Tag - pharmaceuticals

 
 

PHARMACEUTICALS

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's Tokyo office. The company reported more cases of hospitalization linked to its dietary supplements.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 2, 2024
Kobayashi Pharma's health supplements tied to 157 hospitalizations
The figure reflects an increase from the 114 hospitalization cases that the company said were linked to its products containing red yeast rice.
Beni kо̄ji has been widely used in Japan and elsewhere as a food additive, and features prominently in Okinawan cuisine, particularly in a dish called tо̄fuyо̄.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 1, 2024
Beni kōji purveyors fear growing aversion following supplement scandal
The ingredient has long been used in Japan and elsewhere as a food additive, and features prominently in Okinawan cuisine.
Officials from the health ministry arrive at Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's plant in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, on Sunday for inspection.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 31, 2024
Kobayashi Pharma plants inspected over health problems
The company said five people have died after taking the supplement so far, with the total number of hospitalized users reaching 114.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical President Akihiro Kobayashi (second from left) and other executives apologize for the deaths and other health damage associated with its dietary supplements, in the city of Osaka on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 29, 2024
Kobayashi Pharma says blue mold compound may be cause of health problems
The beni kо̄ji red yeast rice dietary supplements are now linked to five deaths and 114 hospitalizations.
Packs of dietary supplements designated as functional food by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical. Consumer rights groups have for years argued that the functional food label is thin in scientific evidence and potentially harmful to health.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 29, 2024
Kobayashi Pharma scandal reignites debate on ‘functional food’ labels
The labels have been criticized for years over the lack of sufficient scientific proof of safety and efficacy accompanying their use.
According to Yano Research Institute, Japan's supplements market grew about 30% in the span of three years.
BUSINESS
Mar 29, 2024
Supplements market in Japan showing steady growth
Improved health awareness sparked by COVID-19 is a major factor fueling the growth, market research firms say.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's Osaka manufacturing facility in the city of Osaka on Wednesday
JAPAN / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Mar 28, 2024
What we know so far about Kobayashi Pharma's supplement deaths
The Osaka-based drugmaker is finding itself under further scrutiny as the search to pinpoint the cause of the deaths continues.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical has announced a recall of its products.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 27, 2024
Concerns mount after two deaths linked to Kobayashi Pharma supplement
A government probe is being conducted to establish whether the supplement, which contains beni kо̄ji red fermented rice, led to the deaths.
Akihiro Kobayashi (left), president of major drugmaker Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, speaks to reporters along with other executives in Osaka on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 24, 2024
Osaka drugmaker recalls dietary supplements linked to kidney disorders
The Osaka-based drugmaker announced Friday that, of the six hospitalized, two suffered symptoms serious enough to require temporary dialysis.
Alzheimer's drug lecanemab. A new trial is the world's first to combine lecanemab with a different drug.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 15, 2024
Japan starts clinical trial of familial Alzheimer's treatment
The clinical trial is under way in 16 countries, with four people in their 30s to 50s participating in Japan.
Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk says the Japanese public needs to know more about obesity rates before the weight-loss drug can take off in the country.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 9, 2024
Is Japan as thin as it thinks? Weight-loss drug maker says no.
In Japan, some 33% of men and 22% of women have a BMI of 25 — the crucial threshold — or more.
 Alli, which will be available from April 8, is expected to reduce fat stored around internal organs and prevent obesity-related diseases.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 5, 2024
Japan’s first over-the-counter anti-obesity drug to hit stores in April
The drug is expected to reduce fat stored around internal organs and prevent obesity-related diseases.
Takeda Pharmaceutical is in talks to make its dengue vaccine available in India.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 28, 2024
Takeda in regulatory talks to launch dengue vaccine in India
Takeda's dengue vaccine is currently available for children and adults in countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Argentina and Brazil.
The Central Social Insurance Medical Council has adopted a proposal to increase outpatient fees in order to boost the salaries of health care workers.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2024
Japan to raise outpatient visit fees to increase workers' pay
In order to increase pay for young doctors, nursing staff and pharmacists, basic hospitalization fees and outpatient fees will be raised.
Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital in Tokyo. A team including researchers from the university said it had created miniaturized organs closely resembling the human placenta.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 9, 2024
Japanese team creates miniaturized human placentas
Researchers expect the organs will help with understanding how viruses infect the placenta.
Pills move through a sorting machine at a pharmaceutical plant in Visakhapatnam, India. A recent report shows one Indian firm using suppliers with ties to China’s military industry, questionable track records on safety and bases in Xinjiang.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 6, 2024
U.S. taps Indian pharma, but supply chains still lead back to China
A recent report shows one Indian firm using suppliers with ties to China’s military industry, questionable track records on safety and bases in Xinjiang.
Eisai's Alzheimer's drug Leqembi
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 5, 2024
Eisai sees 'huge' growth potential for Alzheimer's drug in China
The Japanese pharmaceutical firm aims to roll out its groundbreaking Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi to 1,500 people in China later this year.
An employee looks at data on screens in the high-tech command center at the Novartis AG campus in Basel, Switzerland.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 10, 2024
Swiss pharma firms plot different paths to blockbuster drugs
Roche has doubled down on Alzheimer’s and boosted research and development spending across its portfolio.
Though ChatGPT debuted in late 2022, it was really in 2023 that we started to get a sense of what large language models could do, including diagnosing complex medical issues.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2023
The 10 most intriguing science breakthroughs over the past year
As 2023 has drawn to a close, let’s look back on some of the astounding breakthroughs we’ve seen in the last 12 months.
Smart chemotherapy is in the spotlight again as Big Pharma invests billions in next-generation cancer drugs.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2023
Targeted cancer drugs finally live up to the hype
The newfound understanding of how these cancer drugs work could lead to broader applications in treating various tumors

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?