Japan’s annual drug reimbursement price revision for 2023 will cut approximately $2.3bn from national healthcare costs, and while several temporary price increases have been granted to cope with an ongoing supply crisis for some products, a system of one-off revisions for big sellers remains.

Chugai is starting to implement a new digital platform at manufacturing sites in Japan that it says will improve efficiency and flexibility. 

Despite facing two clinical holds for its gene therapy candidates, Astellas is committed to proceeding with R&D projects in this modality. Outgoing CEO Kenji Yasukawa says technical challenges have motivated the firm's recent deals with academia and bioventures, and also provided updates on other key pipeline assets in the second part of this exclusive interview with Scrip.

Keeping the company focus on launching innovating drugs, Astellas CEO Kenji Yasukawa talks in part one of this exclusive interview on how the Japanese firm transformed its R&D processes to allow more flexible and agile decision-making beyond the wall of multiple sections.

While the close-down schedule for the Canadian vaccine technology specialist is still unclear, all ongoing R&D projects at the firm will be terminated, Japanese parent group tells Scrip.

Amid ongoing impact from exchange rates, Japan's five largest pharma firms showed mostly positive growth in the fiscal nine-month period. Enhertu will continue to drive Daiichi Sankyo, while Shionogi is forecasting record-breaking revenue on oral COVID-19 drug Xocova and Eisai is rolling out closely-watched Alzheimer's contender Leqembi.