New Year's Greetings from the Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan, 2022

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January 05, 2022
Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association
Chairman Yasushi Okada

At the beginning of the year 2022, I would like to extend my best wishes for the New Year.

As the world faces the threat of a pandemic of a new type of coronavirus, more than 5 million people have died so far. In Japan, the number of people infected with the virus has been suppressed and there are signs that the situation is under control, thanks to the progress of vaccination and thorough infection control measures taken by the Japanese people. However, the emergence of the Omicron strain, and other factors in the global infection situation still leave much to be desired. We would like to express our deepest sympathies to those who have been infected and to the families of those who lost their lives.
The pharmaceutical industry is working diligently to develop domestically produced vaccines and oral therapies to put an end to the fight against the new coronavirus, and we are steadily advancing preparations for the next pandemic through close collaboration among industry, government, and academia.

Last year was a major milestone for the pharmaceutical industry. The pandemic has led to the recognition of pharmaceuticals as an important strategic asset for security, and the "Growth Strategy Action Plan" approved by the Cabinet in June positioned life sciences as an important strategic field along with digital and green. In September, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) issued the "Pharmaceutical Industry Vision 2021" for the first time in eight years, which develops pharmaceutical industry policies targeting innovative drug discovery, generic drugs, and drug distribution, while adding an economic security perspective. The pharmaceutical industry welcomes the formulation of the vision and will do its utmost to fulfill the expectations of the vision.

In order for Japan to continue to produce innovative new drugs, it is necessary to build a drug discovery ecosystem in which industry, government, and academia collaborate to link the promising seeds of venture companies and academia to practical applications. To this end, it is necessary to create a bio-community, like Boston, where people with entrepreneurial spirit gather, ventures start up with cutting-edge research, and various research institutions organically collaborate; to develop a health and medical big data infrastructure; and to establish a drug pricing system that appropriately evaluates innovation. In particular, it is essential that an appropriate drug price level based on the value of innovation be maintained during the patent period, and that the cycle of reinvesting the revenue generated from such innovation in the creation of further innovation be continued. In this regard, the "system to maintain drug prices during the patent term" is the lifeline that supports the pharmaceutical industry.

The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan and its member companies are committed to creating innovative new drugs that satisfy unmet medical needs and support the extension of healthy life expectancy of the Japanese people, as well as being a key industry that drives the growth of the Japanese economy. I would like to conclude my New Year's greetings by asking for your understanding and support.

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