COMMENTARY

FY2026 Reform Debate for Drug Pricing Nears the Finish Line, Balance Needed

By Takashi Ebisawa December 9, 2025
Japan has presented its latest draft policy direction for its FY2026 drug pricing reform. While the package includes a string of concrete cost-containment measures aimed at post-patent products, much of the broader agenda was shelved for the next reform cycle,…

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COMMENTARY

By Takashi Ebisawa

Japan should fundamentally overhaul its cost-effectiveness assessment (CEA) scheme while putting a hold on CEA-based price adjustments, a new ruling…

By Koji Shimomura

Global drug makers are forging ahead with therapies targeting lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), a promising new approach to reducing cardiovascular risks.…

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on October 14 that the government will consider the necessary measures for the FY2027…

By Takashi Ebisawa

Eli Lilly’s breast cancer drug Imulrio (imlunestrant) is finally joining Japan’s NHI price list on October 14, nearly 300 days…

By Philip Carrigan

The Wednesday TableShe had been on virtual calls since eight in the morning. The screen glowed. Her eyes burned. Plugged into Teams across time zones, she was digitally connected yet entirely isolated from the reality of Japan’s pharma market.She needed…

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…