A Japanese health ministry proposal to impose steeper price cuts on certain medicines deemed to carry poor cost-effectiveness profiles cleared…
COMMENTARY
“Lack of Urgency” Leads to New Rule; Penalty for Low Price Settlement Rates May Have Been Inevitable
In April, a new rule will be introduced that will reduce medical fees received by hospitals and pharmacies by up to 26% if they score low price settlement rates with drug wholesalers. Some pharmacy chains have complained about government intervention…
To read the full story
COMMENTARY
- Japan Drug Wholesalers Caught in Multiple Dilemmas as Price Gap Narrows
November 10, 2026
- Deeper CEA Price Cuts Demand More Than a “Certain Degree of Validity”
November 2, 2026
- Alzheimer’s Pipeline Looks Past Amyloid to Earlier Intervention, Tau Targets
October 28, 2026
- Lp(a) Drugs Face Next Test in Quest to Cut Cardiovascular Risk
October 19, 2026
- Japan Moves to Break Plasma Product Capacity Crunch with Factory Aid
October 6, 2026
A Japanese drug pricing panel on November 11 discussed ways to respond to the US most-favored-nation (MFN) policy, with healthcare…
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…
Japan is set to add 16 new drugs to its NHI reimbursement price list on November 13, including a subcutaneous…
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…
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…