Bain Capital-owned Tanabe Pharma is on the hunt for licensing deals abroad to bring medicines into Japan, betting that unmet patient demand and easing regulations will fuel growth.

A new team of around eight people in the U.S., in addition to an existing team in Japan, is sourcing therapies globally, particularly in rare diseases, according to Akihisa Harada, Tanabe¡¯s chief executive officer.

¡°We are really focused on rare diseases, particularly for rare inflammation immunology, as well as oncology and neuroscience,¡± he said in an interview, adding that two deals are already in the works for this year.