For a research-based pharmaceutical company to be successful in the 1990s. it must have a strategic plan for the global development of new chemical entities. Global development can be defined as an attempt to reach all major markets as rapidly as possible and for many companies these will include the United States. Japan. Germany. France. Italy. UK and Canada. which together represent approximately 85% of the pharmaceutical market in the developed world. The mutual acceptance of foreign clinical data would reduce the time and resources required to develop a new medicine for the international market by eliminating the requirement for the routine repetition of clinical studies in local populations. In Japan this has been largely based on the belief that genetic differences in respon siveness may result in a different benefit/risk assessment for a new mediCine. while requests in Europe and the United States for local data relate mainly to methodological and cultural considerations. The importance of this issue has been recognised internationally as it was one of the topics discussed at the International Conference on Harmonisation in Orlando (October 1993) and it is currently on the programme for ICH3 which will be convened in Yokohama in Japan in November 1995.

InhaltsangabeI. Problems in the Acceptability of Foreign Clinical Data for Pharmaceuticals.- 1 Acceptability of foreign data: genetic, cultural and environmental differences - do they matter?.- 2 Genetic polymorphisms in drug metabolism: clinical implications and consequences in ADME studies.- 3 Inter-ethnic differences in dose-response studies.- 4 Evaluation methods for clinical trials of drugs in Japan which may affect ethnic differences.- 5 The top 50 drugs in the UK and Japan: why are they so different?.- 6 Ethnic differences in response to pharmaceuticals across Europe.- 7 Medical practice differences between Europe, the United States and Japan.- 8 A survey of current practices in the US regarding minorities and gender: the pharmaceutical perspective.- 9 Current approaches to global drug development from a European perspective.- 10 Current approaches to global drug development from a Japanese perspective.- 11 Summary of Session I.- II. The Relevance of Ethnic Factors in the Clinical Evaluation of Medicines.- 12 The acceptability of foreign data in the registration of new medicines - Health Protection Branch viewpoint.- 13 The acceptability of foreign data in the registration of new medicines.- 14 Ethnic effects on pharmacokinetic parameters.- 15 A comparison of the clinical evaluation of medicines in Japanese and Caucasian populations.- 16 Current status of CMR survey on inter-ethnic differences in clinical responsiveness.- III. The Relevance of Inter-Ethnic Differences for Drug Development and Registration.- 17 Implications for the design and interpretation of Phase III clinical trials.- 18 Dose-utility relationships in diverse populations: ethnic, age, gender and cultural factors in efficacy and safety.- 19 General discussion and concluding remarks.- Appendix - Workshop participants.