While it was not as affected as some other countries, Japan still had the pandemic to deal with and regulators responded while managing to keep up regular product review work, including several world-first approvals. Coronavirus vaccine roll-outs and the first general annual reimbursement price cut are on the cards for this year. 

AMAG outlines plans for retrospective real-world evidence studies, and possibly a new placebo-controlled trial with a primary endpoint of preterm birth <32 weeks, in a filing opposing the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research’s proposal to withdraw the drug.

Influence of expedited review pathways and regulatory incentives is on display in 2020’s novel approvals, which have a composition reassuringly consistent with recent years.

Hanmi showcases at JPM its contract production capabilities for COVID-19 vaccines as South Korea prepares to bring in candidates from several global developers, while LG Chem highlights progress across multiple pipeline projects.