Pharmaceutical industry urges EU to follow Japan’s innovation model

Pharmaceutical industry leaders in Europe are warning that excessive bureaucracy and hyperregulation are hindering innovation and the delivery of treatments to patients. Industry representatives suggest that without decisive action to foster activity, the European Union risks falling behind global competitors.

In contrast, Japan has launched the ‘Honebuto’ strategy, a series of structural economic and fiscal reforms approved in June 2025 to boost biomedical innovation. This plan aims to strengthen the life sciences ecosystem through sustained investment in R&D and manufacturing. Key measures include improving conditions for innovative medicines during their patent periods, such as maintaining higher prices on the national health insurance list to reward innovation. The goal is to align the growth of the innovative medicine market with the G7 average of 9.6% annually.