President's Message

The Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (JPMA) is an organization formed by R&D-oriented pharmaceutical companies in Japan that strive to enhance the health and welfare of people in and outside of Japan through bringing innovative and highly useful drugs to the market, and through further growth of the pharmaceutical industry.

Japanese pharmaceutical manufacturers have a high level of research and development capability in the world, and medicines we made benefit patients all over the world, helping to improve their quality of life. We aim to translate new technologies and recent developments in life science such as genome studies, which have progressed significantly since the turn of the 21st century, into innovative medicines. We believe we can make our contribution to healthcare in this way.

The development of new medicines, however, requires a long period of time and enormous cost, and the success rate of R&D has been decreasing in recent years. We need a new drug pricing system that appropriately evaluates the value of each medicine, and such a system is now in the trial phase looking towards official enforcement in two years. The system is vital for us to maintain our competitiveness, to contribute to the world´s healthcare, and to play the role of an engine for the sustainable growth of the Japanese economy as a knowledge/technology intensive industry.

We are striving to accelerate innovation in creating new medicines by implementing various measures such as providing a better environment for clinical trials and cooperating with related organizations worldwide, based on the “5-Year Strategy for Creation of Innovative Drugs and Medical Devices” introduced by regulatory offices such as the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in 2007. In order to achieve innovation, along with each pharmaceutical manufacturer intensifying its R&D efforts, the JPMA, as the coordinator of the industry, will support them in developing unapproved new drugs and other areas to accomplish this mission and respond to the expectations of the government and society.

JPMA, representing the pharmaceutical companies, recommends pharmaceutical-related policies to the relevant authority, and at the same time provides information to the public. In this way we will serve to contribute to the health and welfare of people throughout the world, along with Japan´s economic growth, through our sound growth as an industry.

Yasuchika Hasegawa President Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association