Japan's 2016 budget promotes innovative drugs and devices

 28-Dec-15

Japan's government approved a draft budget for FY2016 at an extraordinary Cabinet meeting on 24-Dec-15. Based on the comprehensive strategy for strengthening the pharmaceutical industry announced in September, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) will receive 82.5 billion yen to promote the development of innovative new drugs and medical devices. Among other things, this budget will fund initiatives to promote the practical application of genomic medicine.

Image: Tohoku University

The Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) will receive a total of 126.5 billion yen (up 1.3% from 124.8 billion yen in FY2015). The budget to promote the development of innovative new drugs and medical devices includes 420 million yen (280 million yen) to improve the domestic environment for this purpose.

In addition, 1.5 billion yen is earmarked to promote healthcare across national borders. A total of 710 million yen (580 million yen) is earmarked to promote the use and ensure the quality of generic drugs. National medical research centers will serve as hubs for the collection of full genome information from individual patients to promote personalized medicine in fields including refractory diseases and cancer. 

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