The case of contaminated blood products in Japan

Issue title: Secrecy in Drug Regulation

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Beppu, Hirokuni

Affiliations: Tokyo Metropolitan Kita Medical and Rehabilitation Center, 1-2-3 Jujodai, Kita-ku, Tokyo 114, Japan. Tel.: +81 3 39083001; Fax: +81 3 39082984. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: One of the respondents to the ISDB study described by Danielle Bardelay in the previous article dealt with the situation in Japan. The information on the infection of hemophiliacs with HIV through contaminated blood products is included here as a separate paper. It provides a case study both of the extent to which lack of transparency can contribute to a damaging lack of accountability and of the way in which this case has forced a discussion on how regulatory agencies can be made more accountable and more open to public scrutiny and audit.

DOI: 10.3233/JRS-1996-9305

Journal: International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 157-159, 1996