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The Mainichi
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Will Japan lose all pandas after scheduled return of twins at Ueno zoo to China in 2026?
TOKYO -- Panda fans in Japan are keeping their eyes on Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, twin giant pandas at Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens, after it was decided that all four of the bears at the Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, will return to China. Pandas at Ueno zoo, the country's very first to have the animals, have historically symbolized the Japan-China friendship, but will we see the day when the beloved bears disappear from Japan? Pandas first arrived in Japan in 1972, when China sent two named Kang Kang and Lan Lan upon the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and the pair were kept at the zoo in Tokyo. Then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Susumu Nikaido reportedly summoned the zoo director and others at the time and told them, "Whatever you do, don't let them die." China has engaged in "panda diplomacy" not only with Japan but other countries by gifting the animals. In 1984, however, pandas were classified under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, commonly known as the "Washington Convention," as one of the most endangered species, and international trade for commercial purposes was banned. As a result, the pandas at Ueno zoo shifted from being "gifts" to being "loans" for breeding and research purposes. Under the pretense of conservation, a "rental fee" also began to be charged. Although there has been no official announcement, the fee is said to be around 100 million yen (roughly $700,300) per year for a male-female pair. The zoo has kept a total of 15 pandas over the past 53 years, including periods when it had none of the animals. Seven cubs have been born, and five of them -- Tong Tong, You You, Xiang Xiang, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei -- were raised there. The latest pair, Xiao Xiao, male, and Lei Lei, female, were born in June 2021 and are growing steadily. According to the April 24 announcement, as of April 17, Xiao Xiao weighed 95.7 kilograms and Lei Lei was 93.1 kg. They mainly eat bamboo, along with carrots and apples, and during this season, they also enjoy bamboo shoots. Since July 2023, the twins have been working hard at "husbandry training," which involves learning behaviors necessary for health management. The return deadline for the twin pandas is Feb. 20, 2026. This date was set in accordance with the original deadline for their father Ri Ri and mother Shin Shin, who were sent back to China in September 2024 for hypertension treatment and other reasons. However, there have been cases of extensions in the past, and a Tokyo Metropolitan Government official expressed hope, saying, "The specific return date for the twins has not yet been decided."
Japan Times
25-04-2025
- Japan Times
All 4 giant pandas at western Japan zoo to be sent to China
All four giant pandas at a zoo in Adventure World in Wakayama Prefecture will be transferred to China around the end of June, the leisure facility said Thursday. If the four pandas go to China under the terms of a loan agreement and no new additions join the zoo, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo would be the only remaining giant pandas housed in Japan. Adventure World is home to 24-year-old female Rauhin and her three daughters — 8-year-old Yuihin, 6-year-old Saihin and 4-year-old Fuhin. All four were born at Adventure World. Rauhin became the first giant panda born at the facility back in September 2000. With a contract between the facility and the Chinese side ending in August this year, the two sides decided that the four pandas will go to China in June, when temperatures are relatively cool, the facility said. Adventure World did not say whether the Chinese side would newly send over giant pandas to the zoo. According to the leisure facility, experts from China said that it would be better for aging Rauhin to go to China to live in a dedicated facility with medical care. Rauhin's daughters will be sent to China to find a mate for future breeding opportunities. The four pandas will live at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in the inland province of Sichuan. All giant pandas living in Japan are loaned by China for breeding research purposes. China legally owns all such animals, including those born at Japanese zoos. Noting that the facility marked the 30th anniversary of its Japan-China Joint Research on Giant Panda Breeding program in September last year, Adventure World said, "We'll continue discussions with the Chinese side as we strongly hope for a continuation of the project."
24-04-2025
All 4 Giant Pandas at Western Japan Zoo to Be Sent to China
News from Japan Society Apr 24, 2025 19:42 (JST) Wakayama, April 24 (Jiji Press)--All four giant pandas at a zoo in Adventure World in Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, will be transferred to China around the end of June, the leisure facility said Thursday. If the four pandas go to China under the terms of a loan agreement and no new additions join the zoo, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo would be the only remaining giant pandas housed in Japan. Adventure World is home to 24-year-old female Rauhin and her three daughters--8-year-old Yuihin, 6-year-old Saihin and 4-year-old Fuhin. All four were born at Adventure World. Rauhin became the first giant panda born at the facility back in September 2000. With a contract between the facility and the Chinese side ending in August this year, the two sides decided that the four pandas will go to China in June, when temperatures are relatively cool, the facility said. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NMPA approves BBM and Takeda China's haemophilia B therapy
Belief BioMed (BBM) and Takeda China have announced China's National Medical Products Administration's (NMPA) approval for BBM-H901 (Dalnacogene Ponparvovec) injection, a gene therapy for adults with moderate to severe haemophilia B, a bleeding disorder. This is the first such therapy approved for haemophilia B in the country. Developed and manufactured by BBM, the therapy is based on a recombinant adeno-associated virus vector and delivers a human coagulation factor IX (FIX) gene into the patient's liver cells. The host cell's gene transcription system then enables continuous expression and secretion of coagulation FIX into the bloodstream, supporting coagulation. The collaboration between BBM and Takeda China aims to leverage their resources to expedite the therapy's availability to sufferers. Takeda China handles the therapy's commercialisation in mainland China, Macau and Hong Kong. BBM chairman, co-founder and chief science officer Dr Xiao Xiao stated: "The approval of BBM-H901 is an important milestone in the development of BBM. As the first haemophilia B gene therapy drug independently developed in China, BBM-H901 will provide a new treatment option for haemophilia B patients, which is expected to provide patients with an innovative treatment solution and help them return to a normal life. 'BBM will work together with Takeda China to accelerate the rapid implementation of this innovative therapy. In the future, BBM will strive to accelerate the overseas commercialisation process of BBM-H901, hoping to benefit more haemophilia B patients. " In 2024, the therapy received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rare paediatric disease designation and the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Advanced Therapy Medical Products designation. It secured the investigational new drug application approval in China in August 2021, and holds FDA orphan drug designation. In September 2024, Asklepios BioPharmaceutical entered a strategic partnership with BBM to progress the development of new gene therapies. "NMPA approves BBM and Takeda China's haemophilia B therapy" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Associated Press
10-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Belief BioMed and Takeda China jointly announced BBM-H901 (Dalnacogene Ponparvovec Injection), China's first hemophilia B gene therapy, was officially approved
SHANGHAI, April 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Belief BioMed ('BBM') and Takeda China today jointly announced that BBM-H901 (generic name: Dalnacogene Ponparvovec Injection), has been officially approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for the treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe hemophilia B (congenital coagulation factor IX deficiency). As the first approved hemophilia B gene therapy in China1, BBM-H901 is developed and manufactured by BBM, and Takeda China is responsible for its commercialization in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. The two parties will integrate their respective resource advantages to accelerate the provision of this breakthrough gene therapy to patients and jointly open up a new landscape in the field of hemophilia B treatment. Dr. Xiao Xiao, Co-founder, Chairman and Chief Science Officer of BBM, said: 'BBM has always been committed to R&D and innovation in the field of cutting-edge gene therapy, and is dedicated to filling unmet medical needs. The approval of BBM-H901 is an important milestone in the development of BBM. As the first hemophilia B gene therapy drug independently developed in China1, BBM-H901 will provide a new treatment option for hemophilia B patients, which is expected to provide patients with an innovative treatment solution and help them return to a normal life. BBM will work together with Takeda China to accelerate the rapid implementation of this innovative therapy. In the future, BBM will strive to accelerate the overseas commercialization process of BBM-H901, hoping to benefit more hemophilia B patients. ' Sean Shan, Senior Vice President of Takeda Pharmaceutical and President of Takeda China, said: 'Takeda is honored to collaborate with BBM to bring the first locally developed hemophilia B gene therapy1 to the Chinese patients with hemophilia B. The approval of BBM-H901 will further enrich our portfolio in hemophilia and rare disease areas, and will help more patients to benefit from innovative treatments. In the future, Takeda China will continue to deepen our strategic cooperation with local partners, to accelerate the commercialization of more breakthrough therapies, ensure China's medical innovation can benefit more patients and contribute to the high-quality development of China's rare disease industry.' Hemophilia B is an inherited bleeding disorder caused by the deficiency of factor IX (FIX)2. For a long time, patients can only rely on prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) or FIX as a replacement therapy3,4. Persistent and frequent bleeding can easily lead to damage of joint structure and function, resulting in a high disability rate5. This not only brings great physical pain and inconvenience to patients, but also comes with the risk of infection, blood clots, etc.3,4. The high medical treatment costs also bring a heavy and constant economic burden on the patient's family. BBM-H901, based on a recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vector, can deliver the optimized human coagulation FIX gene into liver cells of patients. Then, coagulation FIX is continuously expressed and secreted into the bloodstream using the host cell gene transcription system, thereby promoting coagulation. Professor Zhang Lei from the Blood Disease Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Institute of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences), leading investigator of the registered clinical study of BBM-H901, said: 'The traditional treatment of hemophilia B requires frequent intravenous injections, and the factor level fluctuates with the half-life of exogenous coagulation factors. Some patients are also at risk of developing inhibitors, leading to reduced treatment effectiveness. The approval of BBM-H901 has brought revolutionary hope to Chinese patients with hemophilia B. By a single dosing, the risk of bleeding and joint damage can be reduced, and patients are back to a normal life. We believe that with the continuous breakthrough of scientific research and the accumulation of clinical experiences, the treatment of hemophilia will enter a new era and patients will enjoy a higher quality of life.' In 2019, the first Investigator-initiated Trial (IIT) of BBM-H901 was launched. In 2022, the research results of IIT were successively published on international authoritative journals, The Lancet-Hematology and The New England Journal of Medicine5,6. Ten adult patients with moderate to severe hemophilia B were included in the study, with a median follow-up of 58 weeks after gene therapy, achieving a mean FIX activity of 36.9 IU/dL (one Stage Assay actin FSL aPTT reagent). There were no serious adverse events (SAEs) during the follow-up process, and there were no grade 3-4 adverse events (AEs)5. The long-term follow-up results of more than 3 years were orally presented at the 2024 International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) Congress. Compared with the published data in 2022, the patient's FIX activity remained stable at all follow-up nodes. No drug-related SAEs, thrombotic events, nor inhibitors were observed8. In August 2021, the Investigational New Drug (IND) application of BBM-H901 was approved in China. In August 2022, BBM-H901 obtained the Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the Center for Drug Evaluation, the National Medical Products Administration7, and later on Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2024, BBM-H901 obtained the Rare Pediatric Disease Designation (RPDD) from the FDA and the Advanced Therapy Medical Products (ATMP) from the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In December 2024, BBM released the results of the Phase III clinical study at the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). The results showed that after 52 weeks of follow-up, the mean annualized bleeding rate (ABR) of the participants was 0.6, the average FIX activity reached 55.08 IU/dL (one Stage Assay SynthaSIL aPTT reagent), and the average number of infusions of FIX drug decreased from 58.2 times/year before gene therapy treatment to 2.9 times/year after that. Twenty-one of the 26 participants (80.8%) had no bleeding events after treatment, and all participants had no SAEs8. The study is still in the process of continuous follow-up. ### About Belief BioMed Belief BioMed Inc. (BBM) is a global biotech company that integrates the research and development (R&D), manufacturing and clinical application of gene therapy products. The company is committed to providing innovative and more effective gene therapies for severe genetic and chronic diseases through safe and efficient viral vector technology. BBM has developed hundreds of key vector technologies, including HEK293 cell suspension serum-free culture process and full-scale chromatography purification process, and has established a commercial production platform for gene therapy drugs. The company has been building up its capabilities in a variety of fields including novel AAV capsids targeting different tissues, efficient transgene expression cassette design, and advanced clinically applicable vector manufacturing process. It has also established an extensive R&D pipeline covering a wide range of unmet clinical needs in different therapeutic areas such as hemophilia, DMD, Parkinson's disease, osteoarthritis, etc. Several product pipelines have entered clinical studies or submitted Investigational New Drug (IND). The Biologics License Application (BLA) of a gene therapy for the treatment of adult patients with hemophilia B, has been approved by the NMPA of China. For more information, visit About Takeda Takeda is focused on creating better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We aim to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments in our core therapeutic and business areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Together with our partners, we aim to improve the patient experience and advance a new frontier of treatment options through our dynamic and diverse pipeline. As a leading values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, we are guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Our employees in approximately 80 countries and regions are driven by our purpose and are grounded in the values that have defined us for more than two centuries. For more information, visit Medical Information This press release contains information about products that may not be available in all countries, or may be available under different trademarks, for different indications, in different dosages, or in different strengths. Nothing contained herein should be considered a solicitation, promotion or advertisement for any prescription drugs including the ones under development.
