Trump’s Drug Cost Push Helps Astellas Win Higher Price in Japan

President Donald Trump’s push for lower US drug prices has unexpectedly helped Astellas Pharma Inc.secure higher reimbursement pricing for its new eye medicine in Japan.

The Tokyo-based drugmaker, in a submission to Japanese officials, argued that domestic drug costs could influence US pricing under Trump’s proposed most-favored nation scheme. Following this, Astellas won a reimbursement level for Izervay that was more generous than typical outcomes, Chief Executive Officer Naoki Okamura said in an interview.

Naoki Okamura

Photographer: Toru Hanai/Bloomberg

“We leveraged this most favored nation dialog,” Okamura said. He believes Izervay got “relatively reasonable pricing” in Japan.

Izervay won conditional approval in ...