In the latest in a string of deals, Takeda's agreement to acquire global rights to Altos's gastroparesis candidate - and possibly the company itself - gives the Japanese giant another asset in its core gastrointestinal area.

The Japanese peptide venture Interprotein is tapping into artificial intelligence technology with the hope of improving the efficiency and accuracy of its drug discovery efforts.

RaQualia Pharma sees a new collaboration with Nagoya University as having two main benefits: aiding its effort to find innovative new drugs and helping to control operational expenses.

Following the drastic cuts to its sales and profit forecasts for calendar 2013 in early November, RaQualia Pharma has taken two steps that will contribute to its business, one providing an immediate boost before the books close for the year.