Quick Asia Drug Regulatory Updates (January 2026)

Japan’s Cabinet Office has recently approved a 330 billion JPY (2.1 billion USD) support package to encourage drug discovery and strengthen the country’s biopharma sector. Key allocations include nearly 50 billion JPY (323 million USD) for bioclusters and biotech infrastructure, 20 billion JPY (129 million USD) for global clinical trials in rare diseases, 29 billion JPY (187 million USD) for cell and gene therapy manufacturing, and 16 billion JPY (103 million USD) for biosimilar production. The package also incorporates ongoing projects while earmarking new funds for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026. The plan focuses on “health and medical security,” supporting drug discovery infrastructure, regenerative medicine, and domestic manufacturing systems. The initiative positions biopharma as a core growth industry, reinforcing Japan’s economic security priorities and continuity of the Liberal Democratic Party’s support for the sector.

In early December, Taiwan established the Taiwan Alliance of Clinical Trial Centers (TACTC) — a nationwide network of clinical trial centers that aims to facilitate patient access to new drugs and advance the country’s clinical trial infrastructure. Started by Taipei Medical University and backed by the government, the network consists of 32 medical and research organizations. Currently, the country only conducts 300 to 400 clinical trials every year, and this is significantly lower than its neighboring countries, including Australia, Japan, China, and South Korea. The goals of TACTC are to increase the quality of its clinical trial infrastructure and allow more organizations to join, therefore facilitating faster clinical trials and the patient’s early access to drugs in Taiwan.