ISPOR Japan Chapter Opens Door
to the Next Stage in Asia-Pacific
Isao Kamae, MD, DrPH, Kobe University, Japan
ISPOR Japan Chapter (IJAC) was established and launched on September 1,
2005, into a new era of history on pharmacoeconomics and outcomes
research in Japan, following up ISPOR’s first Asia-Pacific Conference in
Kobe, Japan, 2003.
Over 150 people gathered in the afternoon of the first day in September
at the Tokai University Club, Kasumigaseki-building close to the main
campus of Japanese government in Tokyo, Japan, to attend an inaugural
meeting and a memorial International Symposium. The symposium was
actively co-organized by Institute for Health Economics and Policy,
Tokyo, Japan.
Isao Kamae, MD, DrPH, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan and 2004-2006 ISPOR
Board of Directors Member, was selected as the first President of IJAC.
Also Shunya Ikeda, MD, PhD, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan and a member
of the Executive Committee of ISPOR Asia Consortium was as the
President-elect of IJAC, and Makoto Shiragami, PhD, Nihon University,
Chiba, Japan as the Treasurer of IJAC.
Peter Neumann, ScD, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA, and
2005-2006 ISPOR President, celebrating the inauguration, stated that it
is “a great success to the next step, not only for Japan, but also for
Asia-Pacific”.
Thursday, September 1, 2005
It began with the first Executive Committee meeting at noon followed by
the opening of the first general assembly and a subsequent International
Symposium for memorial. Isao Kamae, President of IJAC, introduced a
brief history to the establishment of IJAC with welcome remarks. It was
followed by a congratulatory address of Kazushige Ichinohe, MD, PhD,
Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan, who spoke about the
government policies on pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research,
particularly interested in potential use of economic data for pricing or
reimbursement of pharmaceutical products and medical device in Japan.
Randel Richner, BSN, MPH, Vice President, Boston Scientific Corp,
Natick, MA, USA, and 2003-2005 ISPOR Board of Directors Member, gave us
the second address of congratulation that emphasized the
interdisciplinary approach by ISPOR for the key to success, quoting a
Japanese word, “San-Kan-Gaku”, which implies collaborations of three
sectors: Industry, Government and Academia. After the address, three
distinguished speakers, invited from abroad, presented keynote reviews
on the past, the present and the future of ISPOR in relation to the
Asia-Pacific issues. Peter Neumann, ScD, Harvard School of Public
Health, Boston, USA, and 2005-2006 ISPOR President, spoke about the
mission and the achievements of ISPOR with the title, “The Importance of
Measuring the Value of Health Care Services”, including the lessons
learned in the US. It was an excellent lecture for Japanese audience to
understand what ISPOR did, what ISPOR is and what ISPOR will be in the
context of US and European concerns. Gordon Liu, PhD, University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA, and Peking University, Beijing, China,
and Chair of ISPOR Asia Consortium, introduced core activities of ISPOR
in the Asia-Pacific region with the title, “ISPOR Asia Consortium's
Perspective”, and emphasized that the ISPOR Asia Consortium has been
playing an important role for the second ISPOR Asia-Pacific Conference,
Shanghai, China, in March 2006. Tony, Yen-Huei Tarn, MS, PhD, President
of Taiwan Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (TaSPOR)
and President of ISPOR Taiwan Chapter, presented the Taiwan issue
including the pharmacoeconomic guidelines in the world with the title,
“Taiwan Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (TaSPOR) and
International PE Guidelines”. He indicated that there are many common
problems to be solved in both countries, Taiwan and Japan, despite the
different healthcare systems. Finally, as a Japanese speaker, Toshio
Nagae, BPharm, President, CMIC Marketing Promotion and Sales Support
CO., Ltd., and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Adviser
presented a Japanese view with the title, “Japanese Health Care
Perspectives - Great Expectation of Pharmaco-economics and Outcome
Research”. Illustrating with an example for a traditional vehicle of
wood how to turn with the lever in the Gion Festival, Kyoto, Japan, the
Japanese guest speaker suggested that IJAC could be a lever with which
Japan will change the direction towards the next stage in the history.
Over 50 participants came up together to the room Asahi in the same
building, at the reception in the evening, to know each other better,
exchange ideas, and gather information on what will happen on the next
stage of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research in Japan. Great
potentials of impact was projected to both companies and academics in
the reception room, because high officials came to attend from Ministry
of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan such as Kazuo Hutagawa, Director
of Economic Affairs Division, Soichiro Isobe, Deputy Director of
Economic Affairs Division (for Pharmaceuticall products), Kazushige
Ichinohe, Deputy Director of Economic Affairs Division (for Medical
Device), and Shunsuke Ono, Reviewer, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices
Agency. Also, it was honored to have Hatsuo Aoki, President of JPMA
(Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association) attending the party and
celebrating for the inauguration. Such gathering of stakeholders at the
level of decision-makers in health policy and management in Japan made
the attendants certainly regard IJAC as a vehicle of representative at
the country level. It was really a big success in Japanese community
including three components of industry, academics and government.
Also the establishment of IJAC will be a good input of potential
contribution for the second ISPOR Asia-Pacific Conference, Shanghai,
China, on 5-7 March, 2006, with the theme, “Improving Evidence and
Outcomes in Health Care Decision Making in Asia Pacific: Challenge to a
New Era”. The IJAC is expected to continue to grow, discussing and
developing a pharmacoeconomics guideline in the near future to develop a
new policy of government in Japan. The leadership by ISPOR members would
be greatly appreciated for the challenge to the next stage in the
Asia-Pacific region.
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