The proposed merger between Charles River Laboratories (NYSE: CRL) and WuXi AppTec (NYSE: WX) fell apart this week (see story). Citing investor concerns

This week's announcement that some of Charles River Laboratories’ (NYSE: CRL) investors blocked the deal to acquire WuXi Apptec (NYSE: WX) is remarkable in several aspects. Most

In an open letter to interested parties, Dr. Ge Li, Chairman and CEO of WuXi AppTec, said “short-term financial concerns” were the reason its merger with Charles River Labs was not completed. Dr. Li expressed regret that the failure of the merger would slow WuXi’s evolution into a company with a broader set of CRO capabilities. More details...

Stock Symbols: (NYSE: WX) (NYSE: CRL)

The proposed merger between Charles River Laboratories and WuXi PharmaTech has been canceled. Citing investors concerns about uncertainties surrounding the deal, Charles River has officially withdrawn its $21.25 cash and stock offer for all of WuXi’s shares. The large American firm must now pay its China counterpart a $30 million breakup fee. More details....

Stock Symbols: (NYSE: CRL) (NYSE: WX)

Radient Pharmaceuticals announced a new plan to sell its China subsidiary, Jade Pharmaceuticals Inc. Jade has signed a letter of intent to merge with Shanxi BaoTai Pharmaceutical Co., a privately owned company located in Taiyuan China. When the transaction is closed, Jade plans to merge the combined entity with an unnamed public company, and the public company will move its listing to the NYSE Amex. More details....

Stock Symbol: (AMEX: RPC)

Kangmei Pharmaceutical will purchase the pharmaceutical assets of two TCM companies from the Langzhong government in Sichuan province: Sichuan Tengwangge Pharmaceutical and Sichuan Baoning Pharmaceutical. The company will invest 300 million RMB ($44 million) in Langzhong’s healthcare sector in the next two years. More details....

Stock Symbol: (SHEX: 600518)

Affymetrix is developing a genotyping array specifically for Chinese populations. When it becomes available later this year, Affymetrix expects its new product, the Axiom™ Chinese myDesign™ Genotyping Array, will be the first array available to power genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on a China-specific population. More details....

Stock Symbol: (NSDQ: AFFX)

China Kanghui Holdings, a medical-device company, filed its registration papers to make an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange that will raise up to $75 million. Kanghui makes orthopedic implants such as plates and screws for use in treating trauma or spinal conditions. It recorded a profit of $11 million on sales of $27 million in 2009. However, the accretion of convertible preferred shares turned the profit into a net loss of $1.7 million. More details....

Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), the international arm of US big pharma Merck, signed a letter of mutual intent with Sinopharm (China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation) to cooperate on a vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV, if left untreated, can cause cervical cancer. The two companies plan to establish a joint venture. More details....

Stock Symbols: (NYSE: MRK) (SHEX: 600511)

China has signed an intellectual property agreement with Taiwan that calls for each country to recognize the patents of the other. Under the new agreement, the two countries will be able to verify copyrights directly with other. Previously, they had to use Hong Kong as an intermediary. Details of the agreement remain to be worked out. More details....

The spectacular $1.3 billion IPO of Sinopharm Group in September 2009 may have been the biggest headline grabber, but the underlying reality is that a broad range of

Lijun International Pharmaceutical agreed to set up a Joint Venture with Tonghua Dongbao Pharmaceuticals in Jilin Province. The JV will manufacture and sell large volume intravenous infusion solutions. Lijun is headquartered in Hong Kong, though the majority of its operations are in the PRC. More details....

Stock Symbols: (HKEX: 02005) (SHEX: 600867)

CCBI Healthcare Fund, a private equity fund established by China Construction Bank, has made an investment in Shanghai Kindly Enterprise Development Group (KDL), a maker of polymer medical devices in China. KDL has the largest market share for needles in China and is one of the top three needle product companies in Asia. More details....

Stock Symbol: (HK: 0939)

Lee's Pharmaceutical, which is headquartered in Hong Kong, will be the exclusive China distributor for Remodulin, a United Therapeutics product. Remodulin is a prostacyclin analogue for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Lee's Pharma will be responsible for obtaining approval of the drug in China, which will include conducting bridging studies. More details....

Stock Symbols: (GEM: 8221) (NSDQ: UTHR)

In its initial filing for a Nasdaq IPO, BioHorizons, a US-based dental implant company, revealed it expects to market its products in China soon. The company has already submitted filings with the SFDA for approval of the medical devices. BioHorizon hopes its Nasdaq IPO will raise as much as $100 million. More details...

China’s central government spent 80 billion RMB ($11.8 billion) to reform the nation’s healthcare system in the first six months of 2010, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). Of that, 53 billion RMB ($7.6 billion) was put into building a basic medical insurance system, and 26 billion RMB ($3.8 billion) went toward equalizing basic health care services in China. The latter probably is

Beike Biotechnology Co. Ltd. has opened a rehabilitation center in Romania where it will offer traditional China rehabilitation techniques that are prescribed as part of its stem cell therapies in China, but are sometimes difficult to find elsewhere. More details....

Novartis reported the SFDA has approved China use of Rasilez® (aliskiren), a treatment for high blood pressure. A first-in-class direct renin inhibitor, Renin is part of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system that narrows blood vessels and helps regulate blood pressure. It is approved for use alone or in combination with other hypertensives. More details....

Stock Symbol: (NYSE: NVS)

BMP Sunstone rose more than 10% yesterday on rumors that it would be acquired by a private firm. According to published reports, the company will be bought for a price somewhere between $9 and $10, with an announcement espected in the next few days. The name of the suspected acquirer was not disclosed. Company officials refused to comment on the reports. More details...

Stock Symbol: (NSDQ: BJGP)

Bayer Schering AG of Germany and The People’s Liberation Army General Hospital (301 Hospital) of Beijing have begun a research collaboration to study women’s health. Bayer will fund research projects at 301 Hospital and offer internships at its Berlin R&D facilities to scientists from the hospital. More details...