Browsing: japan

Eli Lilly gains approval for their Alzheimer’s drug donanemab (Kisunla) in Japan, offering another treatment targeting amyloid plaques like Eisai’s Leqembi as the ageing population drives a rise in dementia cases.

A novel Alzheimer’s disease treatment drug, lecanemab, developed by Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai and US firm Biogen, is nearing full approval in the US. Excitement is also building in Japan where the population of Alzheimer’s patients is growing and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has prioritised dementia. The drug is undergoing an expedited review by the Japanese Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency and could potentially be approved this autumn.

An unexpected wave of seasonal influenza has led to multiple school closures across Japan due to mass infections. Experts suggest this outbreak, off-season for influenza, could be a consequence of weakened immunity following the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced control measures due to the recategorization of COVID-19 as a “category 5” disease under the Infectious Disease Control Law. This surge of flu cases has implications for the wider Asian region, reflecting the need for continued vigilance as we navigate a post-COVID world.