Avi Ben-Shoshan, chairman of the Korea Research-based Pharma Industry Association (KRPIA), said he would fully cooperate with the government to enhance Korean patients’ access to new medicines next year.

Ben-Shoshan, who also serves as the managing director of MSD Korea, said he would actively propose policies to the government to advance the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, in his message for the New Year on Monday.

“Three years have passed since the government began ‘Moon Jae-in Care’ to relieve citizens from worries about medical expenses, but it is still slow to expand insurance coverage of new drugs,” he said. “KRPIA will discuss with the government sufficiently to broaden patients’ access to innovative medicines.”

The Moon Jae-in Care aims to expand coverage of the state-run health insurance program, particularly for the low-income households, children and the elderly.

Multinational members of KRPIA will continue global clinical trials in various fields including cancer, rare and intractable diseases, and unmet medical needs, Benshoshan went on to say. The association will continue working on innovative drugs to open an era where people live a healthy and happy life until over 100 years old.

"We will enhance the pharmaceutical industry’s credibility through ethical management and fulfill our role as a reliable member of society through active social contribution," he added.

In the next year, he hoped that the pharmaceutical industry could achieve good results to improve public health and advance the biopharmaceutical sector. KRPIA will endeavor to expand collaborations in various fields, seeking joint technology development and overseas market entry with domestic drugmakers, he also said.

“We will aggressively expand clinical trials and R&D investments so that Korea can become a pharmaceutical powerhouse,” Ben-Shoshan emphasized.