Archives
Drug GMP Systems in China, Japan, and Korea
In the international pharmaceuticals industry, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliance is a fundamental foundation for the safety, quality, and efficacy of drugs. With expanding supply chains and more complex global partnerships, knowledge of the quality compliance environments of leading Asian pharmaceutical markets... Read More
Drug Master File (DMF) Systems in Asia
Introduction Quality, safety, and efficacy are of the utmost importance for drug products. A vital part in achieving this is having a Drug Master File (DMF). A DMF is a confidential submission to a health authority to provide detailed information about the... Read More
Japan Continues to Update Its Drug Loss Problem
As reported over the last year or so, Japan is trying to fix its drug loss problem, where many drugs approved in the US and EU are still not approved in Japan. Based on past drug approvals in the West, from 2016 to... Read More
Japan’s PMDA Issues Guidance on Determining “Competing Products” in Drug Applications
On April 3, Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) released guidance clarifying its fundamental outlook on determining “competing products” during drug regulatory reviews. The guidance is intended to promote the integrity and fairness of the drug review process given the possibility of conflicts of interest... Read More
Asia-Pacific Developing Frameworks for AI-Enabled Medical Technologies
In the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, regulators are taking important steps to shape the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in medical technology. With that progress comes recognition of the usefulness and transformative potential of AI, and the necessity for new levels of oversight.... Read More
Japan Now Beginning to Push for More Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCT)
Japan has historically been behind the US and EU when it comes to using DCT for drug research. To date, Japanese clinical trials have been only done at a limited number of hospitals. This means that patients oftentimes need to commute a... Read More
Japan Pharmaceutical Updates
On March 18, the Japanese MHLW announced six goals to strengthen their clinical trial capabilities. First, Japan wants to build a more advanced, first-class clinical trial regime to enhance and promote local clinical trials. Second, the MHLW hopes to build a better infrastructure... Read More
Japan’s PMDA Makes Adjustments to On-site Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Inspections
Starting on January 31, the PMDA will adopt its on-site GCP inspections according to the past performance of facilities that do drug and regenerative medicine clinical trials. At clinical trial facilities where inspections have been carried out very often, certain documentation will... Read More
Japan to Start a Pilot Program to Determine Fair Market Value (FMV) of Clinical Trial Expenses
On February 26, the Japanese Health Science Council’s sub-committee on clinical trials set up an FMV pilot program to study clinical trial costs at designated Japanese hospitals. The pilot program will be done in Japan’s fiscal year 2025 which starts in April. This... Read More