HONG KONG – A Chinese investment company focused on health care has secured a third fund to invest $188 million in pharmaceuticals, medical technology, health care services and biotech companies.

HONG KONG – The CFDA gave the green light to Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products Co. Ltd. (SZ:300122) to launch its joint vaccine against group A and C meningococcus and haemophilus influenzae type B (AC-Hib). Zhifei's subsidiary, Beijing Zhifei Lvzhu Biopharmaceutical Co., developed the vaccine that aims to prevent infectious diseases such as meningitis, pneumonia, septicemia, cellulitis, arthritis and epiglottitis caused by group A and C meningococcus as well as type b haemophilus influenzae (Hib).

HONG KONG – Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd., the second largest pharmaceutical in Japan, has partnered with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), in a collaborative drug discovery program to develop therapeutics and diagnostics to treat degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and frontotemporal dementias (FTD)

TOKYO – Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is counting on a program of "three arrows" to continue revitalizing his country's economy. The first two arrows in his quiver are massive monetary easing and targeted fiscal support. The third, and possibly the most important arrow in the long term, is a series of structural reforms. High up on the list of the reforms is a somewhat radical shift in the way Japan approaches medical and biotechnology research.

TOKYO – Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is counting on a program of "three arrows" to continue revitalizing his country's economy. The first two arrows in his quiver are massive monetary easing and targeted fiscal support. The third, and possibly the most important arrow in the long term, is a series of structural reforms. High up on the list of the reforms is a somewhat radical shift in the way Japan approaches medical and biotechnology research.

HONG KONG – Asia led the global market for initial public offerings (IPO) last year as the number of new offerings around the world powered upward and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies took up a leading role.

TOKYO – Facing long delays in access to game-changing medicines, Asian health care markets have become much more innovation-oriented over the past decade, but those efforts are conflicted as they are simultaneously aiming to contain the cost of drugs.

HONG KONG – Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. has the green light to manufacture and market its cell cultured influenza vaccines co-developed with Baxter International Inc. The approval is yet another step in Japan's push to boost its influenza preparedness.

HONG KONG – An Indian court has banned exports of a generic cancer drug, giving Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc. a first victory in an ongoing lawsuit to protect the patent of targeted cancer drug Nexavar (sorafenib), one of its star performers co-developed with Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc.