HONG KONG – A proposed annual adjustment on the pricing of pharmaceuticals and medical devices in Japan backfired after manufacturers publicly opposed it. A multicountry coalition of organizations said the changes would inhibit growth and investment in the entire health care sector, impede innovation and adversely impact access by patients.

LONDON – "I believe the world is on the verge of an effective Ebola vaccine." So said Marie-Paule Kieny, assistant director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) announcing positive results for the phase III trial of the Merck and Co. Inc./Newlink Genetics Corp. VSV-EBOV vaccine in Guinea.

TOKYO – Hoping to combine the affordability of biosimilars with the promise of combination cancer therapies, London-based Astrazeneca plc is making its first foray into biosimilar development through a joint venture with Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics Co. Ltd. (FKB).

HONG KONG– A newly discovered human monoclonal antibody (MAb) that can neutralize several different types of influenza A virus may represent a new antiviral treatment and potentially lead to the development of new more potent vaccines, according to a Chinese study reported in the July 21, 2015, issue of Nature Communications.

HONG KONG – The CFDA is getting closer to completing a new revision of the country's Pharmaceutical Administration Law. After drastically increasing the registration fees for pharmaceuticals this year, the CFDA is now soliciting opinions on a draft guideline for the registration inspection of imported pharmaceutical products.

HONG KONG – The discovery by Japanese researchers of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in a gene linked to increased susceptibility to adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), could lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets for this common and currently incurable condition.

Researchers from the Korean Seoul National University and Yonsei University School of Medicine have used the CRISPR/Cas9 editing system to correct a hemophilia gene in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and showed that such cells enabled mice with an otherwise lethal form of hemophilia A to survive.

Mesoblast Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said results of a phase II trial of intravenously delivered mesenchymal precursor cells (MPCs) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, published in Diabetes Care, showed that a single MPC infusion, ranging from 0.3 to 2 million MPCs/kg, was safe and well tolerated.

Novogen Ltd., of Sydney, appointed Iain Ross to its board and named him acting CEO. Ross is currently chairman of Premier Veterinary Group plc (formerly Ark Therapeutics plc).