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    Generic Players Step Up Info Disclosure for Survival in Post-80% Era
    By Tatsuya Otsuka

    Generic drug makers are making greater efforts to disclose more information on their products after years of repeated requests from doctors and medical institutions, which want to better ascertain their quality and stability of their supplies.Ohara Pharmaceutical has been disclosing…

    COLUMN

    Big Question Mark to Pricey Drug Bashing
    By Yoshinori Sagehashi

    With Novartis’ CAR-T therapy Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) hogging the headlines for its biggest-ever price tag in Japan, many continue to perceive high-price medicines as the main culprit of strained health finances, contending that they are driving up drug spending. But, is…

    TRENDS

    Japan Drug Makers’ Workforce Down 1.3% in FY2018 amid Spate of Voluntary Redundancies
    By Reiji Anasako

    The workforce in the Japanese pharmaceutical sector is getting leaner and leaner, with the latest securities reports filed by 27 drug makers showing a 1.3% fall in their headcounts in FY2018, or 888 employees. The downtrend has been continuing since…

    FY2018 Earnings Roundup

    Japanese Drug Makers Beefing Up China Biz amid Regulatory Tailwind
    By Reiji Anasako

    Riding on the back of an improved regulatory environment in China, major Japanese drug makers are moving to expand their businesses in the world’s second largest pharma market. Companies are pumping up their new drug pipelines, while forging solid sales…

    INTERVIEW

    As New Era Dawns, Eisai CEO Says Pharma Could Be True Winner of 4th Industrial Revolution
    By Yoshinori Sagehashi

    As Japan heralds the new imperial era of Reiwa, Eisai CEO Haruo Naito sat with Jiho to look back on…

    Upside in Decelerating Gx Arena

    In Authorized Generic Spree, Daiichi Sankyo Espha Focuses More on “Popularization” than “Sales” When It Comes to Cancer AGs
    By Takashi Ebisawa and Tatsuya Otsuka

    Japan’s generic market is hitting a plateau soon. Incentive measures rolled out by the government since 2002 have driven its…

    My Viewpoint on CEA

    Ensuring Patient Access Was MHLW’s Top Priority for CEA Scheme: Policy Planning Director
    By Yoshinori Sagehashi

    Some seven years in the making, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) finally rolled out a cost-effectiveness assessment…

    HTA Debates in 2018-2019

    Japan to Roll Out Cost-Effectiveness Assessment Scheme in April

    Japan will go ahead with the introduction of a cost-effectiveness assessment (CEA) scheme for drugs and medical devices in April…