Japan approves at least six new drugs

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) approved at least six new drugs on Monday, including Xtandi enzalutamide from Astellas Pharma Inc. (Tokyo:4503) to treat castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The Japanese approval triggers a $15 million milestone payment from the pharma to partner Medivation Inc. (NASDAQ:MDVN), which was off $1.79 to $64.74 on Monday.

MHLW approved Type II diabetes drug Forxiga dapagliflozin from AstraZeneca plc (LSE:AZN; NYSE:AZN) and Japanese partner Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Tokyo:4528); and Efient prasugrel from Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. (Tokyo:4568) and partner Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY) to treat patients with ischemic heart disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). ...