Japan's MHLW action plan urges generic drugmakers to improve practices

The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has recently compiled an action plan to promote the use of generic medicines in accordance with the goal of increasing their share of the market to 30% (twice that of now on a volume basis) by 2012. This objective was set out in the Japanese prescription drug market proposal in the Basic Policy of Economic and Fiscal Reform for 2007 of the government presented in June.

The new action plan sets out concrete achievements and numerical goals that the government and generic drug manufacturers should reach by the end of fiscal 2007 through 2012, by categorizing the main issues such as stable supply, ensuring quality, providing drug information, improving the infrastructure for promoting the use of copy products and the matters related to medical fees and prescription format.

With regard to a stable supply, the plan calls on generic drug manufacturers to ensure a system of shipping all products the day after an order is placed during the fiscal year 2007, and 75% of products the next day, unless a wholesaler has no stocks, within fiscal 2008.