Japan becomes first to authorize 2 drugs developed from iPS cells
Japan’s health ministry panel has approved the world’s first two regenerative medicine treatments developed from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, marking a historic milestone in medical innovation, Qazinform News Agency cites Kyodo.
The newly authorized drug - ReHeart, created by Cuorips Inc., a startup spun off from the University of Osaka, and Amchepry, developed jointly by Sumitomo Pharma Co. and Racthera Inc. - are designed to treat severe heart failure and Parkinson’s disease, respectively.
iPS cells, which can be reprogrammed to develop into various types of human cells, were first created by Shinya Yamanaka, director emeritus of Kyoto University’s Center for iPS Cell Research and Application. His groundbreaking discovery earned him the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Earlier, Qazinform reported Americans earned an estimated $4.7 billion last year by selling 62.5 million liters of plasma, a rise of more than 30% since 2022.
