Case study 18

How can a new entrant successfully build a presence in Japan?

Company R had a set of innovative product candidates and were considering to enter the Japanese market. It was however concerned that the company had no experience doing business in Japan. The entry barrier seemed high.
With a help from a Japanese business expert, the company put together a team of Japanese regulatory consultants and market assessment specialists. The team provided an informative report on the market opportunity of the product candidates and required investments in local clinical and regulatory activities. Based on this report, the company could confirm the business case for entering the Japanese market and decided to build a specialty-focused in-house commercial channel.