Mesothelioma | Mesothelioma

Oncology drugs that are judged to be clearly innovative on the basis of solid clinical data may be approved prior to completion of a Phase III clinical trial (as is currently the case).

A leading oncologist involved in the revision of national guidelines told us that the MHLW evidently wants to discourage the commercialization of "me-too" drugs in Japan.

For the past 25 years, cancer has been the leading cause of death in Japan, and cancer mortality in that country has grown rapidly.

This trend will continue into the future, in part driven by the aging of the Japanese population: the elderly are projected to account for approximately 26% of the total Japanese population by 2015.

As a consequence, the Japanese oncology market, which has already experienced tremendous growth, is poised to achieve further dynamic expansion.

If pharmaceutical companies are to capitalize on these opportunities, they must first find their way around the unique obstacles posed by the Japanese market.

This Decision Resources report focuses on the dynamics of Japans oncology market.

We review the Japanese governments efforts to expedite access to international gold-standard cancer therapies and measures it has taken to broaden the ra...

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