MHLW 2009 Budget Requests ¥1.4 Billion To Strengthen PDMA Safety Measures
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare released Aug. 26 a budget request for fiscal year 2009 of ¥22.85 trillion, an ¥829.2 billion and 3.8 percent increase compared to FY 2008's initial budget. The budget allocates ¥48.2 billion to stock up on flu drugs such as Tamiflu (oseltamivir)and Relenza (zanamavir) and pre-pandemic vaccines, and to develop pandemic vaccines. ¥33.2 billion is designated to develop new drugs in the areas of cancer, mental disorder, intractable and rare diseases and regenerative medicine. To boost safety measures in drugs and medical devices, ¥1.4 billion is allocated to the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Agency to increase staff, and ¥900 million to the PDMA in establishing a consulting system to promote Japan-U.S.-Europe joint clinical trials and concurrent reviews for medical device. (Click here for more - Japanese language