Japan To Accept CD-ROM And E-mail For Drug Data

Health and Welfare Ministry officials in Japan announced last week thatthey have decided this year to introduce the use of CD-ROMs containing data on new and imported drugs, as well as an electronic-mail system to evaluate the products. Use of CD-ROM and e-mail - already accepted in the USA and Europe - is expected to speed up the drug evaluation system.

The Ministry's approval has been pending for some time, awaiting the results of a two-year investigation of the system's efficiency by the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, notes a report in the Japan Times. Data which can be submitted to the authorities in this form, the MHW says, include the method of manufacture for new drugs, chemical stability data and animal and clinical trial results.

MHW Budget Of 14,600B Yen Planned For 1997 Meantime, it has been announced that for the 1997 fiscal year, an initial estimated total budget for the Ministry of Health and Welfare of 14,600 billion yen ($126.13 billion) has been set, an increase of 1.9% on the previous year.