On the evening of June 22, Yifeng Pharmacy (600578) announced a plan to acquire assets through a combination of share issuance and cash payment. The target asset is an 86.31% equity stake in Shijiazhuang Xinxing Pharmacy, with a transaction value of approximately RMB 1.384 billion. Prior to the disclosure of this transaction, Yifeng Pharmacy already held a 4.69% equity stake in Xinxing Pharmacy. Upon completion of the transaction, Yifeng Pharmacy’s holding in Xinxing Pharmacy will increase to 91%.

On April 17, Yifeng Pharmacy disclosed its intention to acquire Shijiazhuang Xinxing Pharmacy but did not reveal the transaction price or method. After more than two months of deliberation, the deal has finally been finalized, marking the largest merger and acquisition in the chain pharmacy industry to date.

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has found that, in addition to Yifeng’s acquisition of Xinxiang, the retail pharmacy industry is undergoing a “capital feast.” Capital players—represented by listed chain leaders, pharmaceutical manufacturers, industrial capital, and cross-industry investors—are aggressively snapping up retail pharmacies, making them a highly sought-after prize for investors.For details, please click here.

Monday |Is the Innovative Drug Market Booming? Has China’s EDC Sector Entered a Fierce Competition Phase?

The rise of the innovative drug industry has brought trend-driven benefits to supporting sectors such as CROs and CMOs. Meanwhile, it has also spurred the development and widespread adoption of EDC systems.

Tuesday |How to Operate General Practice, Specialty, and Community Clinics? Exploring Paths for Standardization, Commercialization, and Cost-Effective Operations

As one of the most fundamental and core forces in primary healthcare, clinics have attracted a growing number of entrepreneurs, driven by the mobility of medical talent and the influx of capital. On June 10, in Hangzhou, at the Frontier Forum on New Clinics, part of the 2018 Primary Healthcare Innovation Practice Summit hosted by VCBeat, participants shared insights on topics including the expansion and standardization of new chain clinics, business models, and operational costs.

Wednesday |Registered! How to Drive Digital Transformation in Healthcare: A Three-Day In-Depth Study at Alibaba Headquarters

Step into Alibaba, connect with its ecosystem resources, and see how Alibaba empowers the digital transformation of healthcare.

Thursday |Primary Healthcare Investment and Financing Report: 347 Deals, Exceeding RMB 30.3 Billion; Hospitals, Internet Hospitals, and Clinics Drive Growth in Financing Scale

According to VCBeat’s database, from 2013 to May 2018, there were 347 financing events in the primary healthcare sector both domestically and internationally, with total funding exceeding RMB 30.3 billion. Of these, 188 financing events occurred in China, raising over RMB 14.4 billion, with hospitals, internet hospitals, and clinics being the main recipients of investment.

Friday |Major pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer have signed agreements with medical AI firms. What signals do these multi-million-dollar partnerships send?

Over the past two years, pharmaceutical giants have begun leveraging AI technologies to accelerate drug R&D and partnering with healthcare AI startups to expedite this process. VCBeat has compiled an overview of these collaborations to examine their specific contents.

Saturday |Over 150 New Hemodialysis Centers Added in One Year: An Analysis of China’s Hemodialysis Industry Policies, Chain Expansion, Data-Driven Dialysis, and Insurance Payment Changes

From June 9 to 10, the “New Structure – 2018 Summit on Innovative Practices in Primary Healthcare,” co-hosted by the National Engineering Laboratory for Internet Medical Systems and Applications, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital affiliated with Zhejiang University School of Medicine, the Internet Medical Health Industry Alliance, and VCBeat, was grandly held in Hangzhou. As part of the summit, the Forum on the Development of the Private Hemodialysis Industry invited founders and executives of companies involved in hemodialysis centers, as well as industry research experts, to engage in a half-day discussion focused on the construction and development of hemodialysis centers, along with the associated opportunities and challenges.

Gaming Addiction Classified as a Mental Disorder

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially implemented regulations classifying gaming disorder as a mental health condition. Symptoms of gaming disorder include: impaired control over gaming (with frequency, intensity, and duration taken into account); increasing priority given to gaming over other life interests and daily activities; and continuation or escalation of gaming despite negative consequences.

Keywords: Mental Illness

China’s First Topical Therapeutic Patch for Neuropathic Pain to Officially Launch

Beijing Tide Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.’s drug “Lidocaine Gel Patch” has obtained the Drug Registration Approval issued by the National Medical Products Administration. The product has also been granted a New Drug Certificate and is subject to a four-year monitoring period. This marks the official market launch of China’s first topical therapeutic patch for neuropathic pain, filling a domestic gap and providing patients with improved treatment options.

Keywords: First-time, Pain

CITIC Capital Terminates Tender Offer for Harbin Pharmaceutical

The Harbin State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission issued the “Notice on Terminating Matters Related to the Capital Increase and Share Expansion of Harbin Pharmaceutical Group.” On June 21, Harbin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. announced that CITIC Capital had terminated its tender offer for the company. The mixed-ownership reform path of Harbin Pharmaceutical Group has been temporarily halted.

Keywords: CITIC Capital, Harbin Pharmaceutical Group

Oral Semaglutide Achieves a Resounding Victory: Head-to-Head Defeat of Liraglutide and Sitagliptin in Glycemic Control and Weight Loss

Novo Nordisk Announces Successful Completion of Enrollment for PIONEER 4 and PIONEER 7, Along with Top-Line Results from These Phase III Trials. Both studies employed two distinctly different approaches to evaluate the efficacy of oral semaglutide: 1) Primary statistical principle: Efficacy was assessed by including all patients in the analysis regardless of treatment discontinuation or use of rescue medication, in accordance with the latest regulatory guidelines. 2) Secondary statistical principle: Efficacy was assessed by analyzing only those patients who adhered to the treatment regimen and did not use rescue medication.

Keywords: Novo Nordisk, Oral Semaglutide

Tencent Launches First AI-Assisted Diagnosis Open Platform: Capable of Diagnosing and Predicting Over 700 Diseases

Tencent Announces Opening of the AI-Assisted Diagnostic Engine Behind Its First AI+Healthcare Product, “Tencent Miying,” Marking China’s First Open Platform for AI-Assisted Medical Diagnosis and Treatment

Keywords: Tencent AI

 Ministry of Commerce Releases 2017 Top 100 Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Retailers

The Ministry of Commerce released the “2017 Statistical Analysis Report on the Operation of the Pharmaceutical Distribution Industry.” Overall, in 2017, the sales growth of large pharmaceutical wholesale enterprises slowed significantly; the chain affiliation rate of pharmaceutical retail enterprises continued to rise; pharmaceutical e-commerce embarked on a platform-oriented development path characterized by resource integration; and competition in the pharmaceutical logistics market intensified markedly.

Keywords: Pharmaceuticals

Fosun Pharma Acquires Stake in IVD Distributor, Previously a Target for Dian Diagnostics

Fosun Pharma (600196.SH) announced that it will acquire a 28% equity stake in Guangzhou Dihui Xin Medical Device Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Guangzhou Dihui Xin”), an in vitro diagnostics distributor, for RMB 406 million. Previously, Dian Diagnostics (300244.SZ) had also attempted to raise funds through a private placement to acquire a 64% equity stake in Guangzhou Dihui Xin; however, after several revisions to the plan, it opted to proceed with the acquisition using self-raised funds.

Keywords: Fosun Pharma, Dian Diagnostics

Kallyope Partners with Novo Nordisk to Co-Develop Drugs for Obesity and Diabetes

Biotechnology company Kallyope has announced a collaborative research and option agreement with Novo Nordisk to jointly develop novel peptide-based therapeutics for the treatment of obesity and diabetes. Novo Nordisk will provide an upfront payment and research support for activities under the collaboration. Under the terms of the agreement, Novo Nordisk holds the option to secure exclusive global rights to license, develop, and commercialize up to six products discovered through the partnership.

Keywords: Novo Nordisk, New Drug Development

Shenzhen National GeneBank’s “DNA Profile Database”: Access DNA Records via Facial Recognition on Mini Program

BGI Group’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Shenzhen BGI Forensic Technology Co., Ltd., has announced that it has established DNA profiles for over 100,000 individuals across China. These data will be permanently stored in the “DNA Profile Database” of the Shenzhen National GeneBank, the world’s largest comprehensive gene bank. Individuals with established DNA profiles can directly access the WeChat mini-program “DNA Profile” and retrieve their unique and exclusive “DNA Profile” through facial recognition.

Keywords: BGI, Genomics

Yifeng Pharmacy Confirms Acquisition of 86.31% Stake in Xinxing Pharmacy for RMB 1.384 Billion, Marking the Largest M&A Deal in the Chain Pharmacy Industry

Yifeng Pharmacy (600578) announced that it plans to acquire assets through the issuance of shares and cash payments. The target of the transaction is an 86.31% equity stake in Shijiazhuang Xinxing Pharmacy, with a transaction price of approximately RMB 1.384 billion. Prior to the disclosure of the transaction, Yifeng Pharmacy already held a 4.69% equity stake in Xinxing Pharmacy. Upon completion of the transaction, Yifeng Pharmacy will hold a 91% equity stake in Xinxing Pharmacy.

Keywords: Pharmaceuticals

Henlius Grants Accord the Overseas Commercialization Rights for Its Trastuzumab

Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd. announced that its controlled subsidiary, Henlius Biotech, has granted Accord Healthcare Limited exclusive commercialization and other licensing rights for HLX02, a recombinant humanized anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody for injection developed by Henlius Biotech, in Europe, certain countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and certain Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries.

Keywords: Fosun Pharma

This Week, There Were 11 Financing Events in the Medical Field Both Domestically and Internationally。

For institutional investors, the most critical benchmark in making investments is the likelihood and magnitude of returns for limited partners. From a project perspective, our primary concern is the team, followed by objective factors such as technology and market conditions. Honghui Capital’s investment in Quyi Health was primarily driven by considerations around building a platform-level system for hospital-side mobile portals. In healthcare services investments, we have raised our selection criteria; projects in this category typically have long investment cycles, necessitating careful due diligence at the entry stage. Progress on our related portfolio companies will become evident in the coming months. (Source: Jiankangjie)

Research by scientists at the Cincinnati Children’s Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute demonstrates that tumor growth is reduced when AMPK target proteins are inhibited via genetic pathways. This protein may be a key driver of malignant brain cancers, including glioblastoma. The findings suggest that, if proven safe, targeted drugs could be developed, indicating a potential therapeutic strategy for treating fatal and largely incurable brain cancers, such as high-grade glioblastoma.

Source: genengnews.com

MedStar Health Institute will focus on researching two specific applications designed to collect patient data—including quality of life, persistent symptoms, and daily activities—and make it available to clinicians and researchers. These data can help guide clinicians in delivering care and treatment. The new applications will be evaluated for their ability to collect such data and then integrated into electronic health records (EHRs) to support clinical decision-making, quality improvement initiatives, and other related functions.

Source: healthcareitnews.com

Apple announced on June 18 that it will partner with RapidSOS to make it easier for iPhone users to send detailed location data to emergency responders in critical situations. In a statement, Apple CEO Tim Cook said, “When every second counts, these tools will help first responders quickly locate our customers when they need assistance the most.”

Source: ihealthnews.com

In immunosuppressed patients, a tattoo-related complication can cause myopathy. Physicians from the UK National Health Service reported a case involving a woman who had undergone long-term immunosuppressive therapy. She received a large tattoo on her thigh in 2005 and was referred to a rheumatology clinic 10 months later. This case reminds us to consider tattoo-related complications in the differential diagnosis of unusual musculoskeletal pain.

Source: siciansbriefing.com

This report examines the development trends of biosimilars in China from the perspectives of current status, technology, policy, market, and talent. Although China lags significantly behind the United States, six key drivers will enable domestic biosimilars to leverage late-mover advantages.

The Era of Intelligent Healthcare Security Management Has Arrived, Offering Significant Potential for Medical Big Data Services. With the elevated status of the newly established National Healthcare Security Administration and the formal commencement of its operations, we believe that healthcare security will assume a substantially higher priority in healthcare reform. The transition from passive to proactive payment models will be significantly accelerated, and long-pending policies—such as healthcare security payment standards, refined cost containment measures, and hospital performance evaluations—are expected to be rolled out at an faster pace. The era of opaque medical expenses and healthcare security payments is coming to an end. Proactive and refined management by healthcare security authorities is poised to drive the rapid deployment of healthcare security informatization and big data infrastructure. Cost-containment mechanisms centered on DRGs (Diagnosis-Related Groups) and PBM (Pharmacy Benefit Management)-based intelligent audits are likely to see swift adoption, presenting historical opportunities for providers of medical and healthcare security big data services.

This report covers four aspects—patient, physician, hospital, and payer—to explore the mobile health market from the perspective of industry revenue models.

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