Mutual recognition for EU and Japan
From 2002 it will be easier for exporters of medicinal products to sell in Japan following a Mutual Recognition Agreement with the EU. The deal includes a GMP agreement, under which both sides will honour each other's product testing, certification and approval, as well as a Good Laboratory Practice deal for chemicals.
'As a result, products can be certified by recognised bodies in the EU to Japanese requirements, then sold in Japan without having to undergo any further approval procedures,' said the European Commission.
Immediate cost savings of some £12m (US$17.5m) are expected as a result of the the MRA .