Japan’s Premier Clinical CRO A2 Healthcare, an ITOCHU Subsidiary, Launches US Expansion A2 Healthcare, a Japan-Taiwan industry leader, spearheads global new drug development in Japan from its new US office
Boston, MA
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April 17, 2024 08:04 AM Eastern Daylight Time
A2 Healthcare, ITOCHU Corporation’s (ITOCY) leading subsidiary in healthcare headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, announced its US expansion. Leveraging regulatory strategy and clinical development expertise in Japan and Taiwan on a global scale, A2 Healthcare aims to transform the Japanese drug market, the third largest in the world. The company will support new drug development in Japan by expanding its partnerships with biotech and pharmaceutical companies based in the United States, the world leader in biopharmaceutical R&D. The United States accounts for around a third of the global market, according to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA).
A2 Healthcare President and CEO Hitoshi Kamiya is confident that the Boston branch will help US companies navigate the Japanese market.
“Pharmaceutical companies shy away from the Japanese market due to Japan’s strict pharmaceutical regulations, complex clinical trial-related procedures, and drug pricing system that differs from Europe and the United States. Hence, fewer new drugs enter the Japanese market, creating ‘drug loss.’ In 2020, 72 percent of drugs approved in Europe and the United States were not approved in Japan,” said Kamiya. “Unfortunately, this rate is on the rise. More than half of the domestically unapproved drugs in Japan are developed by biotech companies overseas. With the launch of the US office in Boston, A2 Healthcare is optimally positioned to change this narrative. We are offering a new mechanism to eliminate drug loss by encouraging companies to develop drugs in Japan at ease.”
As a top CRO in Japan, A2 Healthcare has successfully supported new drug development, including a large number of sponsor-initiated clinical trials and investigator-initiated studies in various fields and diseases. A2 Healthcare’s advanced use of IT in its innovative clinical trials and high patient enrollment results in Japan were recognized with the “Best CRO/CDMO” prize from the Citeline Pharma Intelligence Awards Japan in October 2023.
The Boston metropolitan area is an ideal networking environment as part of the world's largest biotech cluster with more than 1,000 biotech companies working on new drug development pipelines. A2 Healthcare will also offer its Pipeline Accelerator Program, a financing program for these companies.
Hiroki Matsushima, head of A2 Healthcare’s Global Business Expansion in charge of the US Boston Office, stated, “Boston is the perfect location for launching global CRO services for new drug development in Japan, especially in supporting the development of drugs highly sought after by Japanese patients.” He added, “Japan is a country with a population of over 120 million people and an average lifespan of 84 years. In clinical trials, patient compliance is very high, while the drop-out rate is low. Sustained by a large patient pool for most target indications, Japan remains one of the most attractive and cost-effective places to implement global drug development plans. Additionally, Japan's low inflation over the past decades has helped keep costs down, unlike in most other countries.”
A trusted partner for the global life science, medical and pharmaceutical industries, A2 Healthcare offers the most efficient regulatory pathway in Japan for new drug development and regulatory submissions to gain approval. Combining extensive clinical experience and 84 million patient data from 97,000 Japanese sites in the company’s own database, A2 Healthcare has recently achieved a 96 percent enrollment compliance rate within the agreed schedule, setting an impressive standard in the CRO industry. For more information about A2 Healthcare’s services and to request business meetings, contact the Boston Office at matsushima-h@a2healthcare.com or +1(857) 265-0605.
About A2 Healthcare Corporation A2 Healthcare Corporation, an ITOCHU company, is a premier clinical contract research organization (CRO) founded in 2003 to enhance the quality of lives. Specializing in global clinical trial and research services, we support the development of new drug treatments across wide-ranging therapeutic areas and modalities. A2 Healthcare operates in the United States, Japan and Taiwan, leading the industry by providing best-in-class quality and deliverables through its clinical operations. For more information, visit www.a2healthcare.com/en.
Media Contact:
A2 Healthcare US Boston Office
Hiroki MATSUSHIMA
matsushima-h@a2healthcare.com
+1(857) 265-0605
A2 Healthcare Japan
PR: marke@a2healthcare.com
Investor Relations: watanabe-se@a2healthcare.com
Contact Details
A2 Healthcare US Boston Office
Hiroki MATSUSHIMA
+1 857-265-0605
