Japan Pharma vs The Multinationals

Do you have the opportunity to interact with Japanese drug companyexecutives? If so, do you have the impression they value the importance of global competitiveness, or at least the necessity to build a competitive presence in US and European markets?

Your answer, based on good reasons, is probably a resounding no, writes local industry expert P Reed Maurer. Globalization is often defined in the Japanese trade press as the process of establishing liaison offices in New Jersey, London and Dusseldorf. Globalized R&D is achieved by opening a small development laboratory in Palo Alto or Cambridge and outsourcing the managing of clinical trials to contract research organizations.

Turnover outside Japan by Takeda, Japan's largest drug company, were estimated at under 22% of its consolidated sales in 1996. In that year, the export-to-sales ratio of nine major Japanese firms was under 10%. Of the 282 New Chemical Entities discovered and marketed in Japan during 1975-90, only 44 are sold outside Japan. The industry is national, not international.