ABVC BioPharma Restructures Joint Venture to Expand Access to Early-Stage Research
October 12, 2021 at 01:30 pm
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ABVC Biopharma, Inc. announced the execution of a joint venture agreement with Lucidam, a private investment firm based in Tokyo. The agreement calls for business development collaboration through BioLite Japan, an existing affiliate of ABVC, that seeks to identify early-stage opportunities in drug development, digital health, and medical device technology. Pursuant to the joint venture agreement, ABVC will retain equity ownership in BioLite Japan at 49% (rather than its pre-agreement 50% ownership) and Lucidam will retain equity ownership in BioLite Japan at 51% (rather than its pre-agreement 50% ownership). Dr. Toru J. Seo has agreed to lead the new joint venture which will be based in Tokyo. Dr. Seo has vast pharma industry experience in R&D and business development from his previous employment with GSK, Merck, Taisho and, most recently, with Pfizer, as its Senior Director and Asia Pacific Lead in the Worldwide Business Development business office. Under the terms of the agreement, BioLite Japan will identify and license New Chemical Entities (NCEs), New Biological Entities (NBEs), diagnostic tools, biomarkers, and medical devices in the early stages of discovery and development anywhere in the world but primarily in Japan. After conducting any necessary pre-clinical studies, BioLite Japan will transfer the rights of the most promising research to ABVC for further clinical development, regulatory approvals, and subsequent commercialization in exchange for product royalties and/or milestone payments. In addition, BioLite Japan will seek potential licensing partners for ABVC’s current pipeline of drug products and medical devices.
ABVC BioPharma, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on development products and technologies to combat various diseases. The Company develops its pipeline by tracking medical discoveries or medical device technologies in research institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. It has a pipeline of six drugs and one medical device under development. Its pipeline includes ABV-1504, ABV-1505, ABV-1601, ABV-1701, ABV-1519, and ABV-1703. ABV-1504 is a botanical reuptake inhibitor that targets norepinephrine to treat major depressive disorder (MDD). It is developing ABV-1505 for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It has developed ABV-1601 for treating depression in cancer patients. ABV-1701 is a vitreous substitute for vitrectomy. Its ABV-1519 is used for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. ABV-1703 is a drug for advanced, inoperable, or metastatic pancreatic cancer. The Company develops drugs and medical devices derived from plants.