[ICKSH 2025] Korean hematologists urge faster reimbursement for lifesaving blood cancer drugs

The Korean Society of Hematology (KSH) has voiced strong concerns over delays in the reimbursement of newly approved therapies for blood cancer patients, warning that such setbacks are severely limiting access to life-saving treatments in clinical practice.

Speaking at a press conference held during the opening of the 2025 International Congress of the Korean Society of Hematology (ICKSH 2025), the society emphasized that the current health insurance reimbursement process fails to keep pace with the rapid progress in blood cancer drug development.

“Patients who have exhausted conventional treatment options do not have the luxury of time,” KSH President Kim Seok-jin said. “It is unacceptable that groundbreaking treatments, already approved by both U.S. and Korean regulators, are not being made available to the very patients who need them most, simply because of outdated reimbursement frameworks.”

While novel agents such as CAR-T therapies and bispecific antibodies are offering new hope to patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, lymphoma, and acute leukemia, many of these drugs remain financially out of reach due to protracted insurance evaluations.

Several bispecific antibodies — including Tecvayli (ingredient: teclistamab), Elrexfio (elranatamab), and Talvey (ingredient: talquetamab) — have received accelerated approvals from both the U.S. FDA and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety based on promising results from phase 2 clinical trials.

The same issue is affecting patients with lymphoma, where drugs such as Epkinly (ingredient: epcoritamab) and Columvi (ingredient: glofitamab) — also bispecific antibodies — face similar reimbursement delays despite being recognized for their clinical benefit in high-risk, treatment-resistant cases.

“This rigid approach does not align with clinical reality,” KSH Director of Scientific Committee Yhim Ho-young said. “These drugs are approved because they clearly benefit patients with no other options.”

Continuing to withhold reimbursement based on criteria designed for entirely different treatment contexts is both clinically and ethically problematic, Yhim added.

Yhim further stressed that innovation must be matched with access as otherwise, the promise of medical progress becomes meaningless for patients.

The society also highlighted a structural problem within the reimbursement review process. Out of 41 members on the Cancer Drug Review Committee, only six are hematologists, while the majority specialize in solid tumors such as gastric, lung, or colorectal cancers.

“The current committee structure is fundamentally unbalanced,” Yhim said. “Each blood cancer — whether it’s acute leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma — has its own distinct treatment landscape.”

Evaluating these diseases through the lens of solid tumor experience leads to inappropriate assessments, Yhim added.

Kim echoed this concern, saying, “Just as solid tumor subcommittees are built on disease-specific expertise, hematologic cancers deserve their own specialized review mechanism.”

Without it, we are setting up patients for inequity in care, Kim added.

To address these issues, the KSH called on health authorities to implement more flexible reimbursement standards for novel therapies that have demonstrated significant efficacy in early-phase trials.

The society also proposed establishing a separate reimbursement review body dedicated to hematologic malignancies, allowing for a more nuanced and expert-led evaluation process.

“Regulators must recognize the intent behind expedited approvals,” Yhim said. “When a drug is fast-tracked because of its clear benefit, the reimbursement system must not become the bottleneck that prevents patients from receiving it.”

KSH is not asking for shortcuts and is only asking for a system that reflects scientific progress and clinical urgency, Yhim added.

The KSH stressed that the current delays in coverage are having real-world consequences.

“These are not abstract policy discussions — these are decisions that determine whether patients live or die,” Kim said. “As hematologists, we cannot stand by while potentially life-saving treatments are kept out of reach.”

The society reaffirmed its commitment to actively working with regulatory bodies, policymakers, and patient groups to promote systemic improvements.

Meanwhile, ICKSH 2025, held from Thursday to Saturday at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul, aims to showcase cutting-edge research in hematology and foster academic collaboration across borders. This year’s event has drawn approximately 1,090 participants from 34 countries, featuring 102 invited lectures and 267 oral and poster presentations.

Keynote sessions will explore emerging topics, including myeloproliferative neoplasms, CAR-T cell therapy in lymphomas, CD38-targeted therapies, and future trends in chronic myeloid leukemia. The program also includes dedicated sessions highlighting research from across Asia and international symposia co-hosted with leading hematology societies from the U.S. and Europe.

“ICKSH is an important platform that demonstrates the academic leadership of Korean hematology and strengthens our global network,” Kim said. “We will continue contributing to the advancement of hematologic research and patient care worldwide.”