Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) held the policy dialogue event “Challenges and Prospects for the Improving Patient Access to Genomic Cancer Medicine” on October 11, 2023.

Personalized cancer medicine, in which treatment is tailored to individuals in accordance with the genetic mutations and other characteristics of their cancer, is expected to play an important role in the future.

We believe that among personalized cancer care, genomic cancer medicine can be delivered more broadly to the public as several years have now passed since Comprehensive Genomic Profiling (CGP; or cancer gene panel tests) was granted health insurance coverage in 2019, and those serving in clinical settings are starting to gain experience with this form of medicine.
Moreover, the “Bill on the Comprehensive and Systematic Promotion of Measures to Ensure the Public Can Access High-Quality, Suitable Genomic Medicine with Peace of Mind” (a bill to promote genomic cancer medicine) was passed in June 2023.

However, there are policy challenges with respect to delivering genomic cancer medicine may be not only issues that are universally faced by Japanese healthcare, but also many issues that are unique to cancer genome medicine.

HGPI held, Policy Dialogue Event “Challenges and Prospects for the Improving Patient Access to Genomic Cancer Medicine” on October 11, 2023 to deepen discussions based on Policy Recommendations “Improving Patient Access to Genomic Cancer Medicine policy proposal” (August 10, 2023) and to serve as a bridge for implementation into society.

[Event Overview]

• Date & Time: Wednesday, October 23, 2023; form 13:30 to 15:00 JST
• Format: Hybrid (In-Person and Online (Zoom Webinars))
• Venue: Zenkoku Choson Kaikan
• Sponsors (Japanese Order):
  MSD K.K.
  National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) Global Health Innovation Policy Program (GHIPP)
  Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
  Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd.
  Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K.

[Program] (Titles omitted, Japanese order)

13:30-13:35	Opening Remarks and Introduction
	Haruka Sakamoto (Senior Manager, HGPI)
13:35-14:05	Panel Discussion (1) “Measures needed to make Genomic Cancer medicine more common”
	Shinsuke Amano (Executive Director, Japan Federation of Cancer Patient Groups/Executive Director, Group Nexus Japan) Atsushi Otsu (Hospital Director, National Cancer Center Hospital East) Mitsuru Sakurai (Member, House of Councilors) Yasuhiro Nishijima (Director, Cancer and Disease Control Division, Health Service Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and welfare） Tetsuya Mitsudomi (Specially-appointed Professor, Global Research Alliance Center, Kindai University Hospital) Moderator: Osamu Takemoto (Program Specialist, HGPI)
14:05-14:15	Free Discussion
14:15-14:45	Panel Discussion (2) “Measures to improve patient access to genomic cancer medicine in rural area”
	Naomi Sakurai (President, Cancer Solutions Co., Ltd) Mitsuru Sakurai (Member, House of Councilors) Hiroya Taniguchi (Director, Department of Clinical Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital) Yasuhiro Nishijima (Director, Cancer and Disease Control Division, Health Service Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and welfare) Manabu Muto (Professor, Department of Therapeutic Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University) Moderator: Shu Suzuki (Senior Associate, HGPI)
14:45-14:55	Free Discussion
14:55-15:00	Closing Remarks
	Kiyoshi Kurokawa (Chairman, HGPI)