Four Japanese vaccine institutes merge to speed up R&D

Four advanced science institutes in Japan have agreed to form an association in a move designed to speed up the development of new vaccines, the Daily Yomiuri reports. The collaboration between the science units would help local drugmakers by circulating useful research data between them.

The four participating R&D centers are: the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, the Institute of Medical Science at Tokyo University, the Research Institute for Microbial Diseases and the National Institute for Biomedical Innovation. Observers in the association, which is due to begin operations in the fall, include the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the Association of Biologicals Manufacturers of Japan and the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association.