NEW DELHI – India has banned 344 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs, including several antibiotics and painkillers and syrups with codeine, stating that they "involve risk to humans," they have safer alternatives available or they have no therapeutic justification. Read More

TAIPEI, Taiwan – In recent years, Taiwan has been pouring considerable attention, effort and funding into the development of a sustainable biotech industry, seeking a new economic driver to replace the diminishing prominence of its once-dominant electronics manufacturing sector. Read More

TAIPEI, Taiwan – While debate continues around how much biopharma innovation is actually taking place in Asia, Taiwan is pitching itself as an underexplored location where innovation is available for those who take the time and effort to uncover it. Read More

HONG KONG – Neurobiologists at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute (BSI) in Wako, Japan, have discovered that stimulating the brain electrically using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) releases synchronized waves of calcium from astrocytes, which reduced depressive symptoms and led to a general increase in neural plasticity in mice. Read More

SINGAPORE – Better quality filings, more reliable manufacturing and much-improved regulatory environments have rendered mute many of the longstanding concerns associated with the biopharma industry in Asia. Read More

SINGAPORE – Across much of Asia, and in China in particular, the responsibility of fighting for the rights of rare disease patients mostly falls on the shoulders of patient themselves. By talking with the government and industry, patient groups are pushing for more effective drug development and orphan drug discovery policies. Unfortunately, once disease conditions and cultural elements are taken into account, those groups may have significant challenges ahead. Read More

Solasia Pharma K.K., of Tokyo, said it started an Asian multinational phase II study of an intravenous version of SP-02 (darinaparsin, SP-02L), a mitochondrial-targeted agent, for the treatment of relapsed and refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma. The single-arm, open-label, nonrandomized study is being conducted in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SP-02L monotherapy. Read More

Sosei Group Corp., of Tokyo, appointed Peter Bains representative executive officer and chief operating officer, effective April 1. Bains has nearly 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry encompassing strategic and operational leadership expertise across global geographies, functions and business segments. Read More