author

 
Menu
Search
 
April 25, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Robert Langreth
For Robert Langreth's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 7, 2023
Eisai Alzheimer's drug gets full U.S. approval, widening access to the therapy
The broader clearance from the Food and Drug Administration marks a milestone for treatment of the dementia that afflicts some 6 million Americans.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2023
Obesity and Alzheimer's news makes Eli Lilly world’s most valuable drugmaker
An 8.5% gain in May for Eli Lilly lifted its shares to a record high, while displaced Johnson & Johnson slumped 5.3% during the month.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 30, 2022
Eisai Alzheimer’s drug sparks debate over benefits as risks like brain bleeding emerge
The key issue is whether the modest slowing of the disease is meaningful to individual patients and their families, especially in light of the potential side effects.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 23, 2022
Bivalent COVID boosters give some protection in CDC study, but not much
Experts say it's still unclear whether the updated shots are any better than earlier versions at preventing hospitalization and severe illness.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 28, 2022
Alzheimer’s progression slowed by drug in major trial
The drug slowed cognitive decline in people with early Alzheimer's by 27% over 18 months when compared with a placebo using a common rating scale.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 6, 2022
Eisai says Alzheimer’s drug will get priority review in U.S.
Under the accelerated approval pathway, drugs can be approved based on their ability to remove amyloid, a hallmark of the disease, from the brain.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2022
Drugmakers pause trials in Russia while still sending medicine
Major pharmaceutical firms are seeking to strike a balance between international opprobrium over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the needs of sick patients.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 12, 2022
Biogen stung as U.S. limits coverage of Alzheimer’s therapy
Private insurers in the U.S. have mostly declined to cover Aduhelm, saying they need more proof of its efficacy and that benefits outweigh risks like brain swelling.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 5, 2021
Pfizer develops COVID-19 pill that cuts hospitalizations and deaths by 89%
The drugmaker claims 'overwhelming efficacy” and plans to submit their findings for emergency authorization as soon as possible.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 30, 2021
Pfizer won the first round, but Moderna sees final victory ahead
Pfizer has been first across the finish line in nearly every leg of the COVID-19 vaccine race, but Moderna executives say their company's mRNA technology gives it an advantage.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 5, 2021
The Moderna vaccine makes more antibodies than Pfizer's. Does it matter?
Subtle differences between the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc. vaccines are emerging across patient groups over time, but what this all means in the real world is still unclear.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 3, 2021
Lawmakers probe ‘anomalies’ in approval of Biogen Alzheimer’s drug
The congressional inquiry adds to pressure on the U.S. agency charged with regulating products that account for one-fifth of consumer spending.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 1, 2021
Moderna's shot makes twice as many antibodies as Pfizer's, study says
Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine generated more than double the antibodies of a similar shot made by Pfizer and BioNTech in research that compared immune responses evoked by the two inoculations.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 29, 2021
Doctors blast Biogen Alzheimer approval as ‘regulatory failure’
The New England Journal of Medicine opinion piece is another sign of persistent furor over the agency's decision.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 28, 2021
A pandemic-weary world is facing a distressing reality check
Around the globe, people and governments are finding out that COVID-19 won't be thrashed into extinction, but is more likely to enter a long, endemic tail.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 15, 2021
Novavax COVID-19 shot highly effective against variants in trial
The company plans to apply for regulatory clearance globally, with much of the first available doses going to low- and middle-income countries.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 8, 2021
Changing the game for Alzheimer's treatment, U.S. approves Eisai and Biogen's drug
The approval appears to signal a fundamental shift in the way the FDA thinks about Alzheimer's disease, which could have lasting ramifications for other drugs in the pipeline.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 14, 2021
Vaccine blood-clot side effect puts focus on immune reaction
Health officials are exploring whether and how an immune reaction may occur in people who have received vaccines made by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 31, 2021
COVID-19 mutations undercut optimism even as more vaccines near
Mutations that likely confer partial resistance to vaccines and antibody treatments are now prevalent in both South Africa and Brazil, and they are threatening to spread worldwide.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 4, 2020
Pfizer scaled back COVID-19 vaccine output targets earlier this year
Pfizer Inc. scaled back its COVID-19 production targets earlier this year after the drugmaker ran into difficulties securing all the materials it needs to produce the shots at a large scale.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Over 40% of Japan's municipalities at risk of vanishing, study finds
Of 1,729 local municipalities nationwide, 744 have been identified as being at risk of disappearing.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on the sidelines of IMF and G20 meetings in Washington last week.
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
For amateur sumo, a fresh start offers hope against time-wasting and gamesmanship
Wrestlers prepare for the start of a bout at the 2023 Sumo World Championships in Tokyo. Starting this month, placing one hand on the clay first is no longer allowed.
LDP veteran Nikai's youngest son expected to succeed him in Wakayama
Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced in March that he would not run in the next Lower House election to take responsibility for the political funds scandal that rocked his party and his own faction.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER