Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca Korea's new antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) drug Enhertu 100 mg (trastuzumab deruxtecan) has been rejected by the Pharmaceutical Reimbursement Evaluation Committee.

The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) held this year’s first Pharmaceutical Reimbursement Evaluation Committee on Thursday to deliberate on the appropriateness of insurance benefits for Enhertu and other drugs.

However, the committee decided to re-discuss coverage for Enhertu in February after the developer supplemented its financial sharing plan.

The indications for which Enhertu applied for reimbursement are HER2-positive breast cancer, HER2-positive adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction.

Enhertu passed the Cancer Disease Review Committee in May last year and has been tabled on the reimbursement committee about seven months later, raising expectations for its reimbursement. However, due to the latest decision to redeliberate the issue, it will have to wait until the next committee meeting.

In contrast, JW Pharmaceuticals' anemia drug Ferrinject Inj (carboxymaltose ferric hydroxide chloride), tabled on the drug evaluation committee along with Enhertu, won recognition as appropriate for reimbursement.

Lorviqia Tab 25mg, 100mg (lorlatinib) of Pfizer Korea, recognized as appropriate for expanding benefits, received a conditional pass. Lorviqua is a treatment for ALK-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. The drug assessment panel cited the appropriateness of expanded coverage if the company accepts less than the assessed amount.