Tagrisso, AstraZeneca’s non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment, has earned increased insurance benefits as a primary treatment. The approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety came five years after the drug was approved as a primary treatment.

On Wednesday, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) announced the results of the second meeting of its severe disease (cancer) deliberation committee.

The committee discussed two items that applied for reimbursement and one case for the expanded insurance benefits.

As a result, Tagrisso expanded its indications to the primary treatment of patients with locally progressive or metastatic NSCLC marked by EGFR exon 19 deficiency or exon 21 (L858R) substitution mutation.

The meeting also decided on the reimbursement standard for Scemblix, Norvatis’ tertiary treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Scemblix passed the first threshold for reimbursement as a treatment for adult patients with chronic Philadelphia chromosomal positive CML (Ph+ CML) who have previously received treatments with two or more tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

However, committee members decided to rediscuss the issue of Enhertu, Daiichi Sankyo Korea’s metastatic breast cancer treatment.

Enhertu’s applied for two indications -- unresectable or metastatic HER2 + breast cancer that have received two or more anti-HER2-based treatments and locally progressive or metastatic HER2 + gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma that has received two more treatments, including anti-HER2 treatment.

Darzalex, Janssen Korea’s treatment for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM), also failed to expand its reimbursement standards.

Among the drugs prescribed and administered for severe disease patients, HIRA can announce details on reimbursement application standards and methods for those drugs designated and announced by the Minister of Health and Welfare through the committee meeting.

The payment criteria for these drugs may be set differently depending on the opinions of experts, clinical literature, domestic and foreign guidelines, and expert opinions within the scope of efficacy and effectiveness of the Food and Drug Safety Ministry, and the reimbursement status and criteria may be changed in the process of follow-up procedures.