Surprising SanBio/Sumitomo Stroke Stumble Slams Stocks

Mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy's missed Phase IIb endpoint in stroke prompts both an assessment of future development plans and a precipitous fall in developers' stocks.

Memory loss and brain aging due to dementia and alzheimer's disease as a medical icon of a group of color changing autumn fall trees shaped as a human head losing leaves on a white background.
Phase II Failure For Novel Stroke Therapy • Source: Shutterstock

Failed clinical trials may be routine in the pharma world, but one such event has had a broad impact in Japan this week, amplified by recent meteoric rises in the product developer's stock and positive local sentiment around cell-based therapies.

More from Japan

Sumitomo Offloads Asia Pharma Ops To Marubeni For $480m

 
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The latest in a long line of restructuring measures will see Sumitomo Pharma making a stepped sale of its pharma operations in Asia to major Japanese trading house Marubeni.

Japan T-Reg Venture RegCell Raises New Funds, Relocates To US

 
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Kyoto-based venture moves HQ to California to expand R&D and business outreach for its regulatory T-cell technology, as it raises around $46m in public and private funding.

Eisai Expands Dementia Ecosystem Via EcoNaviSta Acquisition

 
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Move to acquire profitable Tokyo-based venture part of Japanese major's strategy of building a broader ecosystem for dementia detection and care.

Multiple Factors Behind Accelerating Private Equity Plays In Japan, APAC

 

With two major deals since just the beginning of the year in Japan, private equity groups appear to be ramping up their presence in the country's biopharma sector, amid ongoing activity across the wider APAC region.

More from Focus On Asia

AZ’s Oncology R&D Head On China’s Scientific Promise And True Innovation

 

AstraZeneca remains committed to investing in R&D and alliances in China, where Susan Galbraith, the UK major’s head of oncology R&D, sees innovation eventually reaching parity with the US and Europe.

Trump Tariffs – Indian Pharma Dodges Bullet, But Sword Still Hangs?

 
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Trump announced a 26% reciprocal tariff on India but a country-agnostic exemption of pharmaceuticals implies that the interests of Indian firms and the US consumer are protected for now. What is Indian pharma’s business exposure and what is domestic industry saying?

Hengrui Renews Global Phase III Push As China Players Plan Pivotal Multinational Trials

 

After a more than three-year hiatus, China's Hengrui has signalled its return to multiregional Phase III trials as it looks to globalize its innovative pipeline. Meanwhile, a number of other Chinese players have announced plans to kick off Phase III trials this year and beyond.