2018 to be a 'transformative' year for Japanese pharma

A New Year report from CPhI forecasts 2018 will be a transformative year for Japanese pharma as the market evolves towards growth in generics, biosimilars and increased internationalization.

The CPhI Japan 2018 report – released ahead of what is likely to be the largest ever CPhI Japan (April 18-20, 2018) – has identified that demographic pressures on healthcare costs are driving a political agenda that will benefit players with lower costs solutions. Generics are an obvious route, but Japan’s status as a highly-developed economy with a pharma industry that leads in innovation opens other possibilities, particularly in the longer term for the biosimilars segment. In fact, an overwhelming 59% of domestic respondents believe biosimilars will be the fastest growing sector.

Crucially, as the Japanese pharma economy is in a state of transition towards greater openness, potential rewards for early international movers were cited as another key factor in the rapid shifts predicted in 2018.