Korean combination drugs for hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia, and nine incrementally modified drugs that changed chronic hepatitis B treatment Viread’s primary substance will get insurance benefits from next month, industry sources said Wednesday.

Ildong Pharmaceutical_일동제약’s hypertension drug Twotops Plus (compound: telmisartan/amlodipine/hydrochlorothiazide) got listed on registered drugs for insurance benefits with the price of 792 won ($0.7) for 40/5/12.5mg, 956 won for 80/5/12.5mg, 1,018 won for 80/10/25mg, and 1,021 won for 80/10/25mg.

Twotops Plus combines telmisartan and amlodipine to treat essential hypertension or high pressure without a known secondary cause.

Hanmi Pharmaceutical_한미약품's hypertension-hyperlipidemia combination drug Amosartan Q (compound: amlodipine/losartan/rosuvastatin), approved in July, will also get insurance benefits. The prices of the six doses were fixed at 962 won for 5/50/5mg, 1,228 won for 5/50/10mg, 1,302 won for 5/50/20mg, 1,089 won for 5/100/5mg, 1,355 won for 5/100/10mg, and 1,429 won for 5/100/20mg.

LG Chem_LG화학’s diabetes-dyslipidemia therapy Zemiro (compound: gemigliptin/rosuvastatin) will also be subject to insurance benefits from October. Zemiro was the first Korean combination drug for diabetes and dyslipidemia to get a license in August. The combination comes in three doses – 50mg of gemigliptin with 5mg, 10mg and 20 mg of rosuvastatin. Prices were set at 800 won, 1,040 won and 1,114 won for each different dose, respectively.

Nine incrementally modified drugs that changed Viread’s primary substance will also get listed on registered drugs for insurance benefits from October.

Three base-free products -- Boryung Pharmaceutical_보령제약’s Tenowon, Samchundang Pharm_{삼천당제약}’s S-vir and Dongkook Pharm’s Tenoforin – were priced highest at 4,365 won per pill.

Daewoong Pharm_대웅제약’s Virehepa came next with 4,059 won, followed by Samjin Pharm_삼진제약’s Tenoread with 3,982 won, Hanwha Pharm_한화제약’s Virip with 3,866 won, Hanmi Pharm’s Tefovir (ingredient: tenofovir disoproxil phosphate) with 2,910 won, Chong Kun Dang_종근당’s Tenofobell (ingredient: tenofovir disoproxil aspartic acid) with 2,597 won, and Donga-ST_동아ST’s Vireal (ingredient: tenofovir disoproxil orotate) with 2,424 won.

Among the nine incrementally modified drugs, the price of the base-free products was set relatively high, as other base-free products scheduled to be registered in November will force the price of the drugs released earlier to fall by about half, observers said.

Some of the three base-free products getting insurance benefits from October may see the price go down in November, they said.