logo
Japan discards state-acquired COVID-19 drugs worth ¥240 billion

Japan discards state-acquired COVID-19 drugs worth ¥240 billion

Japan Today16-07-2025
The government discarded COVID-19 oral medicines believed to be worth around 240 billion yen in the fiscal year through March as they had passed their expiry dates, health ministry officials said Wednesday.
While the exact purchase price remains unclear, the value was calculated in accordance with current prices. The amount is enough to treat some 2.5 million people.
The government acquired the oral drugs at the height of the coronavirus pandemic and provided them free of charge to hospitals and clinics nationwide.
But many of them were unused after COVID-19 was downgraded to the same category as seasonal influenza in May 2023, which required people to pay for COVID-19 treatment. Drugmakers had also started general distribution of COVID-19 medicine in Japan themselves.
A Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare official said offering the drugs to other countries was considered but legally difficult.
Among the 2 million doses of Pfizer Inc's nirmatrelvir and 1.6 million doses of Merck & Co's molnupiravir procured by the government, about 1.75 million doses of nirmatrelvir and some 780,000 doses of molnupiravir were disposed of, according to the ministry.
The government also secured 2 million doses of Shionogi & Co's ensitrelvir but about 1.77 million of them are unused, the ministry said. They are expected to be discarded after they reach their expiration dates starting next fiscal year.
© KYODO
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Japanese women top global life expectancy for 40th straight year
Japanese women top global life expectancy for 40th straight year

The Mainichi

time18 hours ago

  • The Mainichi

Japanese women top global life expectancy for 40th straight year

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese women had the highest life expectancy in the world in 2024, marking the 40th consecutive year at the top, government data showed Friday. Their average life expectancy was 87.13 years, a slight drop of 0.01 year from 2023. Men's life expectancy remained unchanged at 81.09, but their global ranking slipped to sixth from fifth, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said. Japan was followed in the global ranking for women by South Korea at 86.40 and Spain at 86.34. Among men, Sweden ranked first at 82.29, followed by Switzerland at 82.20 and Norway at 81.59, the ministry said. Life expectancy for both men and women declined in 2021 and 2022, due largely to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but rebounded in 2023.

Japanese women top global life expectancy for 40th straight year
Japanese women top global life expectancy for 40th straight year

Kyodo News

time18 hours ago

  • Kyodo News

Japanese women top global life expectancy for 40th straight year

TOKYO - Japanese women had the highest life expectancy in the world in 2024, marking the 40th consecutive year at the top, government data showed Friday. Their average life expectancy was 87.13 years, a slight drop of 0.01 year from 2023. Men's life expectancy remained unchanged at 81.09, but their global ranking slipped to sixth from fifth, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said. Japan was followed in the global ranking for women by South Korea at 86.40 and Spain at 86.34. Among men, Sweden ranked first at 82.29, followed by Switzerland at 82.20 and Norway at 81.59, the ministry said. Life expectancy for both men and women declined in 2021 and 2022, due largely to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but rebounded in 2023.

Japan Average Life Expectancy Flat in 2024

time20 hours ago

Japan Average Life Expectancy Flat in 2024

Tokyo, July 25 (Jiji Press)--The average life expectancy of Japanese citizens born in 2024 remained almost unchanged from the previous year, a health ministry survey showed Friday. It stood at 81.09 years for men and 87.13 years for women. The average life expectancy indicates a future average lifespan for children born in a particular year. It is calculated on the premise that mortality rates at each age will not change. The country's life expectancy declined in 2021 and 2022, due to the COVID-19 crisis, after continuing to climb generally since the ministry started the survey in 1947. It rebounded in 2023 as the number of deaths from the disease dropped. The life expectancy of Japanese men placed sixth globally in 2024, after Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Italy and Spain, dropping one place from 2023. That of Japanese women remained in first spot, followed by South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, France and Italy. The share of Japanese men born in 2024 who are projected to live until 75 and 90 stands at 75.3 pct and 25.8 pct, respectively. Of women born last year, 87.9 pct are expected to live until 75 and 50.2 pct until 90. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store