BUSINESS
    Japan’s Big 4 Drug Wholesalers See Combined Profits Slip despite Sales Growth
    By Takashi Ebisawa November 13, 2026
    Japan’s four leading pharmaceutical wholesalers posted higher combined sales but slightly lower operating profit in their core drug distribution businesses in the first half of FY2026, as rising procurement costs and other expenses continued to…

    LATEST

    Pfizer Files Litfulo for Vitiligo in Japan
    November 13, 2026
    Pfizer said on November 13 that it has filed for an additional indication in Japan for its oral JAK3/TEC family kinase inhibitor Litfulo (ritlecitinib) to treat nonsegmental vitiligo.Already approved in Japan for alopecia areata, Litfulo…
    Takeda Debuts Narcolepsy Drug Orzeyful in US after Japan, China
    November 13, 2026
    Takeda Pharmaceutical said on November 12 that it has launched its oral orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonist Orzeyful (oveporexton) in the US for the treatment of adults with narcolepsy type 1 (NT1), following its rollout…
    Keytruda Holds Japan Sales Crown in July-September as Mounjaro Climbs: IQVIA
    November 13, 2026
    MSD’s PD-1 inhibitor Keytruda (pembrolizumab) retained its position as Japan’s best-selling drug in July-September 2026, while Eli Lilly’s diabetes treatment Mounjaro (tirzepatide) surged to second place from eighth a year earlier, according to IQVIA Japan.Data…

    Cost Effectiveness Assessment (2025-)

    Chuikyo OKs Tougher CEA Price Cuts for Drugs Tagged “Cost Increase”
    By Kohei Hori

    A Japanese health ministry proposal to impose steeper price cuts on certain medicines deemed to carry poor cost-effectiveness profiles cleared…

    Off-Year Drug Price Revisions

    Chuikyo Weighs “Agile Response” to MFN as Providers Question Drug Lag, Loss Impact
    By Hayate Horiguchi

    A Japanese drug pricing panel on November 11 discussed ways to respond to the US most-favored-nation (MFN) policy, with healthcare…

    COMMENTARY

    Japan Drug Wholesalers Caught in Multiple Dilemmas as Price Gap Narrows
    By Tatsuya Otsuka

    On paper, things should be looking up for Japan’s pharmaceutical wholesalers. Industry expectations are mounting that the average gap between NHI and market prices will narrow further in FY2026 from the previous year’s record low of 4.8%.A shrinking gap should…

    Drug Approval & Reimbursement in 2026

    Keytruda SC Tops New NHI Listing Round with 75 Billion Yen Sales Outlook
    By Hayate Horiguchi

    Japan is set to add 16 new drugs to its NHI reimbursement price list on November 13, including a subcutaneous…

    COLUMN

    New York Note - 2: The Tariff Roller Coaster
    By Shunsuke Tani

    Tariffs have been a defining feature of US trade policy under President Donald Trump’s second administration. Since Trump unveiled his “reciprocal” tariff policy in April 2025, the landscape has shifted repeatedly.In February 2026, the US Supreme Court invalidated tariffs imposed…

    FY2026 Drug Pricing Reform

    Romiplate to See Steepest Cut in April Market Expansion Re-Pricing

    Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) on March 5 unveiled the revised NHI prices for drugs subject to…

    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,…

    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…

    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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