Japan’s pharmaceutical market, valued at more than $80 billion, is facing both opportunity and strain, from explosive growth in oncology and specialty therapeutics to mounting pressures from regulation, generics and an aging population. Against this backdrop, global medical communications and consulting firm Avalere Health has launched its Japan arm as it expands in Asia Pacific.
The new office, located in Tokyo, will support Japanese biopharmaceutical companies with advisory, medical and marketing services.
For the US‑based consultancy, Japan was a natural progression. “The timing and opportunity aligned perfectly,” Amar Urhekar, Global CEO of Avalere Health tells Campaign. “Japan’s healthcare market is experiencing explosive growth, particularly in oncology, diabetes, immunology and rare diseases – therapeutic areas where Avalere has deep expertise.”
Japan's healthcare system is among the most advanced globally, but its unique regulatory requirements and reimbursement frameworks demand partners with both local expertise and global perspective.
Unlike traditional consulting or medical communications agencies, Avalere Health Japan positions itself as a commercialisation partner with advisory, medical affairs and marketing under one roof. This approach, Urhekar explains, aims to ensure strategies are aligned from early evidence generation through to launch and beyond, and is “designed to disrupt Japan’s siloed system, where biopharma companies often engage separate agencies for different functions.”
At the helm is industry veteran
Junji Yokokawa, former head of IPG Health Japan. Yokokawa brings 27 years of experience in healthcare and life sciences, and blend of local and global perspectives to the team.
“Japan has a very unique pricing and reimbursement framework and deeply embedded cultural norms around physician and patient engagement,” Yokokawa says. “We're not simply leveraging our global capability but adding value to the local Japanese market...with the right mix of skills to navigate Japan’s nuanced healthcare challenges."
Avalere Health Japan launches with a core team of five, already engaged in conversations with leading pharmaceutical brands. The firm’s ambition is not only to support global clients entering Japan but also to help Japanese companies expand internationally.
Urhekar, who lived in Japan and worked with Yokokawa, praised his leadership and his team's experience that will allow strategies to be locally attuned to cultural sensitivity.
