Tokyo swings ax on price of costly cancer drug

1116N Opdivo

TOKYO -- The price of Opdivo, a cancer drug that has become synonymous with the soaring cost of health care, is set to be halved in Japan after a government push that has upset some in the pharmaceutical industry.

A health ministry council on Wednesday approved a proposed 50% reduction in the official price, to take effect in February. What began as a move toward a cut of no more than 25% doubled following an intervention by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

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