SUZHOU, China, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi Biologics (2269.HK), a leading global Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organization (CRDMO), announced that its Biosafety Testing Center in Suzhou has successfully passed a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspection by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) with zero critical findings. This marks the fourth time the facility has successfully received EMA GMP certificate. 

The inspection supported the European Union marketing authorization application for a total of 19 biologics from 13 clients, with the majority developed and manufactured on WuXi Biologics' integrated platform. These products span a range of biologics modalities, including antibodies, enzymes, and fusion proteins. The EMA inspection focused on biosafety quality control testing for cell banks and commercial unprocessed bulk associated with these products.

GMP-compliant biosafety quality control testing of commercial unprocessed bulk is a key part of pre-license inspections for biologics seeking marketing authorization in the European Union and remains a focus in routine inspections of commercial products. The four-day inspection covered areas such as quality management, facilities and equipment, testing methods, standard operating procedures, computerized systems and personnel. The Suzhou facility's quality system, infrastructure, technical capabilities, data integrity and organizational management were highly recognized by the EMA.

Dr. Chris Chen, CEO of WuXi Biologics, commented: "From preliminary safety validation at cell bank and harvest stages to final quality control at commercial batch release, biosafety testing spans critical stages across the entire lifecycle of biologics, ensuring compliance with rigorous regulatory requirements from development through commercialization. We remain committed to maintaining a high-quality system aligned with global GMP standards as a cornerstone to ensure product quality. This capability is consistently demonstrated and implemented across our global network, reflecting our long-standing commitment to enabling our partners and ultimately benefiting patients worldwide."

WuXi Biologics' Biosafety Testing Center has two facilities in Suzhou and Shanghai, offering comprehensive services including cell bank characterization for CHO, HEK293, and E. coli expression systems, diverse biologics biosafety testing, GMP-compliant release testing for commercial products, and GLP-compliant viral clearance studies supported by high-quality in-house virus production platform. As of December 2025, WuXi Biologics' Biosafety Testing Center has successfully enabled over 1,700 IND or BLA applications. Its high-quality system and technical capabilities have been widely recognized by global regulatory authorities and clients.

In additional to EMA, WuXi Biologics' Biosafety Testing Center has received multiple recognitions from other global regulatory authorities. It has successfully completed remote interactive evaluation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and has passed inspections by China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS), National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), Health Canada (HC), the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of Australia, and the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) of Japan, as well as more than 510 quality audits conducted by global clients.

About WuXi Biologics

WuXi Biologics (stock code: 2269.HK) is a leading global Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organization (CRDMO) offering end-to-end solutions that enable partners to discover, develop and manufacture biologics – from concept to commercialization – for the benefit of patients worldwide*.

With over 13,000 employees in China, the United States, Ireland, Germany, and Singapore — including experts and scientists in biologics R&D and manufacturing, technology innovation, and operational excellence — WuXi Biologics leverages its technologies and expertise to deliver efficient, cost-effective, and scalable biologics solutions tailored to meet clients' needs. By embedding digital capability and infrastructure across the full biopharmaceutical value chain, the company turns data, computation, and prediction into transparent client experience, faster development, intelligent operations, and more efficient manufacturing. As of April 30, 2026, WuXi Biologics is supporting 982 integrated client projects, including 78 in Phase III and 25 in commercial manufacturing, with complex modalities representing more than half of the entire project portfolio.

WuXi Biologics regards sustainability as the cornerstone of long-term business growth. The company continuously drives technology innovations to offer advanced end-to-end Green CRDMO solutions for its global partners while demonstrating exemplary Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. Committed to creating shared value, it collaborates with all stakeholders to foster positive social and environmental impacts, and promote responsible practices that empower the entire value chain.

For more information about WuXi Biologics, please visit: www.wuxibiologics.com.

*The winner of the "2026 Biologics CDMO of the Year" (Large CDMOs) (Life Science Connect / Outsourced Pharma)

*The winner of the "2026 Best Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization Award" (ABEA)

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Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) is preparing to launch the second-generation iPhone Air in the spring of next year, Bloomberg, citing sources, reported.

The new model is anticipated to add a rear camera for ultra-wide photography. The device is undergoing internal testing at Apple.

While the appearance of the new iPhone Air will remain unchanged, Apple is working to enhance battery life and may achieve this by improving energy efficiency, sources divulged.
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This article was automatically translated by AI, the Chinese version should be considered the authoritative version. AASTOCKS.com Limited does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness and accepts no liability for any damages or losses arising from the use of this translation.

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US) has built a sizable business by selling AI models to Chinese enterprises, as ByteDance has been Microsoft’s largest AI customer in recent years, primarily using OpenAI models, with annual spending on Microsoft’s AI and cloud services estimated to breach USD1 billion, Bloomberg cited sources as saying.

Other Chinese technology companies, including Ant Group, MEITUAN-W (03690.HK) and TENCENT (00700.HK), have also invested heavily in AI models through Microsoft’s Azure cloud services.

Microsoft has reportedly established subsidiaries in China to keep pace with local innovation and serve multinational clients. President Brad Smith testified before Congress that Microsoft’s business in China remains relatively small, accounting for only about 1.5% of the company’s total revenue in 2024.

ByteDance, MEITUAN-W (03690.HK) and TENCENT (00700.HK) have not responded to the report, while an Ant Group spokesperson said the company develops its own AI models and that its core products do not rely on external models.
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Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) CEO Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal that the company plans to raise product prices to offset surging costs of memory and storage chips.

He said price hikes are unfortunately unavoidable, adding Apple is making every effort to ease the substantial cost pressure passed on by suppliers and has been working to shield customers from the impact of price hikes, but the current situation has become difficult to sustain.

Cook declined to disclose the specific timing, magnitude or affected products of the planned price increases.

Apple’s next major product launch is likely to take place in September, when the iPhone 18 series is expected to be unveiled, including a new foldable iPhone model.
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The HSI closed at 24,312, down 181 pts or 0.74%. Full-day turnover reached HKD270.412 billion. The HSTECH closed at 4,669, up 10 pts or 0.22%, while the HSCEI closed at 8,144, down 96 pts or 1.17%.

Major techs were mixed. KUAISHOU-W (01024.HK)’s Kling AI is reportedly seeking to raise over USD2 billion at a post-investment valuation of USD18 billion. Its shares bucked the market to close up 7.34% at HKD47.7. TENCENT (00700.HK) dipped 0.45%, BABA-W (09988.HK) faded 0.09%, and MEITUAN-W (03690.HK) dropped nearly 1.2%.

KINGBOARD HLDG (00148.HK) placed shares of KB LAMINATES (01888.HK) at an 11.5% discount. KB LAMINATES rattled in the morning, once diving 5.7%, before rebounding 6.87% to a record high of HKD91.8, and ended the day up 3.08%. KINGBOARD HLDG also opened lower but reversed course to finish up 17.68%.

Automakers posted notable declines. LI AUTO-W (02015.HK) shed 3.75%, the worst-performing blue chip of the day. XPENG-W (09868.HK) fell off 3.09%, while GEELY AUTO (00175.HK), BYD COMPANY (01211.HK) and NIO-SW (09866.HK) each slid more than 2%.

KNOWLEDGE ATLAS (02513.HK) officially launched and open-sourced GLM-5.2 today, with its shares skyrocketing 12.62%. MINIMAX-W (00100.HK) shot up 6.34%, while XUNCE (03317.HK) lost 2.56%.
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Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN.US)'s Amazon Web Services (AWS) held the AWS Summit Hong Kong and announced a deepening of its strategic partnership with Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTPC).

The AWS Joint Innovation Center established by both parties will launch a new three-year strategic upgrade plan, promoting three major strategies: "Co-nurturing Startups", "Developing AI Talent" and "Empowering Global Expansion". The annual target of jointly supporting more than 100 startups will be stretched to cover the life and health technology sector.

Terry Wong, CEO of HKSTPC, said the upgrade of the AWS Joint Innovation Center will enable resources to be deployed more systematically into the most promising areas.
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HONG KONG, June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Akeso, Inc. (9926.HK) ("Akeso" or the "Company") today announced that compelling results from its randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase II trial (AK117-206) of ligufalimab (AK117) were presented as an oral presentation at the 2026 European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress. Ligufalimab is Akeso's proprietary next-generation humanized IgG4 anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody. The study evaluated ligufalimab in combination with azacitidine (AZA) and venetoclax (VEN) in patients with treatment-naïve acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy.

Ligufalimab-based combination therapy demonstrates a significant trend toward survival benefit

• At a median follow-up of 10 months in the ligufalimab group and 8.8 months in the control group, median event-free survival (EFS) was 9.1 months in the ligufalimab group versus 6.9 months in the control group (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.46). The 6-month EFS rate was 67.8% versus 55.5% in the control group, and the 9-month EFS rate was 53.2% versus 14.1%.
• Median overall survival (mOS) was not reached in the ligufalimab group versus 8.3 months in the control group (HR = 0.46). The 6-month OS rate was 83.3% versus 73.2%, and the 9-month OS rate was 78.7% versus 43.1% in the control group.

Ligufalimab-based combination therapy yields deep tumor responses

• The objective response rate (ORR) was 80.0% in the ligufalimab group versus 66.7% in the control group, and the composite complete response (CRc) rate was 56.7% versus 53.3%; the proportion of patients achieving CRc with minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity was higher in the ligufalimab group than in the control group (46.7% vs. 36.7%).
• The median duration of CRc was 10.4 months in the ligufalimab group, which was markedly superior to 5.6 months in the control group.

Favorable Safety Profile With No New Safety Signals Observed

• The incidence of overall treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and serious adverse events was comparable between treatment arms. The most common TEAEs were generally consistent with those expected in the context of AML and AZA+VEN therapy.
• Anemia occurred in 46.7% of patients in the ligufalimab arm versus 50.0% in the control arm.

Notably, ligufalimab has already received Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) from the U.S. FDA for the treatment of AML. Akeso is advancing its ligufalimab clinical development programs at a globally competitive pace across both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Ligufalimab is also the first anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody worldwide to enter a registrational Phase III clinical trial in solid tumors.

About Akeso

Akeso (HKEX: 9926.HK) is a leading biopharmaceutical company committed to the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of the world's first or best-in-class innovative biological medicines. Founded in 2012, Akeso has built a comprehensive R&D innovation ecosystem anchored by its proprietary Tetrabody antibody technology platform, AI-powered drug R&D platform, Dual-Shield ADC technology platform, Dual-Lock T-cell engager (TCE) technology platform, Tissue-Smart siRNA/mRNA technology platform, and cell therapy technology platforms.

Backed by world-class GMP manufacturing facilities and a highly efficient, integrated commercialization system, Akeso has developed into a globally competitive biopharmaceutical enterprise. Leveraging its fully integrated, multi-functional platform, the company maintains a robust pipeline of more than 50 innovative assets targeting cancer, autoimmune diseases, inflammation, metabolic disorders, and other major therapeutic areas. Of these, 27 candidates have advanced into clinical trials—including 15 bispecific or multispecific antibodies and bispecific ADCs—and 8 innovative drugs have reached commercial stage.

Through efficient and groundbreaking R&D, Akeso integrates premier global resources to develop transformative medicines, deliver high-quality, affordable therapeutic antibodies to patients worldwide, and generate sustained commercial and societal value as it strives to become a global leader in biopharmaceutical innovation.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement by Akeso, Inc. (9926.HK, "Akeso") contains "forward-looking statements". These statements reflect the current beliefs and expectations of Akeso's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. These statements are not intended to form the basis of any investment decision or any decision to purchase securities of Akeso. There can be no assurance that the drug candidate(s) indicated in this announcement or Akeso's other pipeline candidates will obtain the required regulatory approvals or achieve commercial success. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in P.R.China, the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; Akeso's ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the Akeso's patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

Akeso does not undertake any obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, except as required by law.

The HSI closed at 24,403 at midday, down 89 pts or 0.37%, with half-day turnover at HKD145.514 billion. The HSTECH closed at 4,666 at midday, up 8 pts or 0.18%, while the HSCEI closed at 8,179, down 60 pts or 0.73%.

Among major techs, General Atlantic is reportedly in talks to lead a financing of over USD2 billion for KUAISHOU-W (01024.HK)'s Kling AI. KUAISHOU-W rallied 5.81% at midday. TENCENT (00700.HK) gained over 1%. BABA-W (09988.HK) edged up 0.28%. MEITUAN-W (03690.HK) faded 0.33%.

Apple-related stocks bucked the market trend on reports that Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) plans to launch a series of new products by the end of next year, including camera-equipped AirPods and a second-generation foldable iPhone. SUNNY OPTICAL (02382.HK) leaped 8.45% at midday, making it the best-performing blue chip. ASMPT (00522.HK) swelled 3.91%, AAC TECH (02018.HK) added 2.76%, and LENS (06613.HK) hiked 1.8%.

KINGBOARD HLDG (00148.HK) placed shares in KB LAMINATES (01888.HK) at an 11.5% discount. KB LAMINATES fluctuated in the morning session, once diving 5.7% before rebounding to leap as much as 6.87%, and closed up 0.23% at midday. KINGBOARD HLDG also opened lower before rebounding, surging 16.87% at midday to HKD115.7.
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Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) plans to launch a series of new products by the end of next year, including AirPods equipped with cameras, a second-generation foldable iPhone, and a new iPhone model to mark the 20th anniversary of the iPhone, Bloomberg, citing people with the knowledge of the matter, reported.

HK-listed Apple concept stocks bucked the market trend and ascended today (17th). SUNNY OPTICAL (02382.HK) last quoted at HKD80.65, up 8.11%. ASMPT (00522.HK) last quoted at HKD201.4, up 3.6%. AAC TECH (02018.HK) last quoted at HKD49, up 2.42%. LENS (06613.HK) last quoted at HKD28.2, up 1.37%.

The above products reportedly entered the later stages of development. The new AirPods will incorporate cameras into the earbud stems as computer vision sensors to provide Siri with information about the user’s surrounding environment and objects.

After launching its first foldable iPhone this year, Apple is expected to introduce a second-generation model by the end of next year, indicating that foldable devices may become part of Apple’s regular product upgrade cycle.
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Digital infrastructure company Equinix, Inc. (EQIX.US) announced that its sixth International Business Exchange (IBX) data center in Hong Kong, HK6, has officially commenced operations.

HK6 is equipped with a liquid cooling system and is specifically designed to meet AI innovation demands for higher power density, enhanced heat dissipation efficiency, and operational resilience.

The initial investment in HK6 amounted to USD124 million (equivalent to approximately HKD1 billion). In its first phase, the facility provides a total of 1,000 cabinets. Upon full completion, HK6 will offer up to 3,550 cabinets.

HK6 directly connects to Equinix’s existing campus and the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park (HSITP), linking tenants and start-ups in the Greater Bay Area. This not only helps promote cross-border collaboration but also accelerates research and development progress.

The AI Discovery Hub, jointly launched by Equinix, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE.US) and NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA.US), has also been deployed at HK6, further advancing the implementation of AI innovation.
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