(Taiwan) Excellence and innovation in life sciences recognized at awards event: PharmiGene wins top prize, Life Spring Biotech comes in second, Mycenax Biotech and PhytoHealth share third :: BiotechEast - Taiwan and China biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, ^¤å½s×, ^¤å×§ï ::

(Press release, Epoch Foundation)

6 November, 2008
Taiwan's blossoming life sciences sector came under the spotlight today as some of the most promising companies were recognized at the "Taiwan Healthcare Industry Innovation and Excellence Awards 2008," held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei.

Taiwan Vice President Vincent Siew speaks at the "Taiwan Healthcare Industry Innovation and Excellence Awards 2008," held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei on Thursday, 6 November, 2008

Reflecting the significance of the event, prominent government and industry notables were in attendance, including Vice President of Taiwan, Vincent Siew; Dr. Johnsee Lee, president of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), also host of the event; and Dr. Wong Chi-Huey, president of Academia Sinica and also chief coordinator of the awards evaluation committee.

The awards event, now in its second year, is the culmination of a two-month-long assessment process of business plans and presentations submitted by companies making up the life sciences sector, including those in biotechnology, medical devices and drug development.

Whilst not being the only such awards event on the calendar, what sets this event apart is the caliber of the evaluation committee, which includes business people with international bio-business start-up and investment experience.

17 companies entered the evaluation process this year, with the number narrowing down to seven that the committee deemed 'Commendable.' From this shortlist, 'Gold,' 'Silver' and 'Bronze' winners were chosen, with all seven companies also receiving commendation certificates presented by Vice President Siew.

According to Wong, these seven shared a number of attributes, including having particularly competitive business models, high-quality management teams, a focus on innovation together with strong protection of IP rights, practical financial plans, and showing excellent potential for international development.

President of PharmiGene, Dr. Jerome Shen, picks up the Gold award and NT$300,000 prize from Dr. Wong Chi-Huey, President of Academia Sinica, at the "Taiwan Healthcare Industry Innovation and Excellence Awards 2008," held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei on Thursday, 6 November, 2008

Winning the Gold award for first place and a NT$300,000 (US$9,000) cheque was PharmiGene Inc. Working in the cutting-edge field of personalized diagnostics products, PharmiGene has developed tests that can determine the risk levels of patients developing adverse reactions to particular medications, allowing prescribing clinicians to dictate drug dosage based on the individual.

Picking up the Silver award and NT$200,000 (US$6,000) was biomedical material development firm Life Spring Biotech Co., Ltd. This company's expertise is in developing collagen products for a range of novel medical applications, and it has been busy establishing international cooperation partners and marketing channels.

The Bronze award was shared by Mycenax Biotech Inc. and PhytoHealth Corp., each receiving a cheque for NT$100,000 (US$3,000). Mycenax is a renowned contract biopharmaceutical manufacturer, while PhytoHealth is a botanically-derived drug discovery and development company.

Dr. Johnsee Lee, President of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), during his opening remarks mentioned that what the industry needed were more success stories, to attract further interest and investment to the burgeoning industry, and that today's event was chance to put such success on show.

"What we see here today are companies with successful stories, or at least the beginnings of success. It's an important opportunity for others to learn from these companies, and find positives from their stories," said Lee.

Lee added that the winning companies would definitely receive a closer look from the government when it comes to future funding rounds.

The event's most notable VIP guest, Vice President of Taiwan Vincent Siew explaining why the government is so committed to helping the life sciences sector grow.

"This industry is distinguished by its creativity and innovation, its minimal consumption of precious resources, and its low pollution footprint. As such, it's a perfect fit for Taiwan, being as we are a small island with limited resources," Said Siew

"Moreover, most of the pieces are already in place to ensure future success in this sector, including infrastructure such as a number world-class research and medical facilities," Siew added.

The awards event was jointly hosted by the Science and Technology Advisory Group (STAG); the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI); the Epoch Foundation, a Taipei-based technology industry development and promotion body; the Taipei Biotech Association; and the Taiwan Bio Industry Organization.

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Taiwan Healthcare Industry Innovation and Excellence Awards 2008

Winners:
Gold Award: PharmiGene, Inc.
Silver Award: Life Spring Biotech Co., Ltd.
Bronze Award (two awarded): Mycenax Biotech Inc. and PhytoHealth Corp.

'Commendable' list:
PharmiGene, Inc.
Life Spring Biotech Co., Ltd.
Mycenax Biotech Inc.
PhytoHealth Corp.
SunMax Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
AsiaGen Corporation
NatureWise Biotech & Medicals Corp

Company profiles:
About PharmiGene, Inc.:
With its primary focus in the field of pharmacogenetics, Taipei-based PharmiGene provides diagnostic products and services for the advancement of personalized medicine, with its mission being to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by adverse drug reactions (ADR). The company was spun-off from the renown research institute, Academia Sinica, in Taiwan.

Contact:
Mr. Yu-ligh Liou
Director, Business Development
PharmiGene, Inc.
9F-3, No. 21, Lane 169, Kangning St.,
Xizhi City, Taipei County 221, Taiwan
Tel: +886-2-2695-9800
Fax: +886-2-2695-7707
E-mail: service@pharmigene.com
http://www.pharmigene.com

About Life Spring Biotech Co., Ltd.:
Life Spring was founded in July 2000 by a professional team with expertise in biomedical materials, and is focused on pharmaceutical-graded collagen biomaterials and their applications for medical devices and tissue re-engineering. The company concentrates on four niche markets including ophthalmology, dental applications, endometrial regeneration and surgical adhesion prevention, and peptides for medical cosmetics.

Contact:
Changhui Chen
Vice President, Business Development
Life Spring BioTech Co. Ltd.
Taipei Office: 1F, No. 16 Lungchiang Rd., Lane 305, Taipei 104, Taiwan
Tel: +886 2 25034996
Fax: +886 2 25035997
Email: cherry@lsbiotek.com
http://www.lsbiotek.com

About Mycenax Biotech Inc.:
Established in 2001, Mycenax Biotech Inc. is a biopharmaceutical product development and manufacturing organization specializing in products derived from mammalian cell culture and microbial fermentation. Mycenax’s goal is to be the preeminent partner to developers within the biopharmaceutical industry. Our highly experienced team of experts is committed to using best-in-class technology and international-standard controls to move recombinant protein and antibody products timely and cost-effectively through clinical development. We employ product-driven approach and business practices that meet both regulatory and market requirements.

Contact:
Karen Wen Vice President / QA and Regulatory Compliance / Spokesperson
Tel: +886-37-586988 ext 202
2F, No. 8 Kedung 3 Rd., Chunan, Miaoli 350, Taiwan
Email: info@mycenax.com.tw
http://www.mycenax.com.tw

About PhytoHealth Corp.:
Founded in 1998, PhytoHealth Corp. is a Taipei, Taiwan-based biotech company focusing on new drug development. PhytoHealth is developing new drugs for a range of therapeutic areas, including adjuvants for cancer and vaccine administration, cough treatment, osteoporosis, the complication of diabetes mellitus, motion sickness, hepatitis C, and pain control. Out of eight new drugs in development, six are already undergoing clinical trials. The company is also developing seven generic / modified release dosage forms in the cardiovascular, neurological and infectious disease therapeutic sectors.

Contact:
Simon Y. F. Lee
Manager / Pharmacist / CCRA®
Business Development
PhytoHealth Corporation
5F 167 Fu Hsing N. Rd., Taipei 105, Taiwan
Tel: +886-2-25453697 ext. 335
Fax: +886-2-25140245
Taipei, Taiwan
simonlee@phytohealth.com.tw
http://www.phytohealth.com.tw

About SunMax Biotechnology Co., Ltd.:
SunMax Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is a medical device company dedicated to the development, manufacturing and commercialization of collagen-based bio-surgical products. The SunMax range being developed includes dermal filler, bone graft materials, dental devices, hemostats, and a wound healing matrix. The company's core technology is based on ultra pure collagen derived from porcine dermis.

Contact:
George Lee
Marketing and Sales Office
No. 10, Lane 31, Sec.1, Huandong Rd., Tainan Science Industrial Park, Tainan County, Taiwan
Tel: 886-6-5053288
Fax: 886-6-5053289
Email: collagen@sunmaxbiotech.com
http://www.sunmaxbiotech.com

About AsiaGen Corporation:
Founded in 2000, AsiaGen develops, manufactures and markets a series of molecular probing kits for a variety of infectious diseases and cancers based on genomic study through its cutting-edge Liquid Array, RAPID Array (magnetic beads-based) and Mobile Array (Luminex-based) technologies. AsiaGen also provides DNA-labeling chemicals for molecular diagnostics both in local and oversea markets. AsiaGen has been stationed in the Southern Taiwan Science Park since 2001.

Contact:
Evelyn Lin
Marketing Manager
4F, No. 3, Nan-Ke 3rd.Rd., Southern Taiwan Science Park, Hsin-Shi 74147, Tainan County, Taiwan
Tel: 886-6-5051316
Fax: 886-6-5052158
Email: service@asiagen.com.tw
http://www.asiagen.com.tw

About NatureWise Biotech & Medicals Corp:
Founded in 2000, Taipei-based NatureWise is a publicly-listed botanically-derived drug discovery/development and health product company. The company's PPLs--a group of prenylflavanone compounds from A to H has received the patents of “compounds for promoting the growth of neural cells” in Taiwan, and patents of other 5 areas globally is pending. NatureWise also markets a range of dietary supplements and herbal products, including LipoCol Forte for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia.

Contact:
CY Huang, President
3F, 216 Wenlin N. Rd., Taipei 112, Taiwan
Tel: 886-2-28217057
Fax: 886-2-28237782
Email: cy.huang@naturewise.com.tw
http://www.naturewise.com.tw

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Press release issued by BiotechEast Co., Ltd., for the Epoch Foundation
Contact: Ashley S. Wu
Project Manager, Epoch Foundation
Tel: +886-2-25453525 ext. 14
Email: ashley@epoch.org.tw
http://www.epoch.org.tw

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