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To activate the text-to-speech service, please first agree to the privacy policy below.Taipei, June 24 (CNA) Following reports of a physical altercation between Cathay United Bank (CUB) founder Tsai Chen-yu (蔡鎮宇) and bank Chairman Kuo Ming-jian (郭明鑑), the bank on Wednesday attributed the incident to a "misunderstanding" about Kuo's multiple positions outside the bank.

In a statement, the bank said Kuo, in his mid-60s, disclosed his work outside the bank as he is legally obliged to do and these positions have never affected his duties at the bank, adding that the chairman has not made illegal profits from such positions.

The bank said the incident on Tuesday came about because Tsai, in his early 70s, misunderstood Kuo's jobs outside the bank. It urged the two men to enter into rational communications to narrow their differences.

Local media said the men first hurled insults at each other during a meeting in Kuo's office in Taipei before the situation became physical and police officers arrived at the scene.

Kuo has been an independent director at ASIC designer AIchip Technologies Inc. since May 29, 2025, when he was also a board member of Cathay Securities Investment Trust, an affiliate of the bank.

Both Cathay United Bank and Cathay Securities Investment Trust are wholly owned by Cathay Financial Holding Co., the largest financial holding firm in Taiwan by total assets.

According to Cathay Securities Investment Trust, due to internal negligence, the company's discretionary accounts, involving eight mutual funds, bought AIchip shares when Kuo was an independent director at the tech firm.

The investment trust firm reported Kuo's outside involvement with AIchip and the investments in AIchip shares to the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) in January. The company also decided to recalculate the net worth of the eight mutual funds involved from June 30, 2025 to Jan. 20 2026.

The investment trust firm announced last week that the company would compensate investors in the eight mutual funds after the net worth recalculation and would ensure investors do not bear any losses resulting from the error.

As a result, the net worth recalculation resulted in a loss of NT$454 million (US$14.32 million) from the company's discretionary accounts. Media reports estimated that including compensation to investors, the firm could face losses of up to NT$600 million.

Local news media reports said Tsai and Kuo's altercation was triggered by the losses, with Tsai angered over the chairman's outside engagements.

Cathay Securities Investment Trust said in an announcement issued Tuesday that Kuo has stepped down as a board member of the company.

As Kuo assumed a directorship at Longchen Paper & Packaging Co. on May 27, the FSC has requested Cathay Securities Investment Trust probe whether its mutual funds have invested in the paper maker.

journalist: Su Ssu-yun, Tseng Jen-kai and Frances Huang

title: CUB founder assaults bank chairman over 'misunderstanding' - Focus Taiwan


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To activate the text-to-speech service, please first agree to the privacy policy below.       AH-008 Achieves Dual Regulatory Milestones with U.S. FDA IND Clearance and Taiwan CDE Index Case Designation AnHorn Medicines today announced that its lead neuroprotective candidate AH-008, being developed for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), has achieved two major regulatory milestones: Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Index Case designation by the Taiwan Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE).

These milestones validate the scientific and translational strategy behind AH-008 and mark a significant step toward advancing a first-in-class preventive therapy for CIPN into clinical development.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is one of the most common and dose-limiting toxicities associated with widely used cancer treatments, including taxanes, platinum-based agents, vinca alkaloids, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). CIPN can cause irreversible nerve damage, leading to pain, sensory dysfunction, and long-term impairment that severely impacts patients’ quality of life.

Beyond patient suffering, CIPN often forces chemotherapy dose reductions, delays, or discontinuation - compromising treatment outcomes. Despite its prevalence and burden, no approved therapies currently exist to prevent CIPN, highlighting a major unmet need in oncology supportive care.

Regulatory Milestones: IND Clearance and Index Case DesignationThe U.S. FDA IND clearance authorizes AH-008 to advance into human clinical trials, following a comprehensive review of its preclinical pharmacology, toxicology, and manufacturing data. This clearance affirms the robustness of the program’s safety package and development strategy.The Taiwan CDE Index Case designation recognizes AH-008 as a reference program for novel drug development in its category. This designation reflects the candidate’s scientific innovation and potential to address an unmet clinical need, while facilitating efficient regulatory interaction and advancement of innovative therapies.

Together, these milestones demonstrate strong regulatory alignment across major agencies and reinforce the translational strength of the AH-008 program.

Preclinical studies for AH-008 were designed in accordance with the U.S. FDA Draft Guidance (January 2025), “Prevention and Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: Developing Drug and Biological Products in Oncology.” This guidance outlines FDA expectations for CIPN preventive therapies, emphasizing the use of clinically relevant neurotoxicity models and translational endpoints that connect nerve protection to meaningful functional outcomes.

AH-008 consistently demonstrated robust neuroprotective effects across multiple chemotherapy-induced neuropathy models, preserving peripheral nerve integrity while maintaining chemotherapy efficacy. These prevention-first studies were designed to halt the onset of neuropathy rather than treating established symptoms, underscoring AH-008’s potential as a proactive therapeutic approach.

Coupled with U.S. FDA IND clearance, these data validate AH-008 as a first-in-class neuroprotective candidate ready for clinical evaluation under current regulatory expectations.

AnHorn Medicines advanced AH-008 from preclinical stage to FDA IND clearance in just 12 months, underscoring the company’s integrated development capabilities. This accelerated timeline reflects AnHorn’s ability to unify translational science, regulatory strategy, and CMC development into a streamlined execution framework—demonstrating its strength in efficiently advancing first-in-class programs that address urgent unmet medical needs.

AH-008 is a first-in-class neuroprotective therapeutic candidate designed to prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy by targeting the underlying mechanisms of chemotherapy-related nerve damage. Unlike symptomatic treatments, AH-008 intervenes early in the disease cascade to preserve peripheral nerve function during cancer therapy.

Founded in 2020, AnHorn Medicines is an AI-driven biotech company specializing in novel small molecules and protein degraders for aesthetic medicine, oncology, and cancer supportive care. The company’s proprietary AIMCADD AI platform integrates generative AI and molecular simulation to design highly potent, safe, and patentable drug candidates with unprecedented efficiency.

AnHorn is redefining how AI integrates into drug discovery—accelerating innovation, advancing precision medicine, and enabling a more sustainable therapeutic development ecosystem.

Website：www.anhornmed.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/anhorn-medicines/

title: AH-008 Achieves Dual Regulatory Milestones with U.S. FDA IND Clearance and Taiwan CDE Index Case Designation - Focus Taiwan