BUSINESS

Otsuka Holdings Names Makoto Inoue as New CEO

November 1, 2024
Otsuka Holdings said on October 31 that its COO Makoto Inoue will become its president and CEO, effective January 1, taking over the roles from Tatsuo Higuchi, who has held the company’s helm for more than 16 years. Higuchi has…

To read the full story

BUSINESS

By Kohei Hori

A Japanese health ministry proposal to impose steeper price cuts on certain medicines deemed to carry poor cost-effectiveness profiles cleared…

By Hayate Horiguchi

A Japanese drug pricing panel on November 11 discussed ways to respond to the US most-favored-nation (MFN) policy, with healthcare…

By Tatsuya Otsuka

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…

By Hayate Horiguchi

Japan is set to add 16 new drugs to its NHI reimbursement price list on November 13, including a subcutaneous…

By Shunsuke Tani

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…