On March 6, a specialized panel of Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare approved adding “sleep disorders” to the list of medical department names that medical institutions can display on signboards and in advertisements. It is the first addition since 2008.
Amid health problems linked to red yeast rice supplements produced by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, a research team at the Tokyo Institute of Science announced by the 5th that it has clarified part of the mechanism by which puberulic acid, a substance derived from blue mold and identified as the causal compound, triggers kidney damage. While the substance responsible had previously been identified, how it actually damaged the kidneys had remained unclear.
Japan’s health ministry ordered a clinic in Tokyo to improve its operations on Friday 20th February over its violations of the law on safety in regenerative medicine. An on-site inspection of Ginza Phoenix Clinic found violations, including administrations of cultured cells using stem cells and dendritic cells by five doctors not listed in 10 regenerative medicine plans submitted by its director, Hisashi Nagai, to the ministry. Medical institutions face penalties for false or missing entries in mandatory regenerative medicine treatment plans.
Tokyo District Court on Friday acquitted a former department chief at the National Cancer Center Japan, ruling that no intent on his part could be established in an alleged medical device bribery case. Defendant Yusuke Hashimoto, 49, former head of hepatobiliary and pancreatic oncology at the National Cancer Center Hospital East, was accused of receiving a total of 3.15 million yen in cash transfers from Zeon Medical Inc., a Tokyo-based medical device maker, in June 2020 and May 2021.
Japan’s health ministry ordered a clinic in Tokyo to improve its operations Friday over its violations of the law on safety in regenerative medicine. An on-site inspection of Ginza Phoenix Clinic found violations, including administrations of cultured cells using stem cells and dendritic cells by five doctors not listed in 10 regenerative medicine plans submitted by its director, Hisashi Nagai, to the ministry. Medical institutions face penalties for false or missing entries in mandatory regenerative medicine treatment plans.
A Japanese panel of experts on Thursday gave the green light for the health minister to approve the production and sale of two regenerative medical products that use induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells. The products, if approved by the minister, are expected to be the world’s first of their kind. The panel examined the products under a conditional approval system. Even if approved, additional data on the products will be collected for up to seven years.
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.
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.
It was learned on the 6th that the medical corporation foundation “Aoyama-kai” has decided to end two disability consultation support services under contract with the city at the end of March and has notified the city. The relationship of trust with the city was damaged by Mayor Kaichi Deguchi’s social media posts during last year’s mayoral election and the subsequent response, and the foundation has decided that continuing the services any longer is difficult. The city is considering countermeasures for April and beyond to avoid impacting users.
Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and health minister Kenichiro Ueno agreed Wednesday to raise medical service fees by 2.22 pct for a fiscal 2026 review. The two ministers agreed to increase the main portion of the fees, which mainly cover labor costs for medical workers, by an annual average of 3.09 pct over the two years from the fiscal year starting next April, while lowering official drug prices by 0.87 pct.
Barrier Free Japan