Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) on March 5 unveiled the revised NHI prices for drugs subject to…
REGULATORY
MHLW Names 77 Active Ingredients for OTC-Like Drug Charges
Japan’s health ministry on December 25 presented a list of 77 active ingredients that would be subject to a new “special charge” framework for so-called “OTC-like” prescription drugs. It plans to submit related legislation to the ordinary Diet session starting…
To read the full story
Related Article
- MHLW to Hear Patient Groups on OTC-Like Drug Charge Exemptions
July 27, 2026
- MHLW Eyes Limited Charge Exemptions for OTC-Like Topical Drugs
July 24, 2026
- MHLW Panel Examines Indication Mapping for OTC-Like Drug Charge Scheme
July 13, 2026
- MHLW Starts Technical Review of OTC-Like Drug Charge Exemptions
June 29, 2026
- MHLW Panel OKs Technical Review Group for OTC-Like Drug Charge System
June 19, 2026
- MHLW Panel Calls for Careful Design of OTC-Like Drug Charge System
March 23, 2026
- Japan Cabinet Approves Health Insurance Bill with OTC-Like Drug Charges
March 16, 2026
- LDP Health Panel Approves Health Insurance Bill with OTC-Like Drug Charges
March 5, 2026
- LDP Panel Delays Approval of Health Insurance Bill amid Concerns over OTC-Like Drug Charges
February 26, 2026
- MHLW to Brand OTC-Like Drug Cost Rule as “Partially Non-Insured Care”
February 17, 2026
- Japan Ministers Agree to Scrap “Spillover” Rule, Plan Wider CEA Price Cuts
December 25, 2025
- Heparinoid, Allergy Drugs among OTC-Like Meds Up for Special Charge Rule
December 24, 2025
- LDP, Ishin Strike Deal on OTC-Like Drugs, Patients to Pay “1/4” Special Charge
December 22, 2025
- OTC-Like Drugs Left in Limbo as Panel Debates Cost-Sharing without Clear Policy Signal
December 19, 2025
- Panel Backs Extra Charges for OTC-Like Drugs While Keeping Coverage, but Design Details Still Divisive
November 28, 2025
- Patient Groups Push Back against Delisting OTC-Like Drugs; Panel Leans Toward Higher Copays
November 21, 2025
- MHLW Weighs Higher Copay Ratios for LLPs; 1/2 to Full Gap on the Table
November 7, 2025
- MHLW Outlines 4 Key Themes for 2026 Reform, Eyes OTC-Like Meds, CEA for Efficiency
October 24, 2025
- MHLW Panel Launches Full Debate on Drug Coverage Reform; LLPs, Biologics, OTC-Like Meds in Focus
October 17, 2025
- Panel Split on Delisting OTC-Like Drugs from Insurance Coverage
October 3, 2025
- Panel Flags Concern over Drug-Only Focus in Proposed Cost-Cuts for 2026 Reform
September 29, 2025
REGULATORY
- Unami Tapped as Japan’s New Top Finance Bureaucrat
August 3, 2026
- MHLW Names Uchiyama New Pharma Bureau Chief in Senior Shakeup
August 3, 2026
- Japan to Ease Olanzapine Diabetes Contraindication for Antiemetic Use
July 31, 2026
- Pipe Damage Causes Water Leak at Sawai Plant after Quake: MHLW
July 30, 2026
- MHLW Urges Stable Supply of Drugs after Kumamoto Earthquake
July 30, 2026
A few weeks ago, I had coffee with a very talented executive. Let’s call him Kenji. He has a great job, a big salary, and a solid team. But he was unhappy. He felt bored and wanted a new challenge.…
Adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapies have long been viewed as carrying only a minimal risk of insertional mutagenesis — a…
Japan’s Central Social Insurance Medical Council (Chuikyo) on November 5 approved the reimbursement listing for a slate of new medicines,…
The Japanese government on March 7 announced new NHI prices to be applied in the FY2025 drug price revision, revealing…
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…