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…
ACADEMIA
Keytruda Label Update Unlocks First New Treatment in 14 Years for HER2-Positive Gastric Cancer: Oncologist
A label update recently granted to MSD’s PD-1 inhibitor Keytruda (pembrolizumab) now allows its use as a first-line treatment for unresectable advanced or recurrent gastric cancer regardless of HER2 status in Japan. An oncologist welcomes this development as a long-awaited…
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ACADEMIA
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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…
As Japan’s budget season draws near, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) has renewed its push for a full-scale “off-year” drug…
Japan will trim the NHI price of Eli Lilly Japan’s Alzheimer’s treatment Kisunla (donanemab) by 3.93% under the cost-effectiveness assessment…
Japan is set to add 16 new drugs to its NHI reimbursement price list on November 13, including a subcutaneous…
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) on March 5 unveiled the revised NHI prices for drugs subject to…
Japan’s Central Social Insurance Medical Council (Chuikyo) on November 5 approved the reimbursement listing for a slate of new medicines,…
The Japanese government approved a bill to amend the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices (PMD) Act at its Cabinet meeting on…
Japan’s health ministry doled out regulatory approvals for a throng of new medicines on December 27 including Eli Lilly’s obesity…
Japan’s all-important reimbursement policy panel on December 20 approved an outline of drug pricing reforms for FY2024, which enshrines a…