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…
REGULATORY
Govt Panel Members Renew Call for Annual Drug Price Cuts, Amari Says Conclusion Out after 2016-2018 Consecutive Revisions
Members of the government’s Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy reiterated their calls on May 19 to revise NHI drug prices annually instead of once every two years to curb Japan’s social security spending. Motoshige Ito, economics professor at the…
To read the full story
Related Article
REGULATORY
- Chuikyo OKs Tougher CEA Price Cuts for Drugs Tagged “Cost Increase”
November 12, 2026
- Chuikyo Weighs “Agile Response” to MFN as Providers Question Drug Lag, Loss Impact
November 12, 2026
- Japan to List Eylea Biosimilars from SamChunDang, Celltrion on Nov. 13
November 12, 2026
- PMDA Sees Little Need for Separate Dosage Form Category for Mini-Tablets
November 11, 2026
- Japan Eyes Nationwide Probe into Wartime Drug Trials on Leprosy Patients
November 11, 2026
Japan is set to add 16 new drugs to its NHI reimbursement price list on November 13, including a subcutaneous…
Japan will trim the NHI price of Eli Lilly Japan’s Alzheimer’s treatment Kisunla (donanemab) by 3.93% under the cost-effectiveness assessment…
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’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…