A health ministry panel approved a plan to cut the price of Lecanemab, an Alzheimer's drug that Japanese drugmaker Eisai and U.S. industry peer Biogen codeveloped, by 15% in Japan starting Nov. 1. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/07/japan/science-health/japan-alzheimer-drug-price-cut/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #alzheimer039s #medicine #pharmaceuticals#eisai #health

Following a successful clinical trial, drugmaker Sumitomo Pharma said it's seeking approval for a Parkinson's disease treatment that transplants stem cells into a patient's brain. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/05/japan/science-health/parkinsons-ips-approval-application/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #sumitomopharma #parkinson039s #health #ips #medicine

Hong Kong reported its first case of chikungunya in six years, heightening concerns about the potential for local transmission of the mosquito-borne virus that can cause debilitating joint pain. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/04/asia-pacific/science-health/hong-kong-mosquito-china/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #sciencehealth #hongkong #mosquitoes #china #chikungunya

Researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo have found that basophils, immune cells often labeled "villains" for their roles in atopic dermatitis and asthma, can play a crucial role in alleviating lung inflammation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/01/japan/science-health/villains-cell-lung-alleviation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #health

Natural interbreeding between wild tomatoes and potato-like plants in South America gave rise to the modern day spud around 9 million years ago, according to a new study published in the journal Cell. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/01/world/science-health/potato-tomato-heritage-study/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #sciencehealth #potatoes #tomatoes #genetics #evolution

A Japanese startup says it has conducted a clinical trial to transplant a sheet of cardiac muscle cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells into a patient with a heart muscle disease. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/29/japan/science-health/ips-trial-heart-treatment/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #ips #startups #heartdisease

A health ministry panel of experts on Friday called for consolidating surgeries and radiotherapies for cancer treatment, citing such reasons as the dwindling number of surgeons in Japan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/25/japan/science-health/health-ministry-cancer-care/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #mhlw #cancer

The average life expectancy of Japanese citizens in 2024 remained almost unchanged from the previous year, according to a survey by the health ministry. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/25/japan/science-health/life-expectancy-average-flat/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #mhlw #health #surveys #lifeexpectancy

Researchers mostly from Kyoto University found the impaired function of a specific gene contributes to the malignancy of pancreatic cancer, which is hard to treat using chemotherapy. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/25/japan/science-health/pancreatic-cancer-mechanism/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #kyotouniversity #health #pancreaticcancer #cancer

For the past two months, Russia has unleashed nighttime drone and missile assaults on Kyiv that is straining the city's air defenses, and has its 3.7 million residents exhausted and on edge. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/19/world/science-health/kyiv-sleepless-stress/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #sciencehealth #russiaukrainewar #mentalhealth #sleep #children

Eight healthy babies have been born in the U.K. using a new IVF technique that successfully reduced their risk of inheriting genetic diseases from their mothers, the results of a world-first trial said Wednesday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/17/world/science-health/ivf-trial-baby-diseases/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #sciencehealth #parenthood #children #uk

A team of researchers in Japan found a key biological component that may help explain why women tend to burn more calories from fat than men, which could help lead to new treatments for obesity and related diseases. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/15/japan/science-health/japan-research-women-metabolism/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #health #instituteofsciencetokyo #universityoftokyo #obesity

Researchers at the National Cancer Center Japan say they have discovered how a previously unknown group of gut bacteria can boost the efficacy of a class of anticancer drugs. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/15/japan/science-health/japan-anticancer-drugs/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #cancer #medicine #drugs

A team led by a professor at Osaka University's Bioinformatics Center has replicated the mouse embryo implantation process in laboratory equipment with a high success rate. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/11/japan/science-health/mouse-embryo-implantation-reproduced/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #osakauniversity #invitro #pregnancy #medicine #ips

Japan is expected to lower the price of lecanemab, an Alzheimer's drug, following a health ministry panel's report citing its low cost-effectiveness. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/10/japan/science-health/lecanemab-price-cut/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #lecanemab #alzheimer039s #medicine #health #dementia

Content moderators from the Philippines to Turkey are uniting to push for better mental health support to help them handle the psychological effects of being exposed to a rising tide of disturbing images online. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/04/world/science-health/content-moderators-mental-trauma/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #sciencehealth #socialmedia #mentalhealth #meta #facebook

The World Health Organization is pushing countries to raise the prices of sugary drinks, alcohol and tobacco by 50% over the next 10 years through taxation to help tackle chronic public health problems. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/04/world/science-health/who-health-taxes/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #sciencehealth #who #softdrinks #smoking #alcohol #health