Japan offers outsourcing opportunities for bulk pharmaceuticals

Published: 14-Oct-2004


Changes to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law (PAL) will open up outsourcing opportunities in Japan for bulk pharmaceuticals, according to Dr Mitsuru Imuta, of Shionogi Co. Together with representatives from five other Japanese pharmaceutical companies he is in the UK in October, on a trip co-ordinated by the CIA and sponsored by a number of regional organisations and UK companies.

Dr Imuta was invited to lead the mission because of his ideas on how UK fine chemical companies can best penetrate the Japanese market. The timing of the visit is important because the revised PAL will totally abolish the previous product manufacturing licence system and this is expected to create a shift from a system focused on manufacturing to one based on marketing.

External manufacturers and contractors will be able to supply all production from August 2005 and given that the Japanese pharmaceutical sales exceed £35bn per annum, the potential for UK companies is enormous.

Since 1989, the CIA's number one international business promotion priority has been the Japan Speciality Chemicals Programme. As a result, since 1996, annual UK exports of specialised organic chemicals to Japan have regularly exceeded £80m.

  

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