COMMENTARY

A “Core Industry” in Name Only? Drug Pricing Reform Leaves a Sour Taste

By Ken Yoshino March 24, 2026
Japan’s FY2026 drug price revision, officially announced on March 5, has landed poorly with the pharmaceutical industry — and the numbers make that clear. In a Jiho survey, the share of companies with a positive view of drug pricing reform…

To read the full story

Related Article

COMMENTARY

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) on March 5 unveiled the revised NHI prices for drugs subject to…

By Tatsuya Otsuka

Japan is ramping up its push to spread regional formularies nationwide, a policy expected to standardize treatments, strengthen supply resilience,…

By Philip Carrigan

We had just gotten off a call with a client in Europe, and we’d received a bit of an earful. “Philip,” the client pressed, “what can this candidate bring to us? We know what he does, but what has he…

Japan’s Central Social Insurance Medical Council (Chuikyo) on November 5 approved the reimbursement listing for a slate of new medicines,…

By Ken Yoshino

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…