Boosting multiregional clinical trials (MRCT) in Asia through the establishment of the Japan-led network for clinical research, the ARO alliance for ASEAN & East Asia (ARISE).

There is an increasing demand for clinical research, and this demand has particularly increased during the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic. In the light of these events, fostering international cooperation has become essential. The ARO Alliance for ASEAN & East Asia (ARISE) is a Japan-led international network for clinical research in Asia that was established to encourage and facilitate multiregional clinical trials. The Department of International Trials of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) launched ARISE in December 2021 to pursue efficacious, high-quality clinical research and ensure rapid responses to health emergencies, with the timely provision of new medicinal products to patients in Asia.

U.S.-Japan cooperative medical sciences program: 22nd International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Pacific Rim.

This review summarizes the presentations given at the 22nd International conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Pacific Rim. The purpose of this annual meeting is to foster international collaborations and address important public health issues in the Asia-Pacific region. This meeting was held in Bangkok in February 2020 and focused on emerging virus infections. Unexpectedly, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was in the initial stages leading to a special session on COVID-19 in addition to talks on dengue, influenza, hepatitis, AIDS, Zika, chikungunya, rabies, cervical cancer and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.