BUSINESS
    Daiichi Targets 3 Trillion Yen Sales by FY2030, Global Top-5 Oncology Spot
    By Ken Yoshino May 12, 2026
    Daiichi Sankyo unveiled a new five-year business plan on May 11 targeting sales of more than 3 trillion yen by FY2030, compared to 2.1 trillion yen in FY2025, as the company aims to break into…

    LATEST

    Lilly Japan Hits Record Sales as Mounjaro Tops 100 Billion Yen
    May 12, 2026
    Eli Lilly Japan chalked up record sales in 2025, powered by key growth brands, with the diabetes therapy Mounjaro (tirzepatide) surpassing 100 billion yen in annual revenue to emerge as the company’s biggest product.In 2025,…
    AstraZeneca’s Oral SERD, MSD RSV Antibody Up for Japan Panel Review on May 25
    May 12, 2026
    Japan’s health ministry panel will meet on May 25 to consider approvals for a series of new medicines and label expansions, including AstraZeneca’s next-generation selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) camizestrant and MSD’s RSV antibody clesrovimab.Camizestrant…
    Ferring Nabs Japan Approval for Bladder Cancer Gene Therapy
    May 12, 2026
    Ferring Pharmaceuticals said on May 11 that it has won regulatory approval in Japan for Adstiladrin (nadofaragene firadenovec), an intravesical gene therapy for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).The therapy was approved on May 8 for…

    Chuikyo Debate on FY2026 Drug Pricing Reform

    Chuikyo OKs New CEA Handling, with Third-Party Verification Ahead

    Japan’s cost-effectiveness assessment (CEA) panel has approved a revised handling policy for the CEA system for FY2026, with the health…

    COMMENTARY

    Shift Underway in Pharma Workforce as Sales Roles Shrink, Manufacturing Rises
    By Hayate Horiguchi

    Japan’s pharmaceutical industry is undergoing a structural shift in its workforce, with the role of sales reps shrinking while production…

    COLUMN

    The Patient North Star: How Gilead Japan Redefined Innovation
    By Philip Carrigan

    In the complex landscape of the Japanese pharmaceutical market, the “status quo” is often the safest harbor. But for leaders like Kennet Brysting, former president of Gilead Japan, the status quo is the most dangerous place to stay.Innovation in Japan…

    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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