Devicemakers across the world can expect greater interaction with Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) as it plans to raise its role within the international community and plans to set up an office in charge of international affairs to oversee the expansion of its global presence. The PMDA intends to increase its collaboration with international regulatory authorities, participate in more international harmonization activities and provide more information to other countries.
The PMDA was established and came into service on April 1, 2004, under the Law for the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, as a consolidation of the services of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Evaluation Center of the National Institute of Health Sciences (PMDEC), the Organization for Pharmaceutical Safety and Research (OPSR/KIKO), and part of the Japan Association for the Advancement of Medical Equipment (JAAME).