On November 15, 2022, Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) held the second roundtable discussion for an initiative titled, “Building an R&D System Together with People Living With Dementia and Their Families – Driving Parallel Progress on an Inclusive Society and in R&D.” The meeting was held online and was not open to the public.

HGPI views dementia and all other aging-related issues as health policy issues at the global level and has made continuous efforts in its capacity as a non-profit, independent health policy think tank to advance policies in this area around the world. In particular, HGPI was early to call for all-of-government initiatives for addressing dementia and has issued multiple recommendations to that end. The fruits of these efforts can be seen in the National Framework for Promotion of Dementia Policies formulated in 2019.

However, addressing lingering issues in this area such as conducting R&D and establishing a dementia-friendly society means we must build an R&D system that allows efforts to be advanced together with people living with dementia and their families. In other fields such as cancer, there have already been initiatives to advance R&D with active involvement from patient advocacy organizations in clinical trials. The field of dementia has also reached the point where we should establish a platform that enables a broad variety of stakeholders to collaborate on the creation of an inclusive society and to promote R&D.

Based on the discussion held at our first roundtable, the discussion at this session focused on promoting participation and collaboration from people living with dementia and their families in various areas and phases of R&D, from healthcare and long-term care to product and service development. We also examined discussion points related to introducing the results of R&D in society and building a foundation for participation and collaboration from people living with dementia and their families.

[Roundtable discussion members] (titles omitted; in Japanese syllabary order; only those who attended are listed)

Takeshi Ikeuchi (Professor, Center for Bioresource-based Researches, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University)
Kenji Ishii (Team Leader, Research Team for Neuroimaging, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology)
Takeshi Iwatsubo (Professor, Department of Basic Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo; Director, Unit for Early and Exploratory Clinical Development, The University of Tokyo Hospital)
Hidetaka Ota (Professor and Director, Advanced Research Center for Geriatric and Gerontology, Akita University (ARGG))
Hideaki Katagiri (Medical Fellow and Lead Physician, Neuroscience & Pain, Medicine Development Unit Japan and Medical Affairs, Eli Lilly Japan K.K.)
Naomi Sakurai (President, Cancer Solutions Co., Ltd.)
Keisuke Suzuki (Director, Innovation Center for Translational Research, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology)
Morio Suzuki (Representative Director, Alzheimer’s Association Japan (AAJ))
Taro Semba (Director, Dementia Project Promotion Office, SOMPO Holdings, Inc.)
Toshihisa Tanaka (Professor, Department of Neuromuscular Pathology, Mie University)
TaisukeTomita (Professor, Laboratory of Neuropathology & Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo)
Akiko Nakahama (Chief Portfolio Officer, Quality Lead, Alzheimer’s Disease Filing and Registration Japan / Asia, Eisai Co., Ltd.)
Jin Higashijima (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Global and Transdisciplinary Studies, Chiba University)
Masaaki Hirai (Representative, Mahoroba Club)

■Related contents

The First HGPI Dementia Policy Project Roundtable Discussion on “Establishing a Multi-Stakeholder Public-Private Partnership in the Field of Dementia – Driving Parallel Progress on an Inclusive Society and in R&D” (August 31, 2022)