Astellas subsidiary says it “remains committed” to on-hold program in high-need disease despite fatal events.

Although oncology remained strong, Japanese major says it saw multiple impacts from the pandemic, including on hospital visits and clinical trial recruitment, and has already cut its full-year guidance.

The recent reimbursement and launch of Zolgensma showed Japan willing and able to approve and pay for gene therapies, and others including from Otsuka/Takara Bio are moving forward under a supportive regulatory framework.

Reimbursement issues continued to dominate the policy sphere in Japan during the last decade, while new forms of therapy benefited from positive regulatory reforms. Meanwhile, consolidation and specialization were major threads running through the corporate sector.