UK/Japan life sciences collaboration at BioJapan
This year’s 22nd BioJapan will run as a hybrid event with online partnering, seminar and presentation opportunities available.
2020 would have been our sixth year leading a UK Delegation to BioJapan in what has become one of our largest annual outward trade missions. BioJapan has played an important role in facilitating interaction between Japanese and global organisations, stimulating new business opportunities for almost two decades.
While we’re sad not be able to join our partners from the Japan Bioindustry Association this year, we’re happy to continue to collaborate with the region virtually. We have a number of virtual events taking place this Autumn and there are also fantastic opportunities available to join partnering meetings remotely at BioJapan 2020 – find out more and register here.
Why Japan?
There are no signs of Japanese interest in the UK life sciences market diminishing. Pressures on the Japanese domestic market are refocusing companies outwards and a declining population, along with ministerial decisions on reimbursement favouring generic replacement, are spurring continued externalisation. Equally, Japan is an attractive partner destination for UK life sciences sector for a number of key reasons:
- The Japanese pharma market is ranked 2nd in the world
- Japan leads the world in advanced therapies such as immuno-therapies, aided in part by legislative changes in 2013 allowing conditional market access with oversight after completion of phase 2 trials
- It’s a highly diverse market, comprised of traditionally domestically focused companies, often family formed, alongside highly globalised players
- Major Japanese companies including Shionogi, Daichi and Takeda are well established in the US and UK markets
- A new layer of companies are now slowly opening to international engagement, such as ONO, Otsuka Astellas and Ajinomoto (a former food manufacturer)
- The Japanese market, as elsewhere is going through a profound period of industrial convergence. Traditional auto and related companies are increasingly investing both in medtech and the digital area of healthcare. Mitsubishi Research has a major surgical and medtech division, and Honda themselves are rapidly moving into surgical and biosensors
Natural synergies
- Oncology and all aspects of neuro-degenerative disease are of dominant interest for Japan – and as one of the world leaders in these fields, the UK is an excellent potential partner
- Another area of significant interest for the UK and a big focus in Japan is its rapidly ageing population, meaning technologies and solutions that address the advance in home diagnostics, treatment and care are highly valued
If you’d like to find out more about the Japanese market or attending BioJapan virtually you can all us contact us directly for help.