Pharmaceutical firms in a mess

The government is implementing a plan to bring down spending on medicines, which made up over 29 percent of the country’s total medical expense in 2009. It by far exceeds the OECD average of 14.5 percent.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on September 30 that a new drug-pricing plan is aimed at creating a more transparent drug market and encouraging drug companies to spend more on rese...