Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, said data from its global phase II XCIMA study in atopic dermatitis were published in The New England Journal of Medicine, showing that nemolizumab, an anti-interleukin-31 receptor A antibody, resulted in significant improvement of the change in pruritus visual analogue scale at 12 weeks compared to placebo, hitting the primary endpoint. Patients in the nemolizumab group had a score of -43.7 percent for the 0.1 mg/kg dose, -59.8 percent for the 0.5 mg/kg dose and -63.1 percent for the 2 mg/kg dose vs. 20.9 percent for placebo (p < 0.01 for all comparisons). The study randomized 264 patients. Read More

HONG KONG – The prolonged pending time for drug approvals in China that has long been a thorn in the side of drug- and medical device-makers should be drastically cut this year, as regulators take steps to become more efficient and shorten procedures. Read More

Novel analogues of a class of antibacterial compounds isolated from soil bacteria could lead to the development of urgently needed new treatments for tuberculosis (TB), according to the findings of a study led by Australian researchers at the University of Sydney. Read More

SHANGHAI – Hutchison Medipharma Ltd. (Chi-Med) announced its first phase III win with fruquintinib, a targeted VEGFR inhibitor studied as a third-line therapy in 416 Chinese patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Sharing only top-line results at this time, the FRESCO study met primary and secondary endpoints of improving overall survival and progression-free survival. Read More

TOKYO – Japan's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) is looking to play an active role in achieving "rational medicine" in the country, the idea that a patient-centric system should optimize care from the patient's point of view based on the latest scientific knowledge. Read More