Expat Experiments in London Fuel Drug Sales in Japan

Tadasuke Takahashi, a London hair stylist, supplements his income by taking part in medical studies that offer him about $1,000, bento box meals of rice and fish, and Japanese comic books during a 6-night hospital stay.

During his time in London clinics, Takahashi, 33, takes experimental drugs so researchers can determine if his reaction is any different than that of Caucasian volunteers. These overseas tests are part of an effort by Japan’s government and the pharmaceutical industry to speed up approvals in a market where a complex regulatory process had delayed treatments for an aging population for years after U.S. and European clearance.