Merck Healthcare Korea marks oncology milestone as full portfolio gains reimbursement

Merck Healthcare Korea has designated 2025 as the starting point for its oncology business, saying it has completed a fully reimbursed cancer treatment portfolio in the Korean market and is now positioned to accelerate both patient access and pipeline expansion.

The company emphasized what it calls the value of time, arguing that anticancer therapies should not only extend survival but enable patients to continue sharing important milestones with family.

Merck Healthcare Korea held a media event on Tuesday to outline this year’s progress and business direction for 2026. 

Lee Soo-kyung, Executive Director of the Oncology Business Unit at Merck Healthcare Korea, said all reimbursed products now hold leading positions within their approved treatment scopes.

Merck established its foundation in the Korean cancer market with Erbitux, which in 2013 became the first medicine to be reimbursed under Korea’s risk-sharing agreement framework.

The portfolio expanded in 2023 with Bavencio as a first-line maintenance therapy for urothelial carcinoma, followed by Tepmetko, which secured reimbursement in April for MET-altered non-small cell lung cancer.

During the session, Lee said the company is shifting its focus from simple survival extension to improving the quality of time patients can spend with family. 

"It is not the length of survival that determines the value of treatment, but what that time means,” she said.

Lee introduced the case of a patient who lived long enough to see his daughter enter university after receiving a new therapy, adding that the oncology division exists to ensure patients can be present for milestones such as graduations and family events.

“Delivering treatment at the right moment and in the right place is our core goal,” she said.

Lee also reflected on the company’s long journey in Korea, noting that Merck sustained nearly a decade of operations centered largely around a single oncology product.

“Erbitux carried both clinical and symbolic weight for us,” she said. She identified Bavencio as the critical turning point, saying it “opened a new path” after demonstrating clear overall survival benefits in first-line maintenance therapy for bladder cancer and achieving insurance reimbursement in 2021.

She described the reimbursement of Tepmetko earlier this year as the result of “more than 1,000 days of preparation and countless on-site discussions to secure evidence and persuade stakeholders,” adding, “We did not give up, and that is the culture of Merck.”

Lee said the company will continue strengthening leadership within current indications by expanding real-world evidence from the Korean environment.

“The volume of data being generated is increasing rapidly, but the real challenge is delivering accurate scientific information to the people who need it,” she said.

She emphasized that participation by patients and caregivers in treatment decisions is rising, and the company intends to reinforce communication channels accordingly.

Looking ahead, Merck said it will accelerate next-generation research and global collaboration.

The company currently operates six global research centers with about 2,500 researchers and invests approximately 2.5 trillion won ($1.6 billion) annually in research and development. Its pipeline includes antibody-drug conjugates, DNA damage response agents, signal pathway inhibitors, and tumor microenvironment modulators. Partnerships with Abbisko in China and SpringWorks Therapeutics in the U.S. are expected to expand opportunities in solid tumors and rare cancers.

Christoph Hamann, General Manager of Merck Healthcare Korea, said Korea has the potential to become a leading player in global biopharma if an ecosystem supports the growth of small and emerging biotech companies. 

"If there is an environment where small biotechs can grow and succeed, Korea can rise as a leader,” he said. “Countries with strong innovation all have one thing in common: well-structured reward systems and incentives.”

Merck intends to continue working to improve patient access and broaden the availability of innovative therapies in Korea, he added.

Hamann said the company is preparing to introduce additional treatments in rare disease areas.

“We plan to expand beyond oncology into areas where treatment options are limited,” he said, citing therapies for desmoid tumors, neurofibromatosis type one for both adults and children, and pimicotinib for tenosynovial giant cell tumor as examples under preparation for the Korean market.