Asia Pacific

The 4 February entry deadline is looming for the inaugural Informa Pharma Intelligence Awards Japan, which will be held in Tokyo on 12 May 2022 to recognize and reward the very best innovations and achievements in pharma and biotech, highlighting Japan's integral role in the global healthcare market.

Intellectual property became front page news in 2021 as the pandemic ignited a debate on the role of patents in accessing COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics. 2022 will see a decision on the TRIPS waiver, a new USPTO director, and action on a pending march-in petition.

India saw a raft of vaccine and drug approvals in 2021, backed by pandemic-related accelerated regulatory processes, and outlined its intent to step up biopharma innovation in the country.  Pharma wants some of the regulatory flexibility to stay, though experts are seeking increased transparency in the overall approach.

Daily notebook from the virtual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference: new immunotherapies coming, what the year could look like in deals and new updates from multiple Asian companies. 

Stay up to date on regulatory guidelines from around the world with the Pink Sheet's Guidance Tracker. The complete Global Pharma Guidance Tracker, with sortable and searchable listings going back to 2014, is available online.

Merck and Lilly tackle some early challenges before striking voluntary licensing deals for COVID-19 therapies with Indian firms. Data around the use of these drugs in low- and middle-income countries could also potentially make them ‘more acceptable’ elsewhere, experts say.

The Pink Sheet takes a look back at major policy developments in South Korea in 2021 and ahead at what’s in store for the coming year.

Out of the more than 40 approvals granted to new drugs in China in 2021, domestic companies bagged around half to catch up with their multinational peers in the annual innovation scorecard.

Start the new year by catching up with these key stories posted by the Pink Sheet in late December.

India has issued emergency approvals for a number of new COVID-19 vaccines and extended eligible age groups for others, while developers of potential drug therapies in China have seen both gains and setbacks. 

While keeping its policy focus mainly on controlling the pandemic situation, South Korea is also increasing R&D grants to support the development of innovative drugs with global blockbuster potential through the launch of renewed and better funded Korea Drug Development Fund.

A recent policy forum discussed how South Korea should move forward to grab opportunities in digital healthcare and ensure global competitiveness in the COVID-19 pandemic era.