Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology forms joint venture with SiriCell Technologies

Jun 11 2010

Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co. Ltd. ("Beike") ( http://www.beikebiotech.com ), China's leading stem cell research and regenerative medicine company, announced the formation of Beike Holdings Limited ("Beike Holdings") a joint venture with Bangkok-based SiriCell Technologies, Inc. Beike Holdings, which is headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, will focus primarily on the establishment of new international subsidiaries and the development of collaborative hospital partnerships with Southeast Asia's leading healthcare providers. The joint venture is actively constructing a regional network of world class cGMP stem cell manufacturing labs, distribution centers and storage banks to service and support its hospital training and clinical advisory services.

In China, Beike's use of cord blood and tissue-derived stem cells is approved by the Chinese Ministry of Health as a Class 3 medical therapy for numerous clinical applications. These stem cells have been shown to be safe and effective in therapies based on direct clinical observation in the hospital setting. Beike Holdings will fund and oversee a series of comprehensive, multi-centered, adaptive Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials to advance the ongoing clinical validations of the safety and efficacy of Beike's stem cell therapies to patients throughout South East Asia.

In an effort to expand the availability of Beike's stem cell products for therapeutic applications to hospitals throughout the region, Beike Holdings is establishing subsidiary operations in major Asian urban centers. In the coming weeks Beike Holdings will announce a series of agreements with leading hospitals in Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Beike Holdings Chief Executive Officer Alex Moffett commented, "The formation of Beike Holdings is an enormous leap forward in our efforts to expand and enhance international delivery capabilities for Beike's stem cell therapies. While Beike has established itself as the leading provider of stem cell therapies in China, building an international brand and network of facilities and hospital partners requires a truly international company. Beike's safe and effective therapies have already improved the lives of thousands patients, many of whom have travelled to China for treatment due to regulatory impediments in their home countries. Now, through Beike Holdings' expansion into Southeast Asia, we will be able to replicate that success on a larger scale."

Beike Holdings will maintain close ties to Beike's groundbreaking efforts in China, building on its deep experience in clinical innovations and the significant ongoing research at the company's new state-of-the-art Jiangsu Stem Cell Regenerative Medicine facility. At the same time the joint venture will remain independent and focused on its primary mission to develop new international markets, secure regulatory approvals and facilitate successful clinical translation of Beike's stem cell therapies. Beike Holdings and its expanding network will also provide new opportunities for international partnerships with medical and biotechnology innovators seeking rapid and affordable commercial outlets for their technologies.

Beike Chairman Dr. Sean Hu commented, "In China, our company and our therapies enjoy the highest levels of professional recognition and support-from provincial governments to respected research universities and hospitals. We have made great strides in building our reputation in the West, but it is our hope that, through Beike Holdings, we will improve our relationship with the Western scientific community as well. While cultural and geographic differences with the West will always exist, we share the same science. Beike Holdings will make that science available outside of China, and we believe that patients from around the world will view these therapies as more accessible and as a viable choice for many medical conditions for which no conventional treatment options are currently available."