Abstract
The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) are responsible for appropriately implementing regulations and providing necessary instructions and advice so that patients have access to safer, more effective drugs. These responsibilities are essential missions of the MHLW/PMDA, although restrictions on drug use or development might be considered to be purely regulatory matters. In the genomic drug discovery era of the 21st century, it is expected that new, innovative drugs will be developed, although the reality can be slightly disturbing. The number of approvals of new molecular entities (NMEs) is only approximately 20 per year both in Japan and the USA and may reach an even lower level. In light of current drug development trends, drug delivery systems (DDS) for targeted therapy or personalized medicines as well as NMEs should be explored more proactively. To promote the development and evaluation of innovative DDS, the MHLW/PMDA considers it important to communicate smoothly among industry-government-academia from the very early stage of development. To promote this, the MHLW/PMDA launched regulatory affairs consultations on R&D strategy for drugs in July 2011. Innovative DDS require not only cutting-edge technology or materials but also extensions of existing pharmaceutical technology. It is most important for innovative DDS to benefit patients in practical clinical settings. The MHLW/PMDA encourages the relevant parties to develop a far-sighted strategy with this goal in mind.
