REGULATORY GUIDE / JAPAN

Conditional and time-limited approval

This pathway permits earlier clinical use of a regenerative medicine product under defined conditions while requiring post-marketing confirmation.

What is authorized?

Manufacture and sale are permitted, but use may be restricted to qualified institutions, physicians and patients, with mandatory post-marketing surveillance.

What remains uncertain?

Efficacy may be inferred rather than confirmed, often from small studies. Additional effectiveness and long-term safety data must be collected before the deadline and submitted for renewed review.

Approval is not reimbursement

Regulatory approval concerns whether the product may be marketed; insurance listing concerns public reimbursement. Reimbursement does not by itself prove long-term efficacy.

See the RiHEART example →