ORGANIZATION
    Experts Talk over Biosimilar Challenges, Chide Unstable Supplies and Indication Gaps
    July 19, 2019
    While Japan has witnessed rapid generic inroads over the past years on the back of active government promotions, biosimilars are not making the same headway, with different levels of penetration seen in different markets. What…

    LATEST

    Keytruda Slashes Death Risk by 78% in Japanese Head and Neck Cancer Patients
    July 19, 2019
    MSD’s anti-PD-1 antibody Keytruda (pembrolizumab) demonstrated a hefty 78% reduction in the risk of deaths when used in a first-line setting in Japanese patients with relapsed/metastatic head and neck cancer whose tumors have a high…
    Tarlige Most Pitched Drug in April: Impact Track Survey
    July 19, 2019
    Daiichi Sankyo’s peripheral neuropathic pain treatment Tarlige (mirogabalin) was the most promoted drug in the month of April, with its sales reps stepping up their calls as the product hit the market in middle of the month, an industry survey…
    New Pancreatic Cancer Guidelines Recommend FOLFIRINOX as 1st-Line Therapy
    July 19, 2019
    The Japan Pancreas Society has published the 2019 guidelines for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, the first revision in three years, recommending FOLFIRINOX therapy and the gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel (nab-PTX) combination as first-line chemotherapies for locally advanced or metastatic unresectable…

    TRENDS

    Japan SGLT2 Market Hits 70 Billion Yen as Combo Drugs Gain Ground
    By Reiji Anasako

    Despite getting off to a sluggish start five years ago, SGLT2 inhibitors are steadily picking up steam thanks to buoyant sales of their combination medicines with DPP-4 inhibitors. Even monodrugs alone grew 29% in FY2018, with the market including the…

    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…

    COLUMN

    Big Question Mark to Pricey Drug Bashing
    By Yoshinori Sagehashi

    With Novartis’ CAR-T therapy Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) hogging the headlines for its biggest-ever price tag in Japan, many continue to perceive high-price medicines as the main culprit of strained health finances, contending that they are driving up drug spending. But, is…

    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…

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