Time from global initial launch to country launch of a pharmaceutical product Toward Improving Access to Medicines in Japan
Hiroyuki Fukuhara ( The Office of Pharmaceutical Industry Research Senior Researcher)
(No.31: Published May 2006)
The period of time from the world's first launch of a new drug to its launch in other countries was investigated for the top-selling products in the world in 2004, and analyzed from the perspective of access to new drugs.
The time required for a new drug to be launched in multiple countries has rapidly shortened over the past 20 years, and access to new drugs around the world has improved significantly. Although the time to market has also been shortening in Japan, the pace of change has been slower than in other countries, and the relative launch ranking has been regressing, and in recent years Japan has become one of the slowest launch countries among the 66 countries surveyed. In addition, approximately 30% of the world's top-selling products have not been launched in Japan, and there are concerns that the situation in Japan may worsen in terms of access to new drugs.
Measures to improve the efficiency of clinical trials by "stimulating clinical trials and clinical research" and "utilizing overseas clinical data," and to increase the attractiveness of the Japanese market by "price reflecting value" and "reducing clinical trial costs" will be effective in improving access to new drugs in Japan.