Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is an epidemic in the world. The number of DM patient is steadily increasing in the current social structure, satiation and motorization including Japan. A recent epidemiological survey in Japan shows that more than 3 million DM patients are receiving treatment, 9.5 million persons are estimated to have DM and the medical cost to treat DM is reaching 1.2 trillion JPY.

  Currently, various drugs with different mechanisms of action (MoAs) and formulations are available to treat DM. Thus the patients’ satisfaction is considered relatively high; however, none of them are drugs that cure the disease. We have nine DPP4 inhibitors on the market, which is the highest number in the world. Why do we have so many drugs with the same MoA? Is this the right direction for drug development for DM? Moreover, insulin therapy of Type 1 DM (T1D) is basically unchanged compared to the Banting and Best era (in early 20th century). We can say that T1D is sort of a neglected disease.

  The true purpose of treatment is to prevent not only DM complications, retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy, but also other severe diseases such as cardiovascular disease and/or dementia. Acquisition of better treatment or complete cure with innovative drugs and medical products will bring us a huge societal impact. To make it happen, regulatory science also plays an important role to bridge between bench and bedside. Both innovative basic and clinical research and interdisciplinary collaborations are very important.

  We would like to have this international lecture symposium to discuss future drugs and medical product development with the specific purpose to achieve a complete cure of DM by sharing knowledge of different stakeholders. We hope that all participants will get mutual understanding of this purpose beyond their own standpoints. It will be a good opportunity to start innovation among the basic and clinical researchers, industry, government and academia.