The treatment of biliary tract cancer, one of the cancers with a poor prognosis, is changing rapidly. Immunotherapies and targeted anticancer drugs have been developed in a rush. However, none of them have been covered by health insurance in Korea, and patients and medical workers complain that the
Pfizer Korea’s attempts to expand reimbursement for its third-generation ALK inhibitor Lorviqua (lorlatinib) do not seem to bear fruit easily, according to industry sources.Some analysts have speculated that Pfizer Korea might have made a strategic choice in the drug price negotiations due to Lorviq
The health authorities recently designated “systemic pustular psoriasis” as a rare disease and included it in this year's special calculation targets, opening the way for the use of Spevigo (spesolimab) for the disease’s treatment.However, a big hurdle of insurance benefits remains before its treatm
As the Claudin 18.2 protein, also called CLDN18.2, emerges as a new target for treating gastric cancer, Astellas' first CLDN18.2-targeted cancer drug, zolbetuximab, is in the final stage of its launch, drawing the industry’s attention.However, the changing landscape of metastatic gastric cancer trea
Large hospitals have been paralyzed due to the government's unilateral push to increase the medical school enrollment quota for a month now.In other words, for over a month, specialists and professors have been working around the clock to fill the healthcare void left by the departure of interns, re
Gilead's Sunlenca (lenacapavir), which has been attracting attention for treating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with twice-yearly injections, will likely be administered for the first time in Korea.On Tuesday, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) approved the therapeutic use of Sunlenca
As the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) prepares to announce the “Second Round Measures to Prevent and Control Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (2024-2028)” soon, poor access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has emerged as an issue.Many Koreans are believed to be purchasin
The developers of the innovative new drug Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) have recently ended price negotiations with the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) to receive reimbursement as early as next month.On Monday, the NHIS announced the settlement of Enhertu’s price bargaining by updating i
After the government announced it would stop providing free Covid-19 drugs and start charging for them in the first half of this year, concerns are growing about a treatment gap due to delays in discussing the reimbursement of related medications.According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention
The Korean Society for the Study of Obesity (KSSO) is now busy revising its guidelines ahead of Novo Nordisk's anticipated domestic launch of its obesity treatment Wegovy (semaglutide) late this year.According to a recent seminar of the Guidelines Committee at the KSSO’s 59th spring conference, the
"Korea is known for its successful clinical trials. However, underneath it is Korea’s characteristics of frequently delayed reimbursement for new drugs. I think part of it is to ensure access to new drugs by participating in clinical trials."Ingrid A. Mayer, vice president of global clinical strateg
The second-generation bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor Brukinsa (zanubrutinib), developed by BeiGene, has cleared the threshold of the Pharmaceutical Reimbursement Evaluation Committee (PREC) after a second attempt at expanded coverage.At the same meeting, AstraZeneca's asthma drug Fasenra (be
The 10th Cancer Disease Review Committee (CDRC), under the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA), held its first meeting with newly reconstituted members on Wednesday, during which it discussed nine new and expanded reimbursement proposals.However, most drugs did not pass the review,
Patients and the pharmaceutical industry pay keen attention to whether the government will reimburse Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan), for which drug price negotiations are underway with the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) from April.Patient organizations have been pressuring the government
MSD's 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), Vaxneuvance, will be used in Korea in earnest next month as part of the government’s pediatric national immunization program (NIP).MSD Korea said it had secured sufficient batches of Vaxneuvance to prepare for its full-scale launch.Vaxneuvance is
PARP (poly ADP-ribose polymerase) inhibitors have recently emerged as a new treatment option for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with a poor prognosis and are expected to contribute significantly to improving survival rates.However, they remain far beyond the reach of most Ko
Starting next month, biliary tract cancer patients can add the anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy Imfinzi (durvalumab) at their own expense to the existing gemcitabine/cisplatin (GemCis) chemotherapy regimen for the first-line treatment of locally progressive or metastatic biliary tract cancer.It was part of
The first FGFR inhibitor for bladder cancer, Balversa (erdafitinib), will soon be launched in Korea.According to industry sources on Monday, Janssen Korea is gearing up to release Balversa without reimbursement in late March.Balversa is an FGFR (fibroblast growth factor receptor) inhibitor approved
Janssen has been delaying the Korean launch of its FGFR (fibroblast growth factor receptor) inhibitor Balversa (erdafitinib) for over a year, making many watchers wonder what's happening.Janssen received approval for Balversa on Nov. 24, 2022, from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS).Balvers
GSK's shingles vaccine Shingrix is associated with an increased risk of herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) recurrence, suggesting that patients with a history of the disease should be monitored closely after vaccination, a new study said.Last Thursday, local time, researchers from the University of Ca