Japan a lucrative market for endocrine sales, report says

The makers of new endocrine drugs might be well-advised to look to Japan as a possible lucrative market, according to a research outfit. EvaluatePharma said those drugs have the highest peak sales potential in Japan, with drugs for the central nervous system second. Japan's National Health Insurance drug-reimbursement program doubled over the past five years to $34 billion, keeping it as the No. 3 market in the world, behind only the United States and Germany. That compared with $16.9 billion in sales between 2005 and 2009. Japan's median annual cost of new drugs also rose during the 2010-2014 period to $837, up from $697 the preceding 5-year period, the research company said in a release providing highlights from the report. Report | More