Narita Airport, Japan — Just flying through on the way to Beijing for a week. Scanning the papers here, the big health story is about mice with Alzheimer’s disease. Apparently Japanese scientists with the National Institute of Longevity Sciences in Aichi Prefecture have met with some success in developing an oral vaccine that helped mice genetically modified to develop Alzheimer’s recover functions close to previous levels. Scientists are now preparing for a small-scale clinical trial with humans possibly this year. Seems they are on an expedited time line with this research.
Other aspects of Japan’s medical industry are not always as fast. Tucked away in the business briefs was a report by the U.S. International Trade Commission complaining that about the time it takes for Japan authorities to approved American medical devices for the Japanese market. The U.S. says it takes up to 3 years to get approvals for devices that have 18 month life cycles. Essentially the devices are outdated by the time they’re allowed on the market. The complaint is part of a long-standing call for improvements in Japan’s approval process.
And finally a controversy is still simmering over remarks by a member of Japan’s scandal-prone government. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s health minister, Hakuo Yanagisawa, outraged many in the country by calling women “baby-giving machines” in a speech made in January on the country’s low birth rate.
Pretty lively here in the land of the Rising Sun.
