Accelerating clinical development outside the usual regions for future pandemics: a comparative analysis of COVID-19 therapeutic development between the USA and Japan.

Publication date: Sep 11, 2025

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinical development of therapeutics progressed rapidly. However, regions outside the areas where most clinical development occurred experienced delayed access and had fewer options for new therapeutics. To adequately respond to future pandemics, these regions must be prepared to expedite the development of necessary therapeutics. In this study, we compared the clinical development of COVID-19 therapeutics between the USA and Japan and proposed strategies for enhancing global therapeutic deployment in future pandemics. Cross-sectional analysis. The regulatory documentation for COVID-19 therapeutics granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in the USA or approved in Japan during the WHO-declared pandemic period (30 January 2020 to 5 May 2023) was analysed. The development timelines and submitted data in both regions were analysed. 14 therapeutics were authorised in the USA compared with 9 in Japan, of which 8 were authorised in both countries. For all eight therapeutics, authorisation was obtained earlier in the USA, with an average difference of 4 months. The number of clinical studies submitted for authorisation was 1. 0 in Japan and 4. 0 in the USA. The data packages submitted for approval in the USA generally followed the standard structure for a typical application, including phase 1, 2 and 3 studies, whereas in Japan, phase 3 study data were often the primary focus. Compared with the USA, fewer therapeutics were approved in Japan, and the approvals occurred later. Most therapeutics approved in Japan had previously received EUA in the USA, with Japanese approvals largely dependent on participation in large-scale global studies and the US review schedule. Application data in Japan were primarily based on data from large-scale global studies that had been submitted for the US application; the observed delay in approval was considered attributable to the time required for application preparation. In preparation for future pandemics, it will be necessary to establish systems that take these characteristics into account.

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