Greeting from the Conference Chairperson

It is with immense personal pride and pleasure that the Japan Generic Medicines Association (JGA) will play the honorable role of hosting the 15th Annual International Generic Pharmaceutical Alliance (IGPA) Conference to be held from December 4th (Tue.) to the 6th (Thurs.), 2012 in Kyoto, Japan.

The IGPA is a global collaborative organization which consists of industry associations representing generic pharmaceutical manufacturers in key countries worldwide. This year, the IGPA Conference will be held in Japan under the slogan of “Generic Medicines for Better Access and Sustainable Healthcare”.

Amid severe economic problems the world faces today, many countries share a common, pressing challenge – the need to reduce healthcare spending under a sustainable healthcare insurance system, without hindering the peoples’ access to quality healthcare. As part of policy initiatives to address this challenge, national governments are implementing aggressive measures to promote the use of affordable generic medicines.

As we turn our eyes to key trends in the global pharmaceutical industry, the innovator pharmaceuticals industry is experiencing the so-called “2010 Problem”, or the dramatic patent cliff whereby a significant number of blockbuster ethical drugs continue to undergo patent expiry from 2010 and onwards. Meanwhile, the generic pharmaceutical industry has seen major global players in active pursuit of mergers and acquisitions as the industry faces new challenges stemming from the decrease in the number of small molecule drug candidates and the need for development of biosimilars.

At this year’s IGPA Conference, we seek to bring all of these trends into focus, and plan to invite administrative agencies, WHO and other global institutions, relevant academic societies, senior executives from major generic drug manufacturers, analysts from data banks, security firms and investment banks and many other prominent guests from all fields of activity to provide special lectures and to participate in panel discussions.

Furthermore, since the IGPA Conference event will be held in Asia, we plan to carry out two pre-conference workshops which specifically focus on the regional characteristics of Asia: (i) Pharmaceutical Regulations Regarding Generic Pharmaceuticals in Asia and (ii) Pricing and Reimbursement Systems Regarding Generic Pharmaceuticals in Asia.

I am confident that the IGPA Conference will serve as an ideal opportunity for all participants to mutually share in the most updated information and to expand their individual networks.

Kyoto city - The ancient capital of Japan with its 1,200 year history and the seasonal fragrance of the city’s autumn leaves await your participation in the Annual IGPA Conference, where everyone involved in the global generic pharmaceuticals industry will gather from all parts of the world. I sincerely look forward to welcoming every one of you and to hopefully having the opportunity to meet you in person.

Hiroyuki Sawai
Chairperson
Japan Generic Medicines Association