The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) on December 12 presented a draft outline of the FY2026 drug pricing…
REGULATORY
MHLW Panel Launches Full Debate on Drug Coverage Reform; LLPs, Biologics, OTC-Like Meds in Focus
Japan’s Social Security Council health insurance committee has begun full-scale discussions on how pharmaceuticals should be covered under the national health insurance system. The main issues are the treatment of long-listed products (LLPs), originator biologics, and prescription drugs with OTC…
To read the full story
Related Article
- OTC-Like Drugs Left in Limbo as Panel Debates Cost-Sharing without Clear Policy Signal
December 19, 2025
- Panel Backs Extra Charges for OTC-Like Drugs While Keeping Coverage, but Design Details Still Divisive
November 28, 2025
- Patient Groups Push Back against Delisting OTC-Like Drugs; Panel Leans Toward Higher Copays
November 21, 2025
- MHLW Weighs Higher Copay Ratios for LLPs; 1/2 to Full Gap on the Table
November 7, 2025
- MHLW Outlines 4 Key Themes for 2026 Reform, Eyes OTC-Like Meds, CEA for Efficiency
October 24, 2025
- Panel Split on Delisting OTC-Like Drugs from Insurance Coverage
October 3, 2025
- Panel Flags Concern over Drug-Only Focus in Proposed Cost-Cuts for 2026 Reform
September 29, 2025
REGULATORY
- OTC-Like Drugs Left in Limbo as Panel Debates Cost-Sharing without Clear Policy Signal
December 19, 2025
- LDP, Ishin Fail to Seal Deal on OTC-Like Drugs as Talks Stall over Fiscal-Savings Figure
December 18, 2025
- Japan Moves LLP Payment Hike toward Political Call, Eyes 1/2 or Higher
December 18, 2025
- Panel to Weigh Orphan Designation for Tecartus on December 22
December 17, 2025
- LDP League Formally Urges Male HPV Shots Under NIP from FY2026
December 17, 2025
Japan has presented its latest draft policy direction for its FY2026 drug pricing reform. While the package includes a string…
Let’s be real: even with the best intentions, AI systems can reflect our own unconscious biases. As Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky famously demonstrated in their groundbreaking work on Prospect Theory, humans are prone to cognitive biases that influence our…
Japan’s Central Social Insurance Medical Council (Chuikyo) on November 5 approved the reimbursement listing for a slate of new medicines,…
The Japanese government on March 7 announced new NHI prices to be applied in the FY2025 drug price revision, revealing…
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…