Five-year peak sales forecast of newly-reimbursed drugs in Japan surges

Despite depreciation of the Japanese yen, the overall output of the Japanese pharmaceutical industry measured by expected peak sales potential of newly National Health Insurance (NHI) reimbursed drugs surged to $34 billion between 2010 and 2014, up from $16.9 billion during 2005-2009, according to Evaluate’s new report Japan Sales, Volume, Pricing 2015.

“Japan is the second largest prescription drug market in the world, with soft patent erosion and a favorable payer environment,” said Anthony Raeside, Evaluate’s head of research. “The peak sales potential of newly reimbursed drugs has more than doubled since 2009 illustrating the importance of this market. Though strong growth opportunities exist, commercial success requires a deep understanding of the pricing environment as drug prices are essentially fixed at launch,” he added.

The report was derived from Evaluate’s new EvaluatePharma Japan Sales, Volume, Pricing Intelligence, which is now available alongside the US analysis and fully integrated into the service. For pharmaceutical companies looking to launch products or conduct business development in Japan, this new analysis provides an integrated, single source for current and historic pricing, approval details and cost per patient analysis.