The number of oncology drugs approved by Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) as a percentage of total approvals has nearly doubled in the past ten years, reflecting the growing oncology focus in drug research and development (R&D) seen in recent years.

The oncology pipeline is deep in both early and late stage candidates, with developers keen to follow suit after the first wave of immuno-oncology approvals.

With the cancer market projected to see huge growth in the next decade, we are unlikely to see a reversal of this trend any time soon.