The Six-year Education Program at the School of Pharmaceutical Science, The University of Osaka Designed to Enhance Drug Development

The development of innovative pharmaceuticals and their appropriate use is fundamental to the medical care that supports human health. Japan has made significant contributions to improving health standards through the production of a large number of pharmaceuticals. On the other hand, the declining share of Japan-developed drugs in the global market and the increasing import of foreign-origin medications have become more and more pronounced in recent years. Hence, the strengthening of drug discovery capabilities is recognized as an urgent issue. In this review, we introduce the outline, aims, and characteristics of the research-based six-year education system at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, which is designed to foster human resources who will be responsible for drug discovery in Japan in the future.