The Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) recently praised the Obama Administration for securing commitments from Japan to improve its reimbursement and regulatory practices for medical technologies.
The measures were outlined in a joint report agreed to by the U.S. and Japanese governments and presented to President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso on July 6. The goal is to promote smoother introduction of new technologies, increase patient access to innovative medical devices and expand access for U.S. companies to the Japanese market.
“We applaud both governments for their efforts to improve access by Japanese patients to life-saving and life-enhancing technologies,” said AdvaMed President and CEO Stephen J. Ubl. “We are pleased that the two governments recognize the vital contributions that advanced medical technologies can make to Japan’s healthcare needs.”
Among the measures announced by the two governments, Japan will substantially increase the number of medical device reviewers over the next five years and provide them with extensive training in order to speed the approval of safe and effective medical technologies. In addition, it will track the performance of these reviewers against performance goals and publish the results.