HONG KONG — Two Asian studies published online in the March 9, 2016, issue of Nature reported the successful transplantation of cultured corneal tissue to restore vision in blinded rabbits and the regeneration of transparent lens tissue in children, demonstrating the regenerative therapeutic potential of culturing ocular tissues from stem cells. Read More

TOKYO — Closer collaboration, especially information sharing, between different authorities, universities, clinical institutes as well as companies is called for to speed up biopharmaceutical development in Japan. Read More

NEW DELHI – With multiple biosimilars introduced and several in the pipeline, India's biosimilars segment is expected to touch $1.4 billion in 2016, growing at a rate of 30 per year, according to the latest report by an industry association. Read More

SHANGHAI – Executives from Eli Lilly and Co., and multifunctional contract research organization (CRO) Wuxi Apptec came together at the Shangri-la Hotel Pudong to tout a strategic collaboration to develop a phase I, small-molecule drug that could treat cardiovascular (CV) patients with dyslipidemia. The deal, which first went public four months ago, was receiving an extra communications push, a sign of the changing times in China. Read More

Abbvie Inc., of North Chicago, Ill., initiated phase III clinical studies to evaluate efficacy and safety of an oral once-daily agent of ABT-493, a NS3/4A protease inhibitor and ABT-530, a NS5A inhibitor, for the treatment of genotype 1-6 chronic hepatitis C in Japanese patients. Read More

Aspyrian Therapeutics Inc. said a new $40 million series B financing will help the company complete phase I/II trials of RM-1929, its experimental antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) for recurrent head and neck cancer and potentially for other cancers that have failed standard treatment. The financing was provided by Japanese billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani through his personal investment companies. Read More