On November 13, 2024, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced the inclusion of Eli Lilly's Alzheimer's treatment drug, Donanemab, under public health insurance. The annual cost is set at 3.08 million yen per patient, effective from November 20.
The pricing of Donanemab was determined based on the previously approved drug, Lecanemab, which costs 2.98 million yen annually for a patient weighing 50 kg. An additional charge was included to assess the possibility of ending treatment after one year. Patients' out-of-pocket expenses will be reduced under the national high-cost medical care system.
In a separate development, Tohoku Electric Power reported on the same day that it has restarted the No. 2 reactor at the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant in Miyagi Prefecture. The reactor reached criticality at 11:55 AM after being restarted at 9:00 AM. Power generation is expected to commence within the week, with the company aiming for commercial operation by December.
The No. 2 reactor was restarted on October 29, 2024, marking the first operational restart of a nuclear plant located in a disaster-affected area since the 2011 earthquake. The reactor had to be halted shortly after its restart due to a malfunction, which was traced back to insufficient tightening of a nut securing a pipe used for neutron measurement. Governor Yoshihiro Murai expressed serious concerns about the recent issues, emphasizing the potential dangers of nuclear accidents.