Given the nation’s aging population, health-related expenditures and national pension payments will begin to rise relentlessly in the near future. Medical expenses cutdown is boiled down to needs for making breakthrough in health and medical technology including "BT". Major advanced countries have long been aware of its importance as next-generation growth engine and numerous attempts have been made to promote R&D for health and medical technology.
From the mid 1980's, the Korean government also selected biotechnology as one of the areas that needs national support and intensive fostering. Although the investment has been increasing at an annual average rate of 24%, little is known about remarkable outcome in health and medical area. Thus, this report is intended as an investigation of problems and alternatives in government's R&D support for health and medical technology.
The problem upon BT R&D was mainly focused on fundamental level and failed to maintain Patient-oriented or Disease-oriented point of view. Furthermore, there is no efficient comprehensive coordination system, although investment in biotechnology is led by six ministries(including those of Education, Science and Technology; Knowledge Economy, Health and Welfare etc.)as well as other agencies and research institutes. Accordingly, streamlining the process between discovery of new drug candidates and clinical trials was not accomplished yet.
Multi-ministerial coordination system should be strengthened as soon as possible through the establishment of control tower and comprehensive master plan for R&D in health and medical technology sector. Thus many relevant ministries and agencies should be forced to cooperate each other and carry out integrated projects