Japan Approves Muscular Dystrophy Drug Price of 300 M. Yen

From Jiji

February 13 2026

TOKYO – An advisory panel to Japan’s health minister decided Friday to allow public health insurance coverage for a gene therapy for muscular dystrophy beginning Feb. 20 and set the drug’s official price at about 304.97 million yen. 
   Elevidys, a one-time treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy in ambulatory patients aged 3-7, will become the country’s most expensive drug.
   Developed mainly by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, the drug is expected to improve patients’ motor function to some extent. In the United States, it is sold for about 500 million yen.
   Patients’ out-of-pocket costs will be very low, thanks to health insurance coverage and the government’s medical aid system for intractable diseases.
   As the number of patients eligible for the treatment is small, the health ministry expects that its impact on health insurance finances will be limited.