Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is more cost-effective than hemodialysis (HD) for patients with chronic kidney diseases, a local study showed. It was the first time in Korea that a study compared the cost-effectiveness of HD and PD.Researchers at several domestic hospitals disclosed the results of the study, titled “Prospective cohort of Korean end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients for cost-ef
The government has suspended Il-yang Pharmaceutical’s manufacturing of Teratect Prefilled Syringe Inj., a quadrivalent influenza vaccine, for one month from July 27 due to the company’s failure to submit data for a drug reassessment.Suppliers of novel drugs or medicines designated by food and drug safety minister must conduct safety and efficacy studies for six or four years after winning
Combinations using Bayer Korea’s prostate cancer treatment Xofigo Inj. (ingredient: radium223 dichloride) with abiraterone, prednisone, or prednisolone raise fracture risk, the government warned Thursday. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it would order the drugmaker to add the warning to the treatment’s usage precautions. The ministry’s measure came after France’s Agence Nationale
“If you use Medidata’s solution, you can shorten the time of new drug development by more than six months.”The comment was the summary of what Glen de Vries, president and co-founder of Medidata Solutions, said about the firm’s advantageous technologies for clinical trials during a news conference in Seoul Tuesday.The health tech firm holds a conference every year inviting professionals fr
The government’s ban of 128 antihypertensive drugs using valsartan manufactured by China’s Zhejiang Huahai is likely to take a heavy toll on the Korean pharmaceutical industry.The Ministry of Food and Safety said Saturday it would prohibit sales of 219 products of 82 drugmakers, after detecting N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in medicines containing valsartan from China. NDMA is classified as “2
Local pharmaceutical companies are preparing to release generic copies of Avodart (dutasteride), a treatment for enlarged prostate and hair loss, with reduced side effects.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recently approved JW Pharmaceutical’s Jdart Tab., Dong-A ST’s Dutavan Plus Tab., Daehan New Pharm’s NPdart Tab., and JW Shinyak’s Neodart Tab.These generics come in tablets, unlik
Severance Hospital said it has performed 20,000 robotic surgeries, the most in the world, as of Monday.The announcement came in almost 13 years after the first robotic surgery on July 15, 2005, and four years, seven months and five days after the 10,000th one on Nov. 11, 2013. “We were able to achieve 20,000 cases of robotic surgeries because we had several robotic surgeries at
Saxenda (ingredient: liraglutide), an injectable drug to treat obesity, is winning huge popularity in Korea after arriving in the local market in March.In just two months after the market release, the demand for Saxenda prescriptions has exceeded the supply.Several physicians noted that some hospitals might find it difficult to prescribe the popular injection as early as next month. On
The government said it has ordered Novartis to add “hepatitis B reactivation” to the precautions for Simulect Inj., an immunosuppressive drug to prevent acute organ rejection in kidney transplantation, from July 11.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it gave the order after confirming the reactivation of hepatitis B in the reports of significant adverse drug reactions.Simulect preven
The government said it has banned the sale of Il-yang Pharmaceutical’s antianginal treatment Simgyeonglac Cap. and ordered the recall of the product, after detecting excessive lead.The Ministry of Food and Drug Administration received a complaint that the drug contained too much lead. After collecting and inspecting the medicine, the government confirmed that the lead in the drug exceeded the
The fight between the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the tobacco industry is intensifying over the results of a study on the safety of heat-not-burn cigarettes.Foreign cigarette companies argued against the ministry’s recent announcement that e-cigarettes were as harmful as conventional products. They claimed that the ministry’s study had an error in measuring toxic materials. In rebutta
A global phase-2 clinical trial will soon take place in Korea to check if a combination therapy of BMS' Yervoy (ipilimumab) and Cemiplimab will be effective to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Monday gave the green light to the phase-2 study on REGN2810, which is another name of Cemiplimab developed by Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.Cem
Sanofi Pasteur has lost local approval for its intradermal influenza vaccine, IDflu, in 15 micrograms and 9 micrograms in Korea.The vaccine division of the French multinational drugmaker did not request for the health authorities’ reassessment twice, which made the regulator automatically cancel the license.Observers said the company might have given up on the renewal of approval inte
Celebrating the 20th anniversary this year, the Korea Cancer Study Group (KCSG) is paying attention to electronic informed consent (e-Consent) and virtual clinical trials to help Korean patients gain easier access to new anticancer treatments.The association is particularly keen on addressing misunderstandings and worries about clinical trials.Anticancer clinical trials offer treatment opp
Stick-on fever indicators that change colors according to body temperatures will be available at discount stores and supermarkets, the government said. “Color-displaying thermometers,” widely known as stick-on fever indicators, are used as disposable thermometers to check fever on children. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said on Friday that it would put to public notice an amendm
Type-2 antidiabetic treatment Linagliptin has had a 7.69 percent incidence of abnormal events in the past six years in Korea, the government said Monday. The data came from the regulator’s post-marketing surveillance on 3,119 patients.According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s PMS, 240 out of the 3,119 patients experienced 313 cases of adverse drug events.Among the 313 cases, 63 s
Nexoberide Gel, a treatment that removes dead skin tissues caused by burns, obtained approval in Korea, giving burn patients an additional treatment option.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Wednesday granted the license to the treatment, which is used to remove necrotic skin tissues from second- or third-degree burns. The gel won the nod as an orphan medicine.Physicians remove necros
There is an Asian proverb saying “it is better to see something once than to hear about it a hundred times.”Using the proverb as a company slogan, Health Breeze provides animated videos for patients to help them better understand the disease and inform them about details of the treatment and surgery processes.The company offers service called “HiChart” for large hospitals and “Health Breez
GlaxoSmithKline’s triple drug inhaler for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will be released in Korea, the company said Monday.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved local sales of Trelegy Ellipta (ingredient: fluticasone furoate, vilanterol, umeclidinium) on Friday.Trelegy Ellipta is the first triple treatment that combined inhaler-type corticosteroi
Daewoong Pharmaceutical, CJ Healthcare, and Jeil Pharmaceutical have won the license to sell two-in-one drugs for dyslipidemia and diabetes.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Thursday approved the three drugmakers to sell combo drugs of atorvastatin and metformin. Daewoong will release Lipimet SR Tab., CJ Healthcare, Atomet SR Tab., and Jeil, Lipitor M Tab. D, in doses of 10/750mg, 10/500