Rakuten Medical Inc. raised $100 million in a series F round to support late-stage clinical development of ASP-1929, its Alluminox-derived photoimmunotherapy being tested with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as a first-line treatment for recurrent head and neck cancer.

Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co. Inc. President and CEO Kazuhide Nakatomi is leading a management buyout to take the company private, citing mounting drug pricing pressures and tougher listing requirements on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Speed and innovation from Asia Pacific’s (APAC) biotechnology sector had big pharma scouring the region for the next oncology heir to Keytruda (pembrolizumab), Merck & Co. Inc.’s reigning blockbuster cancer drug.