REGULATORY
    LDP Tax Panel OKs New 40% R&D Credit for Strategic Technologies
    By Ken Yoshino December 12, 2025
    The Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) tax panel on December 11 effectively signed off on creating a new “strategic technology-type” R&D tax credit with a deduction rate of 40% as part of the FY2026 tax reform…

    LATEST

    AG Price Parity Plan Stokes Industry Fears of Patient, Pharmacy Defections
    December 12, 2025
    As Japan moves toward the FY2026 drug pricing reform, the proposed pricing changes for authorized generics (AGs) are rattling the industry, with manufacturers growing jittery over a potential pullback in demand both from patients and…
    Kyowa Kirin Names Abdul Mullick as Next CEO from March 2026
    December 12, 2025
    Kyowa Kirin will hand the CEO role to President and COO Abdul Mullick in March 2026, while Chairman and CEO Masashi Miyamoto will remain as chairman, the company said on December 11.The changes are scheduled…
    Regeneron Files Libtayo for Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Japan
    December 12, 2025
    Regeneron Japan said on December 11 that it has filed for an additional indication for its PD-1 inhibitor Libtayo (cemiplimab) for the treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC).The application is based on data from…

    Chuikyo Debate on FY2026 Drug Pricing Reform

    MHLW Floats Deducting Private-Practice Use for Re-Pricing, but Off-Cycle Cuts Possible; GLP-1 Eyed?

    Japan is considering a new approach to its “special” market expansion re-pricing that would exclude drug sales tied to private…

    COMMENTARY

    FY2026 Reform Debate for Drug Pricing Nears the Finish Line, Balance Needed
    By Takashi Ebisawa

    Japan has presented its latest draft policy direction for its FY2026 drug pricing reform. While the package includes a string…

    COLUMN

    AI in HR: Navigating the Ethical Minefield
    By Philip Carrigan

    Let’s be real: even with the best intentions, AI systems can reflect our own unconscious biases. As Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky famously demonstrated in their groundbreaking work on Prospect Theory, humans are prone to cognitive biases that influence our…

    Drug Approval & Reimbursement in 2025

    Chuikyo OKs Listing of Novartis’ Pluvicto, Peak Sales Outlook at 42.1 Billion Yen

    Japan’s Central Social Insurance Medical Council (Chuikyo) on November 5 approved the reimbursement listing for a slate of new medicines,…

    Chuikyo Debate on Off-Year Drug Price Revisions

    MHLW Unveils New List Prices for FY2025 Revision; Stelara, Januvia Hit by PMP Return
    By Ken Yoshino

    The Japanese government on March 7 announced new NHI prices to be applied in the FY2025 drug price revision, revealing…

    Discussions on Next PMD Act Amendment

    Japan Cabinet Approves Bill to Amend PMD Act

    The Japanese government approved a bill to amend the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices (PMD) Act at its Cabinet meeting on…

    Drug Approval & Reimbursement in 2024

    Japan Approves Zepbound, Qalsody, and Lots More Drugs

    Japan’s health ministry doled out regulatory approvals for a throng of new medicines on December 27 including Eli Lilly’s obesity…

    Chuikyo on FY2024 Reimbursement Reform

    Chuikyo OKs Outline of FY2024 Drug Pricing Reform; No Unprofitability Re-Pricing for 7%-Plus Price Gap

    Japan’s all-important reimbursement policy panel on December 20 approved an outline of drug pricing reforms for FY2024, which enshrines a…

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