REGULATORY

Expert Panel Talks over Yakkasa, Revamp of Price Revision Method; Fixed Margin, Claw-Back Mooted

By Yoshinori Sagehashi March 20, 2023

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Japan’s current drug price revision mechanism inevitably creates a gap between an NHI price and a market price, called yakkasa, which has effectively become a source of revenue particularly for pharmacies. Many members of a key health ministry expert panel…

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Chuikyo Debate on FY2026 Drug Pricing Reform

MHLW Floats Deducting Private-Practice Use for Re-Pricing, but Off-Cycle Cuts Possible; GLP-1 Eyed?

Japan is considering a new approach to its “special” market expansion re-pricing that would exclude drug sales tied to private…

COMMENTARY

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

By Takashi Ebisawa

Japan has presented its latest draft policy direction for its FY2026 drug pricing reform. While the package includes a string…

COLUMN

AI in HR: Navigating the Ethical Minefield

By Philip Carrigan

Let’s be real: even with the best intentions, AI systems can reflect our own unconscious biases. As Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky famously demonstrated in their groundbreaking work on Prospect Theory, humans are prone to cognitive biases that influence our…