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Japan Approves First Coronavirus Vaccine But Hurdles Ahead?

Pfizer Gets Nod But Challenges Ahead?

 
• By Ian Haydock

Japanese authorities have issued their first approval for a coronavirus vaccine, to Pfizer/BioNTech’s mRNA product Comirnaty, but public vaccine hesitancy and logistics challenges could be hurdles to achieving high administration rates and effective herd immunity.

Pfizer Japan vaccine arrival
The First Doses Of Pfizer's Vaccine Arrive In Japan From Belgium On 12 February • Source: Pfizer Japan

Japan on 14 February formally approved Pfizer Inc./BioNTech SE’s mRNA coronavirus vaccine Comirnaty (tozinameran or BNT162b2), making it the first vaccine for the pandemic to be cleared for use in the country.

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More from Japan

Japan Market Entry: Consortium’s One-Stop Shop To Support Foreign Entrants

 
• By Lisa Takagi

Japanese CDMO Bushu talks about a consortium designed to provide a broad range of development services to smaller foreign firms looking to bring high-need drugs to the Japanese market.

Japan’s Ciconia Seeks Academic Candidates To Hatch In Global Market

 
• By Lisa Takagi

Japanese incubator Ciconia has just started verifying its first drug candidate with a vision of building domestic startups with globally competitive assets.

US-China Tariff War Pressures Pharma’s Complex Supply Chain

 
• By Lisa Takagi

Although pharmaceuticals are exempt from the US reciprocal tariff policy, for now, the escalating global trade war is already posing practical on-the-ground problems for some companies, Scrip hears.

AstraZeneca Logs Japan Growth Despite Price Cuts

 
• By Lisa Takagi

AstraZeneca logs growth in Japan despite a big reimbursement price cut for one of its top sellers and expects 40 approvals in the country over the next six years.

More from Focus On Asia

NIH Funding Cut Left Less Money On R&D Table, Tariffs Would Add To Woes: Aragen’s CEO

 
• By Vibha Ravi

Funding cuts at the National Institutes of Health, big pharma’s US onshoring moves, GCC partnerships and talks with the Indian government to solve intellectual property challenges are discussed in an interview with Aragen’s CEO, who is also keenly watching the Trump administration’s moves on pharma tariffs

Akeso Explains Ivonescimab Prelim OS Data After Investors’ Negative Reactions

 
• By Dexter Jie Yan

Akeso explains the circumstances behind the release of preliminary overall survival data from a head-to-head Phase III trial with ivonescimab in lung cancer, which some investors viewed as disappointing.

Novotech CEO On Flexible Trial Solutions Amid Tariff, Geopolitical Tensions

 
• By Anju Ghangurde

Novotech's CEO talks about rising interest for trials in regions with “regulatory agility” and “strategic insulation” from geopolitical complexity, especially among emerging and mid-sized biotech sponsors. Operational "reassessment” among some sponsors on exposure to China-based CROs/CRDMOs is another area he discussed.