Tokyo, Japan-European pharma industry leaders have called for the opening of the Japanese market through measures to promote greater innovation there. The demand followed a European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations' visit to Japan led by EFPIA president Jean-FranÇois Dehecq, chairman and CEO of Sanofi-Synthelabo.

The delegation acknowledged Japanese authorities' efforts to bring their regulatory environment into line with global norms through the International Conference on Harmonization, but they expressed concern that, despite the rise in overall healthcare spending, the amount spent on medicines in Japan has fallen in recent years.

Dehecq said Japan should acknowledge its international role as a leading knowledge-based economy and, as such, promote a more open market that rewards innovation. He called for a new pricing system, one that supports research and development, with real premiums for innovative products.