Japan's Drug Prices "Could Be Cut By 7%"

Drug price discrepancy in Japan stood at 18% as of June this year, according to a survey carried out by the Federation of Japan Pharmaceutical Wholesalers Associations, reported in Pharma Japan.

Although a 1995 drug price survey for June transactions was conducted from July to August, if the values are close to those of the FJPWA's survey and next year's drug price revisions are implemented at a reasonable zone of 11%, drug prices could be lowered by 7% in the next round of revisions, scheduled for April 1996.

Since last year's drug price revisions, from April 1994 to September, the drug price discrepancy improved by 2.5%, going down to 17.1%, but this year rose to 18%.