Four Chinese biotech companies reach in- and out-licensing deals covering antibody drug conjugates, small molecules and vaccines as they continue to pursue and develop innovation.

Private Company Edition: venBio’s new fund plus Ysios Capital’s recent €216m ($260m) fund adds up to $810m in fresh venture capital for life science companies. Also, Nikang and Esco attracted $200m each in VC investment, Pulmocide closed a $92m series C round and Stablix launched with $63m. 

Former Ignyta CEO’s well-funded Erasca obtained its first clinical-stage precision oncology candidates from NiKang and Asana, eyeing a first-in-class approach to RAS/MAPK-driven cancers.

The global market for products treating heart valve disease is expected to exceed $8bn by 2021, driven largely by the rising number of elderly patients with cardiovascular disease, obesity and growing prevalence of diabetes. This, in turn, is fueling significant innovation in minimally invasive techniques, particularly in the leading area of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), but also in transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVrep) systems, both of which offer patients quicker recovery times, less discomfort and greater safety compared to traditional surgical heart valve repair and replacement. This feature looks more closely at the competitive landscape and dynamics of these two fast-growing market segments, as well as gives insight into what the users – the physicians – think of these technologies.