The 7th India-Japan Medical Product Regulatory Symposium took place at the FICCI Convention Hall on July 10, 2024. Organized by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) under India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the event aimed to strengthen collaboration in medical product regulations between the two nations.

The symposium saw the participation of around 200 delegates, including officials from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, and the Ministry of Health, Law, and Welfare, Japan. Representatives from regulatory authorities CDSCO (India) and PMDA (Japan), along with industry leaders from the pharmaceutical, medical devices, and biologicals-biosimilar sectors, engaged in meaningful discussions.

This event is part of an ongoing initiative under a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed in December 2015 between CDSCO, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), and the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA). The MoC, which remains effective until December 2025, emphasizes mutual cooperation in medical product regulations. The symposiums, held alternately in India and Japan, are essential platforms for sharing insights and improving regulatory practices.

Key sessions included presentations by Indian and Japanese drug regulatory authorities and discussions on emerging topics in pharma, medical devices, and regenerative medicines. These discussions were vital for updating industry stakeholders on the latest regulatory initiatives in both countries.

The inaugural session featured notable speakers such as Shree Rajiv Wadhawan, Joint Secretary, MoHFW; Dr. Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, DCGI, CDSCO; Mr. Yada Shinji, Executive Director, PMDA; Dr. Hirota Mitsue, Deputy Director, MHLW; and Dr. Ranga Chandrashekar, JDCI, CDSCO. The event attracted 80 drug regulators and 120 industry representatives from India and Japan, fostering productive exchanges on regulatory updates and best practices.