Zai Lab of Shanghai will expand into biologic drug manufacturing through a partnership with GE Healthcare, a company that makes biomanufacturing equipment (see story). The two companies will cooperate on a facility in Suzhou’s BioBay Park, already under construction, which will initially produce clinical trial-level supplies of biologic drugs. In BioBay, Zai has started building the 4200 square meter large molecule cGMP plant, and it is also close to completing construction on a 5000 square meter small molecule manufacturing facility. GE’s equipment will be used in the biologics facility. 

The government of South Korea has announced a $102 million fund to support biotech startups in the country (see story). Already a biopharma center, South Korea wants to augment the industry, hoping to create jobs and boost the economy. The fund was alternately described as building infrastructure, providing money for young biotech entrepreneurs and aiding venture capitalists (probably by starting companies that VCs would support later). South Korea believes that biotech, along with IT, represents the future, and the country wants to participate in its global development.

Creat Group of Beijing will acquire Germany’s Biotest (DE: BIOG), a plasma company, for $1.3 billion (see story). The transaction was priced at a 55% premium to the previous three-month average of Biotest’s voting shares. Creat agreed to a five-year agreement that will keep Biotest’s corporate seat in Dreieich, Germany, maintain the Biotest corporate name and increase employment equal to management’s business plan. Creat is a 25 year-old investment firm involved in financial servicse, plasma drugs, manufacturing and mineral resources. 

China Huarong International Holdings together with State Path Capital BVI (which is associated with Ka-shing Li of Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison) have invested $18 million in Australia’s Bionic Vision Technologies (BVT) (see story). BVT is developing a bionic eye that consists of an external camera, located on a glasses frame, and a retinal implant. With the new funds, the company will manufacture devices and begin a clinical trial of the device in patients with an inherited degenerative eye condition known as retinitis pigmentosa. Located in Melbourne, BVT is privately owned and includes staff from several Australian universities.