REGULATORY
    No PMP for Tecentriq, but Prices Rise for All 5 Checkpoint Drugs in Tax Hike Re-Pricing
    August 21, 2019
    Chugai Pharmaceutical’s PD-L1 inhibitor Tecentriq (atezolizumab) was found ineligible for the price maintenance premium (PMP), but all five immune checkpoint inhibitors including it will see price rises in Japan’s ad-hoc re-pricing associated with the consumption tax hike in October.According to…

    LATEST

    Lab Test Group Seeks Better Reimbursement Rules for Cancer Gene Panel Testing
    August 21, 2019
    The Japanese Promotion Council for Laboratory Testing, a group of five lab test-related organizations, announced on August 20 a statement on insurance coverage for cancer gene panel tests that includes a proposal for improving the method of claiming reimbursements for…
    MHLW Calls for Proper Price Negotiation after October Price Revision
    August 21, 2019
    The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) issued on August 19 a notification on drug distribution practices following the drug price revision in October associated with the upcoming consumption tax hike, asking for appropriate transactions.The notification was issued to…
    Annual Savings from Biosimilar Use Totaled Just 14.6 Billion Yen: MHLW
    August 21, 2019
    The use of generic drugs cut the annual medical expenditure by 1,398.7 billion yen, but biosimilars accounted for just 14.6 billion yen of this figure, according to an estimate by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) said on…

    TRENDS

    Chugai Running Offensive/Defensive Play towards EPS Growth Goal, Hemlibra Outpaces Target
    By Reiji Anasako

    Forging ahead with its new three-year business plan, Chugai Pharmaceutical enjoyed rosy earnings in the first half of 2019, bolstered by the outperformance of the Hemlibra (emicizumab) hemophilia drug and its I/O star Tecentriq (atezolizumab). But with a biosimilar onslaught…

    COMMENTARY

    Generic Players Step Up Info Disclosure for Survival in Post-80% Era
    By Tatsuya Otsuka

    Generic drug makers are making greater efforts to disclose more information on their products after years of repeated requests from doctors and medical institutions, which want to better ascertain their quality and stability of their supplies.Ohara Pharmaceutical has been disclosing…

    FY2018 Earnings Roundup

    Japanese Drug Makers Beefing Up China Biz amid Regulatory Tailwind
    By Reiji Anasako

    Riding on the back of an improved regulatory environment in China, major Japanese drug makers are moving to expand their businesses in the world’s second largest pharma market. Companies are pumping up their new drug pipelines, while forging solid sales…

    INTERVIEW

    As New Era Dawns, Eisai CEO Says Pharma Could Be True Winner of 4th Industrial Revolution
    By Yoshinori Sagehashi

    As Japan heralds the new imperial era of Reiwa, Eisai CEO Haruo Naito sat with Jiho to look back on…

    Upside in Decelerating Gx Arena

    In Authorized Generic Spree, Daiichi Sankyo Espha Focuses More on “Popularization” than “Sales” When It Comes to Cancer AGs
    By Takashi Ebisawa and Tatsuya Otsuka

    Japan’s generic market is hitting a plateau soon. Incentive measures rolled out by the government since 2002 have driven its…

    My Viewpoint on CEA

    Ensuring Patient Access Was MHLW’s Top Priority for CEA Scheme: Policy Planning Director
    By Yoshinori Sagehashi

    Some seven years in the making, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) finally rolled out a cost-effectiveness assessment…

    HTA Debates in 2018-2019

    Japan to Roll Out Cost-Effectiveness Assessment Scheme in April

    Japan will go ahead with the introduction of a cost-effectiveness assessment (CEA) scheme for drugs and medical devices in April…

    COLUMN

    Practice Makes Perfect - Even in Marketing!
    By Philip Carrigan

    Jascha Heifetz, widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time, was once stopped, on 57th Street in Manhattan, by a pedestrian asking, “Could you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?” Heifetz pondered the question for…

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