When it comes to pharmaceuticals in Asia, Japan stands out as the heavyweight player with the second largest pharmaceutical industry in the world. However, faced with dwindling domestic demand, Japanese firms have been driven to re-invent themselves and become global players. In our April 2015 issue, we speak to Dr. Tachi Yamada, chief scientific and medical officer of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, on how a 230-year-old institution has transformed itself into an international, outward-looking entity.
At the other end of the spectrum, economic integration in the ASEAN region this year highlights new opportunities in Asia’s emerging economies. As our infographic on the last page shows, ASEAN’s six top economies are nothing to sniff at either, with a combined pharmaceutical market of US$13.7 billion.
This issue, we also feature two of the hottest techniques to make a splash in recent times: gene editing and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Check out our story on Snipping Out HIV and our exclusive interview with iPS pioneer Professor Masayo Takahashi of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology.
Last but not least, don’t miss out our feature story on the Unsung Heroes Of Biomedical Research where we pay tribute to some of the plants and animals behind many of our most important scientific discoveries.
Enjoy!
Rebecca Tan
Managing Editor
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