The Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization on Oct. 30 welcomed the bilateral trade deal between the U.S. and South Korea announced during U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit alongside the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Gyeongju, South Korea.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. agreed to codevelop and commercialize up to three of Innovent Biologics Co. Ltd.’s immuno-oncology (I-O) and antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates with the signing of a $11.4 billion deal, including $1.2 billion paid up front.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. agreed to codevelop and commercialize up to three of Innovent Biologics Co. Ltd.’s immuno-oncology (I-O) and antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates with the signing of a $11.4 billion deal, including $1.2 billion paid up front.

Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Rani Therapeutics LLC have entered into a collaboration and global license agreement to develop and commercialize an oral product that encompasses Rani’s oral delivery technology, the Ranipill, and Chugai’s rare disease antibody in development.

Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Rani Therapeutics LLC have entered into a collaboration and global license agreement to develop and commercialize an oral product that encompasses Rani’s oral delivery technology, the Ranipill, and Chugai’s rare disease antibody in development.

Histosonics Inc. signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Gunze Medical Ltd. to bring its novel histotripsy-based therapeutic model, the Edison System, to Japan. The strategic alliance with Gunze Medical, a wholly owned subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Gunze Ltd., paves a figurative runway for Histosonics to introduce its Edison platform in Japan — one of Asia’s largest medical device markets.

Japan’s investor community is ramping up both inbound and outbound investment to create a cross-border fertile hub of innovation in Japan, investors said during a panel discussion at Bio Japan 2025 held in Yokohama Oct. 8 to 10.

Bio Japan 2025 was abuzz with the news that Japan has once again snagged the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, with Shimon Sakaguchi winning for his discovery of a subtype of CD4-expressing T cells that affect the immune response. Earlier today, Susumu Kitagawa snatched the second Nobel Prize for Japan, this time in chemistry. Both Nobel Prize winners were professors at Kyoto University.

Astellas Pharma Inc. reported Oct. 14 that its CLDN18.2-targeting monoclonal antibody, zolbetuximab (Vyloy), did not meet the primary endpoint of overall survival in the phase II Gleam trial of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Japan is reimagining how mental health care can be delivered digitally and proactively, with local governments investing in digital technology to create data-driven safety nets that aim to detect distress and deliver help, presenters said during the Bio Japan 2025 conference in Yokohama, Oct. 8 to 10.