MHLW partially revises drug price standards effective October 14

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare promulgated Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 373, “Notification for Partial Revision of the Drug Price Standard (Drug Price Standard) for Used Drugs,” in the Official Gazette (Extra Edition, Legal Notification) dated October 13, 2026. Issued under the name of Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Kenichiro Ueno, this notification revises the Drug Price Standard, which is the official price of drugs used by medical institutions, based on the Calculation Method for Medical Fees (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 59 of 2008). This notification will be applicable from October 14, 2026.

The Drug Price Standard determines the official prices of drugs used in insurance-covered medical care and directly affects both the calculation of medical fees by medical institutions and the prices of pharmaceuticals sold by pharmaceutical companies. This revision was promulgated alongside Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 374 (Partial Revision of Posted Items, etc.) and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 375 (Partial Revision of Disease/Injury Names, Surgeries, Procedures, etc., and Defined Secondary Disease/Injury Names, etc.), both published in the Official Gazette on the same day, constituting a series of revisions related to medical fees.

Framework and Legal Basis of the Notification

• Notification Number: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 373
• Title: Notification for Partial Revision of the Drug Price Standard (Drug Price Standard) for Used Drugs
• Promulgation Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2026
• Issuer: Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Kenichiro Ueno
• Legal Basis: Calculation Method for Medical Fees (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 59 of 2008)
• Effective Date: October 14, 2026
• Publication Category: Official Gazette Extra Edition, Legal Notification

Related Notifications Promulgated Simultaneously

• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 374: Partial revision of the Posted Items, etc. determined by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare based on the Medical Care Fee Payment Rules, the Drug Price Payment Rules, and the Medical Care Fee Payment Standards (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 107 of 2006). This targets posted items based on Article 20, Item 2(t) of the Rules for Insurance Medical Institutions and Insurance Medical Care, and will be applicable from October 14, 2026.
• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 375: Partial revision of the Disease/Injury Names, Surgeries, Procedures, etc., and Defined Secondary Disease/Injury Names determined by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 95 of 2008), and the persons separately determined by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare based on Paragraph 1, Item 5 of the Calculation Method for the Amount of Expenses Required for Medical Care in Hospital Wards Designated by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 93 of 2008).

Addition of Injectable Drugs to the Facility Standards for Specially Listed Medical Fees

In addition to the Drug Price Standard, this notification also partially revises the Facility Standards for Specially Listed Medical Fees (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 63 of 2008). The following preparations will be newly added to Appended Table 9, “Injectable Drugs Prescribed in the Home Self-Injection Guidance Management Fee, Intermittent Infusion Syringe Pump Addition, Continuous Glucose Monitor Addition, and Injector Needle Addition.”

• Setomelanotide acetate preparations (Newly established)
• Bepirovirsen sodium preparations (Newly established)

This means that the range of injectable drugs eligible for fees such as the Home Self-Injection Guidance Management Fee will expand, affecting the billing administration of medical institutions providing home healthcare.

Since the drug price standards influence both the calculation of medical fees and the official prices of pharmaceuticals, this revision will impact both the billing administration of medical institutions and the selling prices of pharmaceutical companies. The application date is October 14, 2026, and calculations based on the new drug price standards will be required for medical services provided on or after that date.

Sources

• Official Gazette October 13, 2026 (Tuesday) Extra Edition, Legal Notices
• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 373 (October 13, 2026, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Kenichiro Ueno)
• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 374, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 375 (Promulgated on the same day)