Category: BioTech

Aptorum Group Becomes the First Nasdaq Listed Biopharmaceutical Company Admitted to Trading on Euronext Paris Stock Exchange Under the Ticker Symbol APM

Mr. Darren Lui, President and Executive Director (left), at the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange ceremony

Aptorum Group Limited (Nasdaq: APM) (“Aptorum Group”), a biopharmaceutical company focusing on the development of novel therapeutics to address global unmet medical needs, today is pleased to announce that its Class A Ordinary Shares has commenced trading on the Professional Compartment of Euronext in Paris under the Euronext ticker symbol “APM” and ISIN Code: KYG6096M1069. Aptorum Group’s Class A Ordinary Shares continues to be listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol APM.

The 7,950,986 Class A Ordinary Shares of Aptorum Group got admitted to trading on Euronext market in Paris after Aptorum Group received a visa for its prospectus granted by the French Autorite des Marches Financiers on 16 July 2020.

Reed Smith LLP acts as Aptorum Group’s legal advisor and listing agent. BNP Paribas Securities Services acts as Aptorum Group’s trading agent.

About Aptorum Group
Aptorum Group Limited (Nasdaq: APM) is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel therapeutics to tackle current unmet medical needs. Aptorum Group’s current drug pipeline includes indications in orphan diseases, infectious diseases and metabolic diseases, a number of which are targeted to enter clinical trial phases. Aptorum Group is also launching a women’s health supplement, dioscorea opposita bioactive nutraceutical tablets marketed under the brand name NativusWell.

For more information about Aptorum Group, please visit our website: www.aptorumgroup.com.

Disclaimer and Forward-Looking Statements

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of offers to buy any securities of Aptorum Group.

This annoucement is not a prospectus within the meaning of the Regulation (EU) n 2017/1129 of 14 June 2017 as amended by Regulations Delegated (EU) n 2019/980 of 14 March 2019 and n 2019/979 of 14 March 2019.

This press release includes statements concerning Aptorum Group Limited and its future expectations, plans and prospects that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Aptorum Group has based these forward-looking statements, which include statements regarding projected timelines for application submissions and trials, largely on its current expectations and projections about future events and trends that it believes may affect its business, financial condition and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions including, without limitation, risks related to its announced management and organizational changes, the continued service and availability of key personnel, its ability to expand its product assortments by offering additional products for additional consumer segments, development results, the company’s anticipated growth strategies, anticipated trends and challenges in its business, and its expectations regarding, and the stability of, its supply chain, and the risks more fully described in Aptorum Group’s Form 20-F and other filings that Aptorum Group may make with the SEC in the future and the prospectus that received the French Autorite des Marches Financiers visa n 20-352 on 16 July 2020. As a result, the projections included in such forward-looking statements are subject to change and could be materially different from those described herein. Aptorum Group assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
This press release is provided “as is” without any representation or warranty of any kind.

Investor relations contacts
Aptorum Group limited
Investor Relations Department:
Tel: +852 3953 7700
Email: investor.relations@aptorumgroup.com

Actifin – Financial Communications Europe
Investor relations
Ghislaine Gasparetto
ggasparetto@actifin.fr
+33 1 56 88 11 22

Redchip – Financial Communications United States
Investor relations
RedChip Companies, Inc.
dave@redchip.com
+1 407 491 4498

MP Biomedicals and A*STAR Co-Develop Rapid Antibody Point-of-care Test Kit for SARS-CoV-2

MP Biomedicals Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, a diagnostic corporation which has been operating for over 30 years focusing on various infectious disease testing development and manufacturing, today announced the successful development of a rapid antibody test kit for COVID-19, in collaboration with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

ASSURE(R) SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Kit (Photo credit: MP Biomedicals)
MP Biomedicals Diagnostics division’s Research and Development team with their ASSURE(R) SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM Rapid Test kits. Two devices shown reflects positive IgG antibodies result (marked, on right) and a negative reading (unmarked, on left) From left: Ivy Teoh; Delynn Xu; Zee Hong Goh (Photo credit: MP Biomedicals)
Scientists from A*STAR’s Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) who were involved in the development of the ASSURE(R) rapid antibody test kit for COVID-19. From L-R: Ms Carol Leong, Research Officer; Associate Professor Tan Yee Joo, Joint Senior Principal Investigator; Dr Wang Yaju, Senior Research Officer (Photo credit: A*STAR)

Named the ASSURE® SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM rapid test, or ASSURE® in short, the test kit detects antibodies produced by the human immune system in response to exposure to SARS-CoV-2. It produces accurate results in as little as 15 minutes, and employs a lateral flow format similar to those used in home pregnancy tests. ASSURE® was developed and manufactured in Singapore. It can be deployed at or near the point of patient care, and has been distributed to regions such as Europe, Africa and South America. MP Biomedicals intends to file for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the US FDA for this product as well.

The test kit detects IgG and IgM antibodies, which are produced by the body to combat SARS-CoV-2, from samples of human blood, plasma or serum. Studies have shown that levels of IgG and IgM appear to be correlated with the severity of COVID-19, thus they are good biomarkers for confirming positive or past infection.

Aligned with the current recommendation by the World Health Organization, point-of-care or rapid serology tests including ASSURE® rapid antibody test kit should not be used in the clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 infections or in the evaluation of persons with acute respiratory symptoms, especially within the first 14 days of illness. This is to avoid giving patients false reassurance that they do not have the infection, arising from a negative result. However, ASSURE® rapid antibody test kit can help to determine whether an individual has been previously exposed to the virus and generated antibodies as a result. This can help identify asymptomatic individuals or those with only mild symptoms who were not subjected to RT-PCR testing.

The technology behind the ASSURE® rapid antibody test kit utilises proprietary synthetic SARS-CoV-2 proteins. These proteins bind to the IgG and IgM antibodies if the antibodies are present in the specimen samples. MP Biomedicals used it to develop the product based on their lateral flow platform. The Diagnostics Development (DxD) Hub, a national platform hosted by A*STAR’s commercialisation arm, A*ccelerate, co-developed the validation protocols and quality controls. The ASSURE® rapid antibody test kit was evaluated by the National University Hospital’s (NUH) Department of Laboratory Medicine, and demonstrated good results for both serum and whole blood. The sensitivity of the kit performed well as compared to commercial immunoassays, when tested with convalescent blood from recovered COVID-19 patients in the clinic.

The ASSURE® rapid antibody test kit has been granted Provisional Authorisation by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for its intended use in Singapore.

Dr Delynn Xu, Senior R&D Manager, MP Biomedicals, said: “The development and manufacture of ASSURE® is a successful collaboration between MP Biomedicals and A*STAR through tremendous joint work. We are not the first one in the market but chasing the best performance is always our primary goal. With this rapid antibody test kit, we are proud to contribute to the global fight against COVID-19.”

“We identified a human monoclonal antibody which binds to SARS-CoV-2, and it proved to be useful during the early development phase of this rapid test kit,” said Associate Professor Tan Yee Joo, Joint Senior Principal Investigator, Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR, and National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. “IMCB is glad to assist our industry partner in their COVID-19 product development,” she added.

Dr Sidney Yee, Chief Executive Officer, DxD Hub, A*STAR, said: “It is absolutely critical that we continue to transfer R&D know-how to biotech companies, to scale up and let more labs tap on this diagnostics test kit to screen patients. This rapid serological point-of-care test kit for COVID-19 by MP Biomedicals and A*STAR will complement global efforts to develop more efficient diagnostics, as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve.”

Mr Ng Boon Heong, Chief Executive Officer, Temasek Foundation, said: “We seek to actively pilot innovative solutions for community care. This project is an opportunity for us to work together with companies with a local presence, such as MP Biomedicals; R&D institutions such as A*STAR; medical partners such as NUH to enable development and access to point of care rapid serological test kits. These kits help identify segments of our communities that are recovering from or previously infected by SARS-CoV-2 to ensure their safe return back to work. This is one of the cases where we placed an initial commitment to help MP Biomedicals scale up their production locally, and piloted its use in our local community.”

Relevant images can be downloaded from this link: https://tinyurl.com/y2ckta7w
Fact Sheet: http://www.acnnewswire.com/clientreports/598/FactSheet.pdf

For media queries and clarifications, please contact:
Haris Ong
Diagnostics Product Manager, MP Biomedicals Asia Pacific
DID: +65 6394 7678
E-mail: haris.ong@mpbio.com

Mr Owen Sia
Corporate Communications, A*STAR
HP: +65 9273 7432
E-mail: owen_sia@hq.a-star.edu.sg

About MP Biomedicals Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
MP Biomedicals is a global corporation, with headquarters in California, USA, and MP Biomedicals Asia Pacific Pte Ltd is its APAC regional headquarters as well as the hub for diagnostic product line. With over 50 years of experience in life science and diagnostics, the company is dedicated to give innovative, quality tools to aid in research for ground breaking discoveries and disease control. For more information about MP Biomedicals, please visit this link: https://www.mpbio.com/about-us

About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is Singapore’s lead public sector R&D agency, spearheading economic-oriented research to advance scientific discovery and develop innovative technology. Through open innovation, we collaborate with partners in both the public and private sectors to benefit society.

As a Science and Technology Organisation, A*STAR bridges the gap between academia and industry. Our research creates economic growth and jobs for Singapore, and enhances lives by contributing to societal benefits such as improving outcomes in healthcare, urban living, and sustainability.

We play a key role in nurturing and developing a diversity of talent and leaders in our Agency and research entities, the wider research community and industry. A*STAR’s R&D activities span biomedical sciences and physical sciences and engineering, with research entities primarily located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis. For ongoing news, visit www.a-star.edu.sg. For more information about the DxD Hub, please visit this link: https://tinyurl.com/y2zgz7wj

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Dr. Burkhard Dick Joins the EuroEyes International Medical Advisory Board

Dr. Burkhard Dick

EuroEyes International Eye Clinic Limited (“EuroEyes” or the “Company”, stock code: 1846), a well-established leading ophthalmic medical group, is pleased to announce that Dr. Burkhard Dick (“Dr. Dick”) has joined The EuroEyes International Medical Advisory Board. In the future. He will strive to promote continued medical education for European staff of the Group, foster innovation in technology and raise the quality and service standard of the refractive field.

As one of the most influential surgeons who pioneered bladeless laser cataract surgery in Europe, Dr. Dick has a renowned reputation in the global ophthalmology community, serving as a regular lecturer at international meetings, such as the European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons, the Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft, the Deutschen Ophthalmochirurgen (DOC), the Deutschsprachige Gesellschaft fur Intraokularlinsen-Implanation und Refraktive Chirurgie, and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. He has instructed fellows from 38 different countries in state-of-the-art cataract, refractive, glaucoma, and vitreoretinal surgery. In the “Power List 2018” ranking of the world’s most influential ophthalmologists by the publication, The Ophthalmologist, Dr. Dick was listed among the Top 20, and he has been in the Top 50 several times before.

As the most influential ophthalmologist in the world, Dr. Dick joined the eye hospital of the University of Mainz in 1996 where he became a professor in 2003. In 2006, Dr. Dick was appointed as the chair of the department of ophthalmology at the University of Bochum and director of the University Eye Clinic, conducting R&D and promoting the cataract and refractive treatment, and leading the team to establish an internationally renowned ophthalmology clinic with outstanding achievements.

During his 30 years of practice, Dr. Dick persistently pursued more advanced and effective surgical techniques to promote the development of ophthalmology medical education.

Dr. Jorn Slot Jorgensen, executive director, chairman of the board of directors, and chief executive officer of EuroEyes, said: “We are excited that Dr. Burkhard Dick joins the EuroEyes international medical advisory board. EuroEyes plans to introduce more advanced vision correction technologies and equipment in the future. Leveraging Dr. Dick’s, one of the pioneers in the industry, excellent and rich experience in surgery and R&D, we are confident to enhance the Group’s comprehensive strength, promote technological innovation, and improve medical quality and service standards, as well as provide European and Chinese customers with the world’s leading vision correction surgery, brings the best returns to our shareholders and investors.”

Novotech Webinar: Why the Asia-Pacific is Attracting 10,000 Oncology Trials and How Biotechs Can Tap the Region

The leading Asia-Pacific biotech specialist CRO Novotech is again collaborating with the prestigious biotech and pharma news platform Endpoints News. This webinar focusses on how to advance oncology clinical trials in the Asia-Pacific which is currently attracting 10,000 oncology studies (GlobalData).

The webinar will be led by Endpoints News Publisher Arsalan Arif. Participants will include leading experts from the Asia-Pacific region and a US biotech sponsor.

Webinar title: Advancing Oncology Trials in Asia-Pacific
Broadcast time: July 14th 2PM EST
Click to register: https://www2.novotech-cro.com/l/223242/2020-06-30/mttpv

There are currently about 10,000 oncology clinical trials, either ongoing or planned, in Asia-Pacific and about 50% of all industry-sponsored oncology trials in 2019 globally have an Asia-Pacific component (GlobalData).

Meanwhile, the number of industry-sponsored oncology trials initiated in Asia-Pacific has grown by over 10% on average annually between 2017 and 2019 (GlobalData).
Novotech has completed over 200 oncology trials.

According to Novotech:

“A growing number of biotechnology companies are looking at the Asia-Pacific region to run their clinical trials in oncology. While Australia and New Zealand are preferred locations to run early phase trials, sponsors often look at Asia for large late phase clinical studies. Moreover, clinical trials are often the only channel through which patients can get access to new oncology treatments in Asia which ultimately stimulates patient recruitment rates.”

The webinar will also cover:
– The latest research and trends of oncology clinical trials globally and in Asia-Pacific
– The reasons why oncology clinical research sites in Asia have been less affected by the COVID-19 crisis than in other regions
– The benefit for biotechnology companies to involve sites in Asia-Pacific for oncology trials
– Feedback from sponsors and investigators

Novotech has teams on the ground in the key Asia-Pacific countries and has just signed its 30th Partnership agreement which is a program with leading medical institutions throughout the Asia-Pacific giving Novotech clients unique access to some of the top researchers, investigators and key opinion leaders.

About Novotech – https://novotech-cro.com

Novotech is internationally recognized as the leading regional full-service contract research organization (CRO) in Asia-Pacific. Novotech has been instrumental in the success of over a thousand Phase I – IV clinical trials for biotechnology companies. Novotech was established in 1996, with offices in 11 locations across the region, and site partnerships with major health institutions.

Novotech provides clinical development services across all clinical trial phases and therapeutic areas including: feasibility assessments; ethics committee and regulatory submissions, data management, statistical analysis, medical monitoring, safety services, central lab services, report write-up to ICH requirements, project and vendor management. Novotech obtained the ISO 27001 certification which is the best-known standard in the ISO family providing requirements for an Information Security Management System. Together with the ISO 9001 Quality Management system, Novotech aims at the highest IT security and quality standards for patients and biotechnology companies.

For RFP enquiries: Please fill out the form available at https://novotech-cro.com/talk-to-an-expert

Media Contact
David James
communications@novotech-cro.com
AU: +61 2 8218 2144
USA: +1 415 951 3228
Asia: +65 3159 3427

HK Main-Board Listed Tianda Pharmaceuticals(00455.HK) , A Promising Outlook for Growth

With the successive introduction of the “Opinions on Facilitating the Inheritance, Innovation and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)” in certain provinces in mainland China and the “Regulations on Traditional Chinese Medicine” proposed by the Beijing municipality (Drafted Regulations on TCM for Public Opinions), the TCM industry has embarked on a rapid development. The value of some Hong Kong listed small and mid-cap companies are gradually unveiled. Here is an example, Tianda Pharmaceuticals Limited (00455.HK), which emphasizes on “the development of the Chinese medicine industry as the foundation, the development of innovative medicines and medical technologies and the development of quality medical and health care services”. The company has been drawing the attention from the market recently.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, the company has sales and distribution centers in Shenzhen, China and Sydney, Australia, which are responsible for sales network expansion and branding in Hong Kong, China, Australia, and global markets. At present, the company’s products include chemical products, biological drugs, Chinese patent medicines, herbal medicines, herbal decoction pieces, health care products and supplements, covering the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, pediatric diseases, influenza and respiratory diseases, anti-infectives, detoxification, oncology and other therapeutic areas. In addition, the company has also developed a series of health care products and supplements under the brand names of “Herb Valley” and “Tuokang”.

Opportunities are hidden in crisis
With the recent pandemic raging across the world, except for masks, alcohol and other basic epidemic prevention items, the demand for related medicines has also increased significantly. For example, the Ribavirin, one of the Tianda Pharmaceuticals’s products, has been popular since the pandemic. In particular, at the early stage of the outbreak, Tianda Pharmaceuticals raced against time and quickly collaborated with leading Chinese medicine experts to develop a TCM formulas series to combat the disease, namely “Anti-Epidemic Formula 1” (for prevention), “Anti-Epidemic Formula 2” (for remedy) and “Anti-Epidemic Formula 3” (for rehabilitation) , and launched anti-epidemic campaigns in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, to provide complimentary TCM consultation and Anti-Epidemic Formula 1 to more than 1,000 individuals, which was well received by society. In April 2020. Anti-Epidemic Formula 1 was approved for entry into the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods as a listed medicine. It is the first TCM product to be registered in a market outside of China with preventive effects against influenza and the coronavirus disease, representing a a big step forward for Tianda Pharmaceuticals’ TCM internationalization strategy .

TCM Industry has promising prospects as policies continue to be favorable
“It is expected that China’s TCM and health industry may exceed 3 trillion yuan by 2020, and the average compound annual growth rate will remain at 20%.” — Mentioned in the white paper entitled “TCM in China” published by State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China. Moreover, it is expected the TCM market size may reach 170.8 billion yuan by 2022 and exceed 200 billion yuan by 2024, with an average annual compound growth rate of 10%. In 2020, the TCM market is expected to reach 580.6 billion yuan with a compound growth rate of 8.2%. With the growing awareness of using TCM and the increase in the spending power of Chinese households, Tianda Pharmaceuticals seizes the opportunity to penetrate the whole TCM industry chain from three aspects, namely Chinese medicine services, Chinese herbal medicine and TCM AI. The company has also established the “Tianda Standard”, which is more stringent than the national standard to guarantee its TCM quality, and launched TDMalls, a new style Chinese medicine clinic chain. TDMall is based in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and seek to expand nationwide and even globally in the future, striving to develop into a leading brand of Chinese medicine clinic chain. The company has already launched a flagship clinic in Zhuhai, Guangdong in May 2019 and another flagship clinic in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong in February 2020. In addition, unlike the first two, the Australian TDMall is in the pipeline and will be operated as a health care center to take advantage Australia’s blessed comfortable and healthy environment. In the future, the TDMall will promote womb care, pain treatment and recuperation as its signature services. Through leveraging on Internet technology, big data, artificial intelligence and other innovative technologies, the company has created “Cloud TDMall” to realize online and offline integration of Chinese medicine services and provision of remote diagnosis and treatment and consultation services, which provides the public with quality, convenient and comprehensive TCM health services, and helps the company to further promote the heritage, innovation and development of TCM.

Business performance remains solid
The company’s revenue for FY2020 was HK$492 million, presenting a year-on-year decrease of 6.7% as shown in the full-year results released for the year ended 31, March 2020, However, the profit for the year attributable to shareholders was approximately HK$3.14 million, increasing 18.3% compared to the same period last year. The decline in overall revenue was mainly due to the change in national medical insurance policies, which had a significant impact on the sales volume of Cerebroprotein Hydrolysate, products produced by a subsidiary of Tianda Pharmaceuticals -Yunnan Meng Sheng Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd (Meng Sheng Pharmaceutical). However, the impact on the profit for the year attributable to shareholders was mitigated by the fact that Tianda Pharmaceuticals only held 55% in Meng Sheng Pharmaceutical. In addition, sales revenue of the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, namely Tianda Pharmaceuticals (Zhuhai) Limited, increased by 38.3% from approximately HK$177 million in FY2019 to approximately HK$246 million in the current financial year, mainly due to its main products, namely Tuoping (Valsartan capsules) and Tuoen (Ibuprofen suspension), having great sales performance and increasing by 67.8% and 31.8% respectively as compared to that for the FYE 2019. Profit contribution from Tianda Pharmaceuticals (Zhuhai) increased by 55.4% from approximately HK$16.9 million for the FYE 2019 to approximately HK$34.2 million for the current financial year, which not only fully offset the impact of the decline in performance of Meng Sheng Pharmaceutical, but also contributed to the increase in profit for the year attributable to shareholders. Chinese herb medicines, decoction pieces and TDMall business are expected to maintain growth in the future. Tianda Pharmaceutical (Zhuhai) Limited’s new research and development (R&D) and production base in Jinwan District, Zhuhai, China is expected to be ready for production in 2021 when the production capacity will be further enhanced, product variety will increase, economies of scale will maximize returns, hence proving sustained development dynamics.

Tianda Pharmaceuticals attaches importance to product R&D, and develops a wide range of products including classical TCM compound prescription, cosmetics and food products using the Cerebroprotein extraction process, and traditional Chinese medicine products such as herbal tea bag, herbal soup pack, Chinese herb syrup, health products of medicine and food with the same source, and series of mask products, etc. In response to the changes in health care reform policies, Tianda Pharmaceuticals makes every effort to consolidate and expand its generic medicine business and promote the growth of its innovative medicine business by means of diversifying sales channels, further exploring domestic and overseas markets, strengthening R&D and entering into business collaboration. At the same time, it follows national policy closely by developing TCM business with a focus on building a new clinic chain – TDMall.

Tianda Pharmaceuticals strives to build diversified channels for investors to interact with the company, thus maintaining close interaction with shareholders and investors, and promoting awareness of the capital market. The company is debt free and has been paying a steady dividend. The Board of Directors has recommended the dividend of 0.13 HK cents per share. It is believed that Tianda Pharmaceuticals will continue to drive business value to reward its shareholders in the future.

Research on Free-state Nicotine and Coronavirus Reveals Facts More Complex than we Thought

On February 9, Chinese academician Zhong Nanshan published a retrospective study on novel coronavirus cases in medRxiv, a medical preprint magazine. According to Zhong’s paper “Clinical characteristics of the 2019 novel coronavirus infection in China” of 1099 new coronavirus patients, 927 were never smokers (85.4%), 21 are ex-smokers (1.9%) and 137 are current smokers (12.6%). The proportion of smokers in the Chinese population is 28.1%. These data seem to indicate that smokers are far less likely to be infected with the novel coronavirus than non-smokers.(1)

On April 22, France Inter reported that a research team from the Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital in Paris, led by Jean Pierre Changeux, a member of the French Academy of Sciences, launched research asking “Can nicotine protect the human body from invasion by the novel coronavirus?” The reason is that field surveys of new patients with novel coronavirus show a puzzling fact: compared with non-smokers, smokers are less likely to be infected.

The Paris researchers surveyed 350 hospitalized patients and 130 patients with mild symptoms who did not need to be hospitalized. Based on total population data from 2018, the researchers wanted to check whether these patients smoked more than other people of the same gender and age. The conclusion is that smokers are very rare among these patients.”We found that only 5% of these patients are smokers. It’s a low proportion. In general, the proportion of smokers is 80% less than other coronavirus-infected patients of the same gender and age,” explained Zahir Amoura, a professor of internal medicine.

On the other hand, Jean Pierre Changeux speculated that nicotine may prevent the coronavirus from attaching to objects and human surfaces. Furthermore, it may prevent the coronavirus from invading cells. This may mean nicotine can inhibit the spread of virus and the novel coronavirus pneumonia.(2,3)

According to Israel’s Jerusalem Post on June 7, Israeli scientists found that smoking can provide some protection against the novel coronavirus. The results are similar to those of researchers in China, France and Italy.

Since there were conflicting reports about the impact of smoking on the risk of contracting novel coronavirus, an Israeli team led by Dr Ariel extracted data from more than 3 million adult members of Clalit, Israel’s largest health service center. Novel coronavirus pneumonia seems to be reduced by half in smokers, according to the result of their research.

Of the more than 3 million adults involved in the study, 114,545 were tested for the virus, of which only 4% were positive. The researchers matched people who tested positive to those who tested negative in a ratio of 1:4, taking into account as many variables as possible, such as age, gender and race. They found that among those who tested positive, smokers accounted for 9.8% and 19% of the total population.

Smoking seems to bring some benefits, with 11.7% of those who tested positive had a history of smoking, compared with 13.9% of the general population in the study. As a result, the study showed that people with a history of smoking had a 19% lower risk of contracting the virus.(4)

The study by Professor Zahir of the Pitie Salpetriere Hospital also showed that smokers are about half as likely to be infected as other people. Of the novel coronavirus pneumonia patients who visited the hospital from February 28th to April 9th, only 4.4% of inpatients and 5.3% of outpatients smoked daily, compared with 25.4% in the general population. The study also found that smokers were 80% less likely to have severe symptoms, leading researchers to suggest that the free-state nicotine in cigarettes binds to cell receptors to block the virus.

Similarly, a study of 28 papers by University College London showed that the number of smokers infected with coronavirus was “lower than expected”; A Chinese study also found that only 6.5% of 5,300 hospitalized patients with coronavirus were smokers; A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States found that only 1.3% of the more than 7000 people who tested positive were smokers, the Daily Mail of Britain reported.”Our results provide compelling evidence for the current association between smoking and an individual’s risk of COVID-19 infection,” the researchers wrote in the paper.(6)

“The potential benefit of free-state nicotine is that it can partly explain the exacerbation or adverse consequences of smokers hospitalized for coronavirus. It is because these patients will inevitably stop taking nicotine during hospitalization,” Dr. Constantinos Fasalinos from the University of Siatica, Greece, wrote in his paper for internal medicine and emergency medicine.(7)

On February 2, experts in Shenzhen, China started relevant research on the IUOC, a heat-not-burn tobacco device, which attracted their attention. The nicotine produced by one cigarette heated by IUOC is the same as that produced by a lighted one, which is free-state nicotine. But the amount of nicotine released by a heat-not-burn cigarette is twice that of a lighted one, and it is almost pure nicotine aerosol. On July 1st, researchers found that more than 600 cigarette stores in Beijing were selling the IUOC device.

Media contact:
Shenzhen Yukan Technology Co., Ltd.
Rm 1110, West Tower, Nanshan Software Park,
No.10128, Shennan Road, Nantou Street, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, China
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iuoctech0
E-mail: info@iuoctech.com
Website: http://www.iuoctech.com/en

(1) https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.06.20020974v1
(2) https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-france-nicotine/french-scientists-to-test-theory-that-nicotine-combats-covid-19-idUSKCN2292O8
(3) https://www.qeios.com/read/FXGQSB (A nicotinic hypothesis for Covid-19 with preventive and therapeutic implications)
(4) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/33Z_KVpxzK6jMWc2Gfo2tQ
(5) https://theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/22/french-study-suggests-smokers-at-lower-risk-of-getting-coronavirus
(6) https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8264635/More-proof-smokers-risk-catching-coronavirus-expert-admits-weird.html
(7) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7210099/

Favored by Capital Market Again, MicroPort’s CRM Business Brings in New Investor

Thanks to capital market’s growing expectation for the aging population and accelerated substitution of imported medical devices, China’s medical devices industry has entered a golden age of rapid development. Hong Kong-listed medical devices company, MicroPort Scientific Corporation (“MicroPort”,stock code: 00853) – which has positioned in ten business segments including cardiovascular devices, orthopedics devices, and cardiac rhythm management business – was favored by the capital market in 2020 and obtained substantial attention from a lot of heavyweight strategic investors.

Following its announcement on July 2 in relation to completion of the placing of 65,958,000 new shares and raising over HK$1.5 billion at a price with the lowest discount among all primary placings of healthcare companies listed in Hong Kong in the last 5 years, MicroPort announced on 5 July that its subsidiary – MicroPort Cardiac Rhythm Management Limited (“MicroPort CRM”), which focuses on developing and commercializing implantable pacemaker and defibrillator devices and related technologies to manage cardiac rhythm disorders – has entered into definitive agreements in connection with its Series B financing with total investment proceeds US$105 million. With the investments, MicroPort CRM’s post-money valuation reaches about US$400 million. Hillhouse Capital Group will lead the Series B investment and will invest US$50 million. Current MicroPort CRM investor, Yunfeng Capital will also participate with an additional investment of US$25 million. MicroPort will also invest USD$30 million through its wholly owned subsidiary. These investments fully demonstrated investors’ confidence on the development of medical devices industry and MicroPort CRM business.

Originally acquired in April 2018, MicroPort CRM designs, develops, and markets solutions for the management of heart rhythm disorders, such as implantable pacemakers and defibrillators, as well as heart failure with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), worldwide. Headquartered in Clamart (outside Paris) France, MicroPort CRM has dedicated R&D teams in Clamart (outside Paris) and Shanghai, and world class manufacturing facilities in France, Italy, the Dominican Republic and China. Currently MicroPort CRM employs approximately 950 employees globally.

For decades, MicroPort CRM has been at the forefront of innovation in the CRM industry and has implanted more than one million patients worldwide with its pacemakers and defibrillators. The company is known for its cutting-edge technology, small, long-lasting devices, and the most advanced therapeutic solutions. In 2015, MicroPort CRM launched the PLATINIUMTM family of implantable defibrillators, which has the longest service life of any implantable defibrillator on the market, reducing the risks associated to frequent replacements. In 2019, the company launched ENOTM, TEOTM and OTOTM, the world’s smallest family of pacemakers, 1.5T and 3T MRI conditional. In the CRT field, the company innovated with the SonRTM sensor, the world’s only contractility sensor for automatic optimization of cardiac resynchronization, which, in a landmark trial called RESPOND-CRT, revealed that SonRTM is associated with a 35% reduction in the risk of hospitalization for heart failure. MicroPort CRM continues to innovate in CRT by developing AXONETM, an ultra-thin 1.2 F (0.4 mm) left ventricular lead, which will enable MicroPort CRM to lead the industry in expanding CRT therapy options.

MicroPort CRM will soon launch a new family of pacemakers, ALIZEATM and BOREATM, featuring Bluetooth technology and wireless remote monitoring, and plans to launch a complete new line of defibrillator systems in 2021, including devices and leads, 1.5T and 3T MRI conditional. The market introduction of these products will provide an additional inflection point for the growth prospects of the CRM franchise.

Hua Medicine Announces Positive 24-Week Topline Results of Phase III Metformin Combination Trial of Dorzagliatin

Hua Medicine today announced the positive 24-week top-line results from HMM0302, a Phase III registration trial in China of its global first-in-class glucokinase activator dorzagliatin add-on to metformin, a first line oral antidiabetic therapy in Type 2 diabetes. All subjects are treated with metformin (Glucophage) at 1500mg/day as basic therapy throughout the entire 52-week treatment period. These patients are also given either twice-daily doses of dorzagliatin (75mg) or placebo, randomized on a 1:1 ratio. The clinical study evaluates the efficacy and safety of dorzagliatin during 24 weeks of double-blinded treatment, followed by a subsequent 28-week open-label treatment period when all patients will receive dorzagliatin 75mg twice daily. The primary efficacy endpoint is evaluated at the conclusion of the first 24 weeks. The subsequent 28-week treatment period is ongoing.

– Met the primary efficacy and safety endpoints in the double-blinded placebo-controlled and randomized 24-week trial
– Dorzagliatin again demonstrated fast onset, potent and sustained HbA1c reduction of 1.02% from baseline at 24-week, and is superior over placebo treated group by 0.66% with a p-value less than 0.0001, in T2D patients whose blood glucose cannot be controlled with the maximum dose of metformin (1500mg/day).
– High response rate was observed in the treatment group with 44.4% of patients having achieved HbA1c level below 7% at 24-week
– Statistically significant improvements in HbA1c response rate, HOMA2-beta and HOMA2-IR, 2hPPG and FPG, were observed in the dorzagliatin-treated group over the placebo group
– Clinically significant hypoglycemia incidence rate is less than 1% in the 24-week treatment period
– In the 24-week treatment period, dorzagliatin demonstrated a well-tolerated and good safety profile. There was no drug-related SAE, nor severe hypoglycemia reported

In 766 Type 2 diabetes patients whose blood glucose cannot be controlled with the maximum tolerated dose of equal or greater than 1500 mg/day of metformin, dorzagliatin demonstrated fast onset, potent and sustained HbA1c reduction of 1.02% (least squares mean) from baseline at 24-week, as compared to a reduction of 0.36% (least squares mean) from baseline for the placebo group (p-value less than 0.0001, 95% CI between -0.79 to -0.53).

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) treatment target of HbA1c below 7.0%was achieved by 44.4% of subjects on dorzagliatin and metformin, compared to 10.7% of subjects who received metformin only. Patients treated with dorzagliatin demonstrated statistically significant improvement of HOMA2-beta, HOMA2-IR, 2hPPG and FPG over those in the placebo group.

In the 24-week period, dorzagliatin continued to exhibit a safe and well-tolerated clinical profile. There was less than 1% hypoglycemia with blood glucose < 3 mmol/L during the 24-week treatment period. There was no drug-related SAE, nor severe hypoglycemia reported.

“I am very pleased to see dorzagliatin provided very good glycemic control in the metformin-failed Type 2 diabetes patients in China,” said Dr. Wenying Yang of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and lead principal investigator of HMM0302 clinical study. “It offers a new solution to many patients whose blood glucose cannot be controlled with maximum tolerated dose of metformin, the first line therapy currently used for T2D treatment worldwide. I am very impressed by the determination and execution of Hua Medicine during the clinical trials, consistent with global standards, which leads to the high quality results in the 24-week period of HMM0302 trial.”

“I am very excited to see the success in the HMM0302 clinical study. It will expand dorzagliatin into a very large patient population and help millions of T2D patients who failed in metformin treatment. It further supports our strategy to add dorzagliatin as a cornerstone therapy to current therapies including metformin, and DPP-IV inhibitors or SGLT-2 inhibitors, as well as GLP-1 and insulin. It will immediately expand our drug product pipeline based on the combination therapies,” said Dr. Li Chen, CEO of Hua Medicine. “Through repairing the glucose sensor and improving the glucose sensitivity which addressed the underlying cause of T2D, dorzagliatin provides the synergy with existing antidiabetic medicines to better control diabetes. This is the first step to systematically address the heterogenic nature of T2D and provide a solution in personalized diabetes care.”

Hua Medicine is planning to file an NDA in China after completing the second stage of the HMM0302 52-week study and developing one or more partnership to commercialize dorzagliatin in China and the rest of the world.

HMM0302 study design
HMM0302 Study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III study in 766 Type 2 diabetes patients inadequately glycemic controlled with metformin. Subjects are treated with metformin (Glucophage) at 1500mg/day as basic therapy throughout the whole 52-week treatment period. Patients are given twice-daily doses of dorzagliatin (75mg) or placebo, randomized on a 1:1 ratio. The clinical study evaluates the efficacy and safety of dorzagliatin during 24 weeks of double-blinded treatment, followed by a subsequent 28-week open-label treatment period receiving dorzagliatin 75mg twice daily. The primary efficacy endpoint is evaluated at the conclusion of the first 24 weeks. The trial is being conducted in 72 clinical sites across China led by Professor Wenying Yang at China-Japan Friendship Hospital. (NCT03141073).

About Dorzagliatin
Dorzagliatin is an investigational first-in-class, dual-acting glucokinase activator, designed to control the progressive degenerative nature of diabetes by restoring glucose homeostasis in patients with Type 2 diabetes. By addressing the defect of the glucose sensor function of glucokinase, dorzagliatin has the potential to restore the impaired glucose homeostasis state of patients with Type 2 diabetes and serve as a first-line standard-of-care therapy for the treatment of the disease, or as a cornerstone therapy when taken in combination with currently approved anti-diabetes drugs.

About Hua Medicine
Hua is a leading, clinical-stage innovative drug development company in China focused on developing novel therapies for the treatment of diabetes. Founded by an experienced group of entrepreneurs and international investment firms, Hua advanced a first-in-class oral drug for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes into NDA-enabling stage and is currently evaluating the therapy in adults with diabetes in two Phase III trials in China and various earlier stage clinical trials in China and the United States. Dorzagliatin has achieved its first primary endpoint in a Phase III monotherapy trial. The Company has initiated product life-cycle management studies of this novel diabetes therapy and advanced its use in personalized diabetes care. Hua Medicine is working closely with disease experts and regulatory agencies in China and across the world to advance diabetes care solutions for patients worldwide.

For more information
Hua Medicine
Website: www.huamedicine.com
Investors
Email: ir@huamedicine.com
Media
Email: pr@huamedicine.com

Captiva Verde Land Corp Announces Solargram Farms Corporation Receives Health Canada Standard Cultivation Cannabis License for Renauds Mills, New Brunswick

Captiva Verde Land Corp. (CSE: PWR) (the “Company”) is extremely pleased to announce that Solargram Farms Corporation (“Solargram”), a Canadian controlled private corporation, having corporate offices in Moncton, NB has officially received its Standard Cultivation Cannabis License from Health Canada. The license was issued in accordance with the Canadian Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations. 100% of the Solargrams shares are held in an escrow account ready to be transferred to Captiva Verde in exchange for 35 Million Captiva shares subject to a tight pooling agreement, subject to Health Canada approving the application by all the Captiva Verde officers and directors to pass a security clearance and CSE approval.

Under this Health Canada License, Solargram is now authorized at its site location to conduct the activities listed below:

– From its indoor-area special purpose, state of the art Greenhouse facility: cultivation, propagating, testing, harvesting, and selling cannabis,
– From its custom designed, massive outdoor farm grow area: cultivation, propagation, and harvesting cannabis.

It has taken Solargram eighteen (18) months to have achieved this major milestone while recently completing final installation of its New Brunswick 5.6 million square feet grow infrastructure build out located in Renauds Mills, New Brunswick in anticipation of receiving its Standard Cannabis Cultivation License.

The CEO of Captiva Verde Jeff Ciachurski states: “With this exciting news release I declare my intention to purchase 500,000 additional shares of Captive Verde on the open market and as CEO of Greenbriar Capital Corp (which already owns 10.7 million shares of Captiva Verde) declares its intention to seek Toronto Venture Exchange approval to purchase an addition 3 million shares of Captiva Verde on the open market.

Renauds Mills Site Infrastructure Buildout Results

Over the last six months through the best winter and spring conditions in the area in over a decade, the extremely dedicated and focused Solargram team led by Len Wood, Executive Vice President Captiva Verde and Vice President Solargram Farms, and Marc LeBlanc, President Solargram Farms, have amazingly achieved:

– Installation of over 8,000 feet of security perimeter fencing over approximately 50 acres,
– Implementation of one of Canada’s top robust, lowest-cost outdoor farm grown cannabis cultivation facilities having significant, highly cost efficient, infrastructure assets,
– Purchasing and integrating an approximate 130 land acres package together with an onsite six million gallon water holding pond as well as high capacity water wells to self-serve our planned cannabis outdoor grow farm,
– Purchasing, renovating, and repurposing three onsite buildings totalling over 36,000 square feet, allowing for vertically integrated seed-to-sale, onsite propagating mothers and clones, de-bucking, milling, drying, and extraction operation capabilities for 2020 and beyond. Outdoor farm cannabis crop planting now underway to produce an expected year one 10,000+ kg’s of dried cannabis over 25 acres (1,100,000 square feet) with combination hoop house crop coverage including specific designed additional micro climate grow areas to achieve for increased crop protection and maximization of cannabis grow cultivation yield.
– Site infrastructure buildout was fully funded, completed on time, and was completed 65% under original capital budget. We remain completely debt free, and are now funded for our 2020 grow season.

Len Wood states, “Marc and I wish to congratulate all of our team members for their immense effort and dedication in aiding Solargram to achieve this amazing Health Canada licensing milestone. We have truly created an operation that is built for success based on sound business practices including fiscal responsibility as well as planned positive sustainable operating cash-flows, which is a real business. We wish to thank all of our loyal stakeholders that have continued to support our vision while understanding our mission to create a unique Canadian Licenced Producer cannabis market leader that will show and demonstrate the business model required to produce sustainable positive annual cash flow profits, while providing enhanced returns for our shareholders.”

Captiva Verde is proud that the company has now positioned Solargram’s world class team of experienced operators and growers with a financially debt-free, fully developed set of land assets, growing assets, buildings, proprietary IP and technological expertise to successfully run and operate significantly planned, vertically integrated, cannabis outdoor grow farm land acreages at a planned and budgeted ultra-low sub $0.25 production grow cost per gram. Outdoor grow is a major market disruptor and differentiator and this will allow Solargram to sell its planned high cannabinoid full spectrum cannabis oil products at prices that are significantly below its competitors cost of production as well as below black market pricing. Outdoor is a game changer and will allow our company to become an effective leader in this market.

Solargram has a five year planned outdoor farm grown production capacity in excess of 130 farm acres at the Renaud Mills New Brunswick outdoor grow site alone representing over 65,000 kg’s of dried cannabis targeted for end product full spectrum cannabis oil (THC, THCV, CBD, CBG, CBD-THC) concentrate for export as well as for end product, best in class unique cannabis and edible products.

According to The Guardian less than 10% of Canada’s current legal cannabis products are derived from outdoor operations. Sun grown outdoor plants have the lowest cost with consistent high yields and potency, providing consumers with an opportunity to choose from a selection of natural and healthier products than what the market currently offers. Publicly released results from three (3) Canadian outdoor licensed grow facilities in 2019 reported cash costs of between eight (8) cents to twenty-four (24) cents per gram. The new successful companies like Solargram, can provide both a superior product and a price point, inclusive of taxes, that is well below the black market rates, which the latter currently outperforms the legal market at a rate of more than three to one.

Solargram embraces the experiences of long time growing veterans, scientist and proven business leaders whose collective experience together, puts cannabis where its intention is most valued, to the trusted consumer. Cannabis is an evolutionary business within a revolutionary change of politics. The torch is being handed back to veteran growers, scientist and proven business leaders who understand the original intent of legalization, which is to have the lowest cost, first in class products available to everyone.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors
“Jeff Ciachurski”
Jeffrey Ciachurski
Chief Executive Officer and Director
Cell: (949) 903-5906
E-mail: westernwind@shaw.ca

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements”. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “projects”, “potential” and similar expressions, or that events or conditions “will”, “would”, “may”, “could” or “should” occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company’s management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

Jacobson Pharma Announces FY2020 Annual Results

Delivers Solid Performance Amidst Market Challenges;
Revenue Increases +6.3%;
Maintains Full-Year Dividend Per Share of HK4.5 Cents

Jacobson Pharma Corporation Limited (“Jacobson Pharma” or the “Company”; Stock Code: 2633), a leading company engaged in the research, development, production, marketing and sale of generic drugs and proprietary medicines, today announced its annual results of the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively the “Group”) for the year ended 31 March 2020 (the “FY2020” or the “Reporting Period”).

Resilient Performance under Distressed Economy
Amidst the overwhelming business challenges from the distressed economy in Hong Kong, the Group delivered a solid performance by posting a modest 6.3% year-on-year growth bringing its total revenue to HK$1,571.5 million (FY2019: HK$1,478.1 million (restated)). Gross profit grew by 2.3% to HK$690.0 million (FY2019: HK$674.7 million (restated)), while profit attributable to shareholders of the Company softened by 13.9% to HK$215.6 million (FY2019: HK$250.6 million (restated)) mainly due to the one-off revaluation gains recognised in the previous year, along with the increase in investments and operating expenses in setting up a regional management structure plus one-off professional expenses in preparing for the separation of the Group’s consumer health business.

The Board recommends payment of a final dividend of HK2.5 cents per share (FY2019: HK3.0 cents per share). Combined with the interim dividend of HK2.0 cents per share, the full-year dividend for FY2020 remains the same as last year at HK4.5 cents per share. The Group’s EBITDA (Adjusted) increased by 3.9% to HK$476.2 million, representing its strong capability of generating cash inflows.

Strong Market Position in Generics
Carrying a strong portfolio of generic drugs and a leadership position in a number of therapeutic categories in Hong Kong, the generic drugs business of the Group registered a positive growth of 3.6% in sales revenue in FY2020, amounting to HK$1,298.7 million (FY2019: HK$1,253.0 million), despite a decline in in-person consultation visits to medical clinics due to Covid-19 pandemic in the last quarter of the financial year.

The Group’s offerings in certain therapeutic classes demonstrated strong growth, with oral anti-diabetic and anti-ulcerative products registered a robust growth of 42.3% and 34.1% respectively, which was attributed to an increased usage of these essential medicines in chronic disease management. In addition, the cardiovascular products achieved a sales growth of 28.4%, whilst the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) also grew by 28.7% due to an expanded market position in the public hospital sector.

The Group launched 19 new products during the reporting period, including some difficult-to-make products such as Diltiazem Controlled Release Tablets, Dihydrocodeine Tablets, Perindopril Tablets, Atomoxetine Capsules, Mesalazine Enteric Coated Tablets 500mg and Finasteride Tablets. Besides, over 27 regulatory filings were submitted for new drug registration by the Group.

Tapping New Market Potentials with High Value-added Offerings
In supplementing its R&D pipeline and portfolio offerings, the Group has signed in-license agreements with a host of multi-national companies for a total of 79 specialised drugs covering several therapeutic classes including cardiovascular, central nervous system, infectious diseases, oncology, gastrointestinal, and ophthalmology, as well as a medical device for RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and Influenza rapid diagnostics test kit. Among them, 23 items are eligible for tender bidding in the coming years, and 22 items have been launched in Hong Kong.

Notable Growth in Proprietary Medicines with Newly Acquired Business
Albeit the negative sentiments prevailing in the retail sector, the Group’s proprietary medicines business during the reporting period still registered a double-digit growth. With the incorporation of its newly acquired proprietary Chinese medicine business, sales revenue of the Group’s proprietary medicine segment posted a 21.2% growth to HK$272.8 million (FY2019: HK$225.1 million).

Despite the economic distress, resilient performance has been demonstrated by proprietary brands such as Ho Chai Kung, a well-recognised heritage brand in the analgesics category, which delivered a notable growth of 10.8% over the same period of last year. Shiling Oil, a medicated oil brand of the Group, also presented a growth of 8.4% in overseas markets building on its strong tradition and recognition backed by persistent market development efforts.

Regional Expansion Strategy with China Focus
On the front of business development driven by its regional strategy, the Group has been actively forging strategic collaborations with multinational partners that cover in-licensing and representation of reputable branded products in Greater China and Asia regions.

The Group has respectively entered an exclusive distribution agreement with Vemedia for marketing and distribution of the renowned medicated foot care brand Excilor in Mainland China and a joint venture agreement with Kin Fung Weisen-U Company Limited to distribute and sell certain of its products – including the well-recognised gastrointestinal OTC drug “Weisen-U” and the popular nasal spray brand “Flucur Nebuliser” – to new markets in the Asia Pacific region, as well as to explore and develop product extensions in broadening the proprietary medicine platform of the Group.

In the consumer nutrition arena, the Group has entered an in-license agreement with Smartfish from Norway in a strategic collaboration to launch its patented and clinically substantiated high dose Omega-3 health and sports nutrition drinks in Greater China.

Tapping into the potential of the fast-growing cross-border e-commerce in China, the Group has developed its self-operating flagship store in a leading cross-border e-commerce platform in China in collaboration with key strategic partners to fully exploit the demand for proprietary medicines and consumer healthcare products among Mainland consumers, especially in Southern China and the Greater Bay Area.

Consumer Health Spin-off to Facilitate Expansion
By leveraging its regional commercial operations and focusing its efforts to tap into the burgeoning consumer healthcare market, the Group is also actively pursuing a spin-off of its branded consumer health business comprised of a strategically selected portfolio of branded medicines, proprietary Chinese medicines, and health and wellness products including health supplements, personal care products and diagnostic kits.

The potential spin-off is expected to facilitate the expansion of the consumer health business under a separate nimble platform from the generic drug business of the Group and groundworks have been undertaken to prepare for the spin-off plan.

Mr. Derek Sum, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Jacobson Pharma, said, “We will continue to strive for business excellence across all divisions as we pursue our goal of creating two separate and nimble platforms through a spin-off of our branded consumer health business from the Group. This separation initiative serves as a catalyst to reset capabilities and cost base, and helps deliver a value-creation opportunity for both businesses. It is also a significant step forward in terms of shaping Jacobson into a company comprising two enterprises, one being intently focused on its generic drugs business whilst the other is principally focused on consumer health products.”

Mr. Sum added, “The dynamic and challenging environment requires us to continually assess our market position to ensure that our business remains relevant and strategically well-aligned. Looking ahead, we remain confident that by building on our reputation, strong R&D pipeline and network resources of the Group, we are well positioned to deliver a sustainable growth and returns to our shareholders in the long term.”

About Jacobson Pharma Corporation Limited (Stock Code: 2633)
Jacobson Pharma is a leading generic drug company in Hong Kong. The Group also carries a portfolio of proprietary brands, notably being Po Chai Pills, Ho Chai Kung TjiThung San, Contractubex Scar Gel, Flying Eagle Woodlok Oil, Tong Tai Chung Woodlok Oil, Doan’s Ointment, Saplingtan, Shiling Oil and Col-gan Tablet, which have been widely recognised by the market. In the strategic expansion of its branded healthcare business platform, the Group has introduced health and wellness brands and products such as Dr. FreemanFlu/RSV Combo, SmartfishHealth Nutrition Products, Dr.Freeman Infection Control Product Series and Dr Freeman COVID-19 Rapid Test Kit, among other reputable brands represented in overseas markets such as Excilor and Weisen-U.

The Group aims at the continued strategic enrichment of both of its generic drug and branded healthcare portfolios through the addition of high value-added products. With its corporate headquarters based in Hong Kong, the Group has also established its operating subsidiaries in China, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore and Cambodia forming a regional commercial platform to tap the market potential in the Asia Pacific and Greater China region. Jacobson Pharma has been a constituent stock of MSCI Hong Kong Micro Cap Index since 1 June 2017. For more details about Jacobson Pharma, please visit the Group’s website: http://www.jacobsonpharma.com

For media enquiries, please contact:
Strategic Financial Relations Limited
Vicky Lee Tel: (852) 2864 4834 Email: vicky.lee@sprg.com.hk
Stephanie Liu Tel: (852) 2864 4852 Email: stephanie.liu@sprg.com.hk
Rachel Ko Tel: (852) 2864 4806 Email:rachel.ko@sprg.com.hk
Fax: (852) 2527 1196