While deal-making in the Asian pharma space shows no signs of slowing down, the past few months have been marked by a series of high-profile cases involving the return of rights by licensees or setbacks in clinical trials. Scrip's regional team looks at some of the factors at work.

Merck China former R&D head returns after a short stint with startup Ascletis, and Takeda has a new center director for commercial health. Top executives change also take place at Ono in Korea and Simcere Pharma.

Fatality of healthy volunteer in early clinical trial prompts halt of all clinical work for candidate anti-epileptic, potentially hitting Eisai's product succession strategy in a core therapeutic area.

Further progress for Daiichi Sankyo's strategic push into oncology as US issues first approval globally for first-in-class rare disease drug Turalio - but with liver toxicity safeguards.

In a move that will generate further useful cash for AVEO, Kyowa Kirin has reacquired global rights to non-oncology uses of tivozanib.

Revised agreement of 2016 collaboration returns all vopratelimab rights to Jounce. Gilead fortifies antiviral pipeline in deals with Novartis, Durect.