in the Opdivo group and 4% in the everolimus group, while the median duration of response (DoR) was 18.2 months and 14 months, respectively.

Kelun Pharmaceutical’s Lopinavir is Expected to Achieve Mass Production in Early March, with Donations to Epidemic Areas Available as Needed

Recently, in its "Announcement on the R&D Progress of Four Anti-Novel Virus Drugs," Kelun Pharmaceutical stated that, leveraging its technical advantages in the hot-melt extrusion platform, it has completed the formulation and process development for lopinavir/ritonavir tablets and has entered the stage of scaled-up trial production on the production line. Mass production of this product is expected to be achievable by early March, enabling rapid donation to epidemic areas when needed. It is reported that lopinavir/ritonavir is manufactured by AbbVie, a U.S. biopharmaceutical company. Marketed in China under the brand name "Kaletra," this medication is a fixed-dose combination of lopinavir and ritonavir, available in tablet and oral solution formulations. Currently, only imported versions are available in the domestic market.

"The Willow"The Lancet Oncology: Cancer Patients Have a Poorer Prognosis After Contracting COVID-19

On February 14, Professor He Jianxing’s research team at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University published a commentary in *The Lancet Oncology* on the clinical characteristics of Chinese cancer patients infected with the novel coronavirus. The article points out that cancer patients are more susceptible to infection than individuals without cancer, as malignancies and anticancer treatments (such as chemotherapy or surgery) induce a systemic immunosuppressed state. Consequently, cancer patients may face a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and experience poorer prognoses.

"Molecular Cell": New Gene-Editing Tools Help More Accurately Identify and Treat Diseased Cells

Recently, researchers at Stanford University in the United States published a paper in the journal *Molecular Cell*, stating that they have developed a novel CRISPR-Cas gene-editing tool capable of simultaneously detecting and controlling multiple genetic circuits. The researchers noted that this new technology facilitates more accurate cancer detection and aids in the elimination of cancer cells.

《Immunity》: Study Reveals Molecular Mechanisms of T Cell Communication, Paving the Way for Novel Cancer Therapies

Recently, a research report published in the international journal Immunity revealed that scientists from Leiden University and other institutions have found that T cells in the immune system can interact and cooperate with each other to function as a team. To combat infections, they stimulate each other’s growth; meanwhile, when T cells are in excess, they inhibit one another. These findings may provide new insights and hope for researchers developing novel cancer therapies.