Japan’s economy has remained stagnant for the last few decades, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has heralded the biotech industry as a strategic industry to attract global partners, which was also one of the expectations for the BioJapan 2023 conference held Oct. 10-12 in Yokohama, drawing attendees from more than 37 countries and was the first live biotech industry event that welcomed foreigners since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Insanity has often been defined as doing the same thing and expecting different results, and Japan seems to be trapped in that rut largely because it can’t seem to do innovation differently, said speakers at the BioJapan 2023 meeting held Oct. 11 in Yokohama, Japan.
Hoping to find a niche where it can be a pacesetter in biopharma development, the Canadian government is investing CA$49 million (US$36 million) in the new Conscience Open Science Drug Discovery Network. The investment will be used to accelerate drug R&D “by leveraging Canadian strengths in artificial intelligence and employing open science principles to drive efficiencies in building Canadian innovation capacity and delivering the medicines that Canadians need,” François-Philippe Champagne, minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, said in announcing the funding Oct. 5.
Venture firm Flagship Pioneering Inc. and Pfizer Inc. are each investing $50 million in a pact that could result in the development of 10 programs, each worth a potential $700 million in milestones. Altogether, if all products are successfully commercialized, the deal could be worth $7 billion, with milestone money going to Flagship and some of its 45 bioplatform companies.
Ahead of the upcoming G7 summit to be hosted in Japan this month, a delegation of 24 CEOs from the Biopharmaceutical CEOs Roundtable met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to discuss global priorities and to flag concerns over drug pricing policies in Japan.
Ahead of the upcoming G7 summit to be hosted in Japan this month, a delegation of 24 CEOs from the Biopharmaceutical CEOs Roundtable met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to discuss global priorities and to flag concerns over drug pricing policies in Japan.
The European Innovation Council (EIC) equity fund will no longer be managed internally by the European Commission (EC) after September. Alterdomus Management Co. SA, a Luxembourg-based fund manager, will make the final decisions on which life science companies to invest in. The aim is to optimize how the EU’s main tool for driving innovation and economic growth in Europe operates.
As several key revenue-driving products fall off patent in coming years, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly focused on mechanisms by which they can draw innovation to them. What launched as the Partner of Choice organization, for example, has now become the newly named Pfizer Ignite model – an end-to-end engine designed to bring innovation to the pharmaceutical company in return for services.
With an eye toward the future, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is seeking comment on artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and inventorship issues that may arise as AI takes on a bigger role in innovation.
With an eye toward the future, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is seeking comment on artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and inventorship issues that may arise as AI takes on a bigger role in innovation.