Despite a global tendency for lower than average success rates from Phase I to approval in the challenging oncology and CNS areas, a recent Citeline study finds top Japanese pharma firms have relatively high rates in these two categories in the US. So what are the factors driving those differences?

AstraZeneca and partner Daiichi Sankyo obtain the first approval for targeted therapy in HER2-low metastatic breast cancer for Enhertu, about four months ahead of the FDA action date.

A US jury decision in a long-running ADC patent dispute between Seagen and Daiichi Sankyo has found in favor of the US firm. But Daiichi has vowed to challenge the outcome while its motion to question the validity of the original patent on which the case is based has also just been granted, meaning the final impact remains uncertain.