Patient-centered access to new drugs is the core of future healthcare: KRPIA

To address the issue of “low access to new drugs” facing Korea, the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, patient groups, academia, and the government gathered together.

At a forum held on Wednesday to mark the 25th anniversary of the Korea Research-based Pharma Industry Association (KRPIA), participants reaffirmed that designing patient-centered policies is an urgent task that can no longer be delayed.

It all depends on how to bring innovative new drugs to patients faster

The “Policy Forum for Patients,” the first session of the event, focused intensively on overseas best practices and institutional improvement measures for expedited access to new drugs.

Professor Allan Wailoo from the Department of Health Economics at the University of Sheffield introduced the “Severity Modifier” system adopted by the U.K.'s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) starting in 2022.

Previously, high cost-effectiveness standards were applied only to end-stage cancer treatments, but now they are flexibly applied to all patient groups with a high mortality risk, regardless of disease type, he noted.

“This change stems from self-reflection that the system failed to properly reflect the innovation of new drugs and patients' survival potential,” Professor Wailoo said, adding that it holds significant implications for Korea.

Professor Frank-Ulrich Fricke of Nuremberg University of Applied Sciences highlighted Germany's “prior approval, post-evaluation” system. This approach enables immediate insurance coverage upon new drug approval, followed by price negotiations within six months. He assessed it as “a rational structure that enhances predictability for pharmaceutical companies while providing patients with rapid access to treatment.”

Fujihara Kaita, Director of Policy Planning at Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, introduced Japan's 2024 drug pricing system reform. According to Kaita, Japan established a patient-centered drug pricing compensation system featuring rapid listing within one year of approval, price adjustments lower than those in overseas markets, and preferential treatment for pediatric medicines.

“We apply ‘price maintenance preferential treatment’ to 90 percent of listed new drugs, exempting them from price reductions for at least 15 years to attract investment from global pharmaceutical companies,” he explained.

During the panel discussion chaired by Sungkyunkwan University Professor Lee Eui-kyung, he emphasized the need for improvements aligned with global trends, saying, “Korea's still conservative economic evaluation system delays the domestic listing of innovative new drugs. Industry, media, and legal sector panelists also unanimously agreed that a balanced policy that simultaneously ensures fiscal soundness and patient access is urgently needed.”

Patient's voice should be the starting point for policy

At the “Healthy Tomorrow Forum: Co-Created with Patients” session, representatives from the Korea Alliance of Patient Organizations, the Korean Organization of Rare Diseases, the medical community, and industry discussed the specific difficulties and improvement tasks faced by patients.

“Over the past 25 years, we have supplied innovative treatments to Korea, accounting for 83 percent of all new drugs domestically. However, what patients still most urgently desire is rapid access to innovative new drugs,” KRPIA Executive Director Choi In-hwa said,

The statements from patient groups were more urgent.

Lee Eun-young, Co-Chair of the Korea Leukemia Patients Organization, called for enacting the Patient Rights Act and establishing an integrated patient support platform, stating, “Patients are not mere beneficiaries but active participants in policy design.”

Kim Mi-young, representative of the Korean Society of Type 1 Diabetes, emphasized that “the official recognition of pancreatic disorders as a disability type was a turning point in patients' lives,” highlighting how patient experiences can drive systemic change.

Jeong Jin-hyang, Secretary General of the Korean Organization of Rare Diseases, pointed out the nationwide shortage of specialized treatment centers, pleading, “Life-cycle tailored rehabilitation services are urgently needed.”

The panel discussion also highlighted the practical inequality that prevents patients in Korea from accessing new drugs that are already available in other countries.

Professor Kwon Yong-jin of Seoul National University Hospital, who chaired the session, said, “True patient-centered healthcare is only possible through solidarity and cooperation among stakeholders.”

A special exhibition titled “25 Hopes” was also held at the event’s venue. It featured 25 works showcasing the achievements that KRPIA member companies have delivered to patients and society over the past 25 years.