On February 1, 2024, I was appointed as the Director of Department of International Trials at the Clinical Science Center, National Center Global Health and Medicine (NCGM). The Department of International Trials, established in 2016, assists companies and academia in planning and conducting international clinical trials abroad.

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases and the National Center for Global Health and Medicine are scheduled to merge in April 2025 to be newly established “Japan Institute for Health Security (JIHS)”. In anticipation of the next pandemic, we will work internationally and collaborate with business and academia to establish a system enabling quick and reliable clinical trials and other activities in the development of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostic agents.

I personally participated in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Expert Committee on H1N1 Influenza in 2007 and experienced the response to H1N1 in 2009, subsequently summarizing Japan's response and related issues. While working in the Bureau of International Health Cooperation at the NCGM, I experienced international projects such as the HIV response in Myanmar, the AMR response at Cho ray Hospital in Vietnam, and the yellow fever response in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In 2018, as a professor of public health at the International University of Health and Welfare, I continued my research on infectious disease crisis management. I had the opportunity to participate in the MHLW's Cluster Task Force and Advisory Board to discuss the public health response to the new coronavirus outbreak in 2020. Through these experiences, I realized that public health measures such as hand washing, masks, and social distancing are not enough to overcome a pandemic without medicines and vaccines. Recognizing my lack of experience in these areas, I joined a global pharmaceutical company to work in medical affairs for vaccines and antivirals, hoping to contribute to the development of medicines and vaccines for the next pandemic.

Developing and commercializing drugs and vaccines involves many difficulties. Balancing effectiveness and safety is crucial, and the safety of vaccines requires the utmost care. Historically, some vaccines were discontinued due to safety concerns. The inability to conduct clinical trials during the pandemic had a major impact, but future solutions are being developed using digital transformation (DX). Additionally, it is challenging for companies to invest in clinical development in infectious diseases from a business perspective, but public funding is being secured. Despite these difficulties, concrete steps are being taken to resolve these issues. In cooperation with business, academia, Asia, and the world, we are determined to resolve these challenges gradually and contribute globally, making steady efforts in line with our responsibilities.

Director, Department of International Trials
Center for Clinical Sciences, National Center for Global Health and Medicine 

Koji Wada