Posted by Michael Wonder on 08 Feb 2017
Merck cancer drug brings cost competition to Japanese rival
9 February 2017 - Price may be less than for Ono Pharmaceutical's weight-based dosage.
A cancer drug developed by Merck arrives shortly on the Japanese market, where it likely will cost less for many patients than Ono Pharmaceutical's rival treatment, which has become a symbol of soaring prices in medical care.
The health ministry's powerful Central Social Insurance Medical Council approved a price of 39,099 yen ($349) per day for Keytruda, which goes on sale as soon as 15 February. That price works out to around 14 million yen a year.
