HONG KONG – Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) ended the first half of 2020 by handing out a flurry of approvals to both domestic and international companies across a wide spectrum of indications.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is looking for more discounts from prescription drug manufacturers, but it likely will be a few years before the ask becomes reality as it will require congressional action and federal rulemaking.

A month ahead of its PDUFA date, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc.’s NDA for triheptanoin (UX-007) won FDA approval. Branded Dojolvi, the highly purified, synthetic, seven-carbon fatty acid triglyceride was cleared for use in treating pediatric and adult patients with molecularly confirmed long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorders (LC-FAOD), a group of rare and life-threatening genetic disorders in which the body is unable to convert long-chain fatty acids into energy.