Pharma groups are calling on Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) to reconsider its current drug pricing policies that include annual price cuts on innovative drugs.
Innate Pharma SA inked a licensing deal that grants Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd exclusive worldwide rights to research and develop antibody-drug conjugates using a panel of selected Innate antibodies against an undisclosed target, with a primary focus in celiac disease.
Japan’s PMDA has approved Aurion Biotech Inc.’s cell therapy, Vyznova, for the treatment of bullous keratopathy of the cornea, making it the first-ever approval of a cell therapy to treat corneal endothelial disease.
Astellas Pharma Inc.’s zolbetuximab, a monoclonal antibody targeting Claudin 18.2, met the primary endpoint for progression-free survival as well as secondary endpoints for overall survival in the phase III Glow trial in CLDN18.2-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.
Japan’s PMDA has approved Aurion Biotech Inc.’s cell therapy, Vyznova, for the treatment of bullous keratopathy of the cornea, making it the first-ever approval of a cell therapy to treat corneal endothelial disease.
Astellas Pharma Inc.’s zolbetuximab, a monoclonal antibody targeting Claudin 18.2, met the primary endpoint for progression-free survival as well as secondary endpoints for overall survival in the phase III Glow trial in CLDN18.2-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s oral allosteric tyrosine kinase 2 inhibitor TAK-279 met primary and secondary endpoints in a phase IIb clinical trial in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, but analysts say it may be too little too late to make a big splash compared to competitors.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s oral allosteric tyrosine kinase 2 inhibitor TAK-279 (formerly NDI-034858) met primary and secondary endpoints in a phase IIb clinical trial in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, but analysts say it may be too little too late to make a big splash compared to competitors.
Astellas Pharma Inc.’s fezolinetant met all four co-primary endpoints in the pivotal phase III SKYLIGHT 1 study for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms (VMS) due to menopause. An oral, nonhormonal compound, fezolinetant targets the neurokinin 3 receptor to reduce the frequency and severity of moderate to severe VMS, or hot flashes, due to menopause.
After gaining emergency regulatory approval in Japan for its oral COVID-19 antiviral, 3CL protease inhibitor Xocova (ensitrelvir/S-217622), Shionogi & Co. Ltd. is advancing several global phase III trials across a wide range of COVID-19 patient populations. Branded as Xocova in Japan, ensitrelvir received emergency regulatory approval from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in late November 2022 for SARS-CoV-2 infection based on the results from phase II/III trials in non-hospitalized patients in Asia.