Fujifilm, 9 others plan regenerative medicine center
22-Jun-15, Nikkei Asian Review
Ten companies with medical-related operations in Japan are looking to team up with overseas biotechnology concerns to develop regenerative medicine treatments using cultured cells.
Image: Nikkei Asian Review
The companies, including Fujifilm Holdings subsidiary Fujifilm, CellSeed, Astellas Pharma and a unit of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen operations, will set up a development center to pool their technologies.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has made regenerative medicine a pillar of its growth strategy. Legislation that took effect last fall enables related products to obtain marketing approval faster after meeting certain safety requirements. The products can be commercialized in as little as three or four years, including development - far faster than the decade or longer often needed for such treatments in order to establish efficacy.