Boost for drug firms

THE GROWING global market for organ transplants is likely to receive a boost. A Japanese government advisory committee has proposed that organs from persons certified as brain dead should be allowed to be removed, according to reports in the country's press.

Japan is the only major market in the world where organ transplants are prohibited. However, if the proposal is approved, the affluent Japanese market could prove a key growth area for drug companies that are active in this field.