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Commentary

Nature 453, 851-852 (12 June 2008) | doi:10.1038/453851a; Published online 11 June 2008

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Kaori Tsuji1 & Kiichiro Tsutani2

  1. Kaori Tsuji is at the Health Care Science Institute, Akasaka NOA 5F, 3-2-12 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan.
  2. Kiichiro Tsutani is at the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.

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If Japan is to become a front-runner in pharmaceutical development, it must not only speed up its approval of new drugs, but also enhance its own research capabilities, argue Kaori Tsuji and Kiichiro Tsutani.

How long should a therapy take to journey from lab bench to bedside? The obvious need to prove the safety and efficacy of an investigational therapeutic product has notoriously led to delays that that can be aggravating for both drug developers and patients.