Although favipiravir (Avigan) was developed and approved for Japan for influenza in 2014, the drug isn’t yet approved for COVID-19 but that may change soon. After all, favipiravir has been approved by some of the most populated nations on the planet, from India and...
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Prominent Japanese Academic Medical Center Launching Ivermectin Clinical Trial Targeting COVID-19
Distinguished Japanese professor Omura Satoshi won the Nobel prize for discovering a compound that led to the development of ivermectin. Now his university, Kitasato University Hospital, will conduct a major clinical trial to investigate whether the anti-parasite drug...
Japanese Government Secures 120m Doses of BNT162 from BioNTech & Pfizer Demonstrating Growing Confidence in the mRNA-based Vaccine Candidate
The Pfizer and BioNTech SE vaccine known as BNT162 looks increasingly in demand as Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) recently agreed to procure in 2021.120 million doses of the investigational mRNA-based vaccine candidate targeting SARS-CoV-2, of...
Falling Coronavirus Cases in Japan Cause Delay in Avigan Clinical Tests
Fujifilm Holdings Corp. will continue clinical tests of its anti-flu drug Avigan, a candidate treatment for the novel coronavirus, beyond the initially scheduled end in June due to a lack of sufficient data, a company source said Monday. Fujifilm planned to finish the...
Kitasato University in Discussions with Merck to Conduct Ivermectin Clinical Trial Targeting COVID-19
The word on Ivermectin as a potential approach to therapeutically countering COVID-19 is now getting out there—this time with Nikkei Asian Review. TrialSite News has followed the progression of the off-label approach of this anti-parasite drug carefully. Most...
Egypt Bullish on Fujifilm’s Avigan as COVID-19 Clinical Trials Commence
Fujifilm Holdings Corporation’s Avigan will be tested on COVID-19 patients in Egypt. That northern African nation commenced a clinical trial recently. Dr. Mohamed Awad Taj El-Din, the Egyptian Presidential Advisor for Health and Prevention Affairs, reports that this...
As Avigan COVID-19 Trials Commence, Fujifilm Increases Production & Japanese Government Plans Orders of the Antiviral
FUJIFILM Corporation announced that it has expanded its manufacturing capacity at FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd to significantly increase production of its influenza antiviral drug “Avigan® Tablet” (favipiravir) for treating patients with COVID-19. Moreover, the...
University of Tokyo Institute of Medical Science Considers Nafamostat for Clinical Trial Assessing Potential to Treat COVID-19 Clinical
The University of Tokyo is set to launch a new clinical trial using nafamostat, a blood thinner and enzyme inhibitor used to treat pancreatic and kidney disease that has been identified as a potential treatment for COVID-19. The hypothesis: the drug’s mechanism could...
Tokyo Medical & Dental University Teams Up to Investigate Cancer Genomic Landscape
Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), ACT Genomics (Taipei, Taiwan) and ACTmed (Japan) jointly launched a clinical research collaboration targeting the establishment of comprehensive genomic profiles of high prevalent cancers afflicting the Japanese...
Prominent Japanese Investigator from University of Tokyo to Commencer Ebola Virus Clinical Trial in Japan
A University of Tokyo clinical investigation team will commence the nation’s first clinical trial centering on a vaccine for the Ebola virus. Professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka and colleagues from the Institute of Medical Science at the prestigious Japanese institution,...
South Korean Biotech Ready to Pounce on Japanese Biosimilar Market Despite Trade Tensions
South Korean biopharma companies, such as Chong Kun Dang and Dong-A ST, move to launch biosimilars in Japan despite some trade tensions, as their therapies will be managed and distributed by Japanese firms. For example, both firms have applied for their respective...
M3 Inc.: One of the Largest Investigator Databases Worldwide
Tokyo, Japan-based M3 Inc. is a network of physicians worldwide. With 250,000 members in Japan and 3.5 million worldwide in the USA, UK, China, Korea and India, they provide a treasure trove for research access (investigators),health information and career...
(HM)-SCREEN-Japan 01 Program Bringing Precision Medicine Research to AML Patients in Japan
Iqra Farooq with AML Global Portal writes the prognosis of younger patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has improved with the development of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) and advanced supportive care. But, in most elderly...
SanBio Stem Cell Shots Improve Arm and Leg Movement in Clinical Trials
A bio-venture company has confirmed improved arm and leg function in clinical trials of patients who underwent stem cell shots to repair damaged brain tissue. Tokyo-based SanBio Inc. announced the findings at the meeting of American Association of Neurological...
Korean Gene Therapy Conference: Korea Pull Ahead of Japan & Some Challenges
Jeong Sae-Im writing for Korea Biomedical Review reports that a recent conference in Korea, BIO KOREA 2019 at COEX, brought together prominent speakers from a variety of Korean research institutions. Some observations from the conference: Korea may be pulling ahead of...
Cannabis Derived Epidiolex Approved for Japanese Clinical Trials for Dravet & Lennox-Gastuat
Epidiolex, a plant-derived cannabidiol (CBD) with no mind-altering effects, has been approved by Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for clinical trials in epileptic patients with Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut Syndromes. Japan does prohibit cannabis-based...
Shionogi & Akili to Commercialize Digital Therapeutics in Asian Markets
Japan-based Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (Shionogi) has formed a strategic alliance with digital therapy venture Akili to develop and commercialize digital therapeutics in Asia. The two report in a joint press release that Akili will create first-of-its-kind...
World’s First IPS Clinical Study for Spinal Cord Treatment Keio University Japan
As reported in Nippon, the Japanese health ministry has approved a clinical research plan by Keio University to transplant nerve cells from induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells into spinal cord injury patients. The first of its’ kind. Using iPS cells made from the...
First iPS Cell Trial for Heart Disease Raises Excitement and Concern
Katarina Zimmer writes for The Scientist that early next year, a small clinical trial will begin in Japan, marking the first time reprogrammed stem cells will be deployed to help regenerate injured hearts. A team led by Osaka University cardiac surgeon Yoshiki...
Editorial: Safety Should be Paramount in iPS Cell Clinical Trials
The Asahi Shimbun reports Researchers involved in clinical trials on new treatments using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells need to ensure that sufficient medical data will be gathered to establish the safety and efficacy of iPS cell-based therapies. A clinical...