- LOGIN
- MemberShip
- 2026-04-29 05:11:03
- Policy
- Ildong to continue oral 'GLP-1 receptor agonist' trial
- by Lee, Hye-Kyung Aug 22, 2024 05:55am
- Ildong Pharmaceutical will conduct an additional round of Phase 1 clinical trial for its proprietary new drug candidate, 'ID110521156,' for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The drug, by the development code ID110521156, is an oral new drug targeting type 2 diabetes and obesity. On August 20th, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) approved a 'Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple-ascending oral dose Phase 1 study of ID110521156 in healthy adults to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of the drug,' which has been submitted by Unovia. Unovia is an independent company established through a simple asset split by Ildong Pharmaceutical to spin off its R&D division. Ildong Pharmaceutical holds 100% of Unovia's shares as the parent company. The Phase 1 trial for ID11052115 was conducted from September 2023 to February 2024 in South Korea. The previous goal was to study 'single oral administration,' but this time, the study will evaluate the drug's safety by multiple-dose administration of ID110521156. When the clinical trial is completed successfully, Ildong Pharmaceutical plans to develop the new drug candidate as an oral new drug targeting type 2 diabetes and obesity. ID110521156 is a type of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, and it works as an analog of GLP-1 hormone that induces insulin secretion in the body and regulates blood sugar levels. GLP-1 hormone is synthesized in the beta cells of the pancreas. It is known to be involved in insulin synthesis and secretion in the body, reducing blood sugar levels, regulating gastrointestinal movement, and suppressing appetite. ID110521156 is a small-molecule compound with the same function as GLP-1 hormones. It is structurally more stable and has a longer plasma half-life than peptide-based biological agents. The company explained that ID110521156's efficacy and toxicity evaluations using disease animal models have demonstrated significant effectiveness in insulin secretion and blood glucose control and superior safety compared to competing drugs in the same class. The company has already registered the candidate's substance patent in countries including South Korea, the United States, China, Japan, India, and Australia. Ildong Pharmaceutical's official stated, "We have evaluated the efficacy and toxicity profile of ID110521156 using disease animal models and have confirmed its effectiveness in insulin secretion, blood glucose control, and safety," and added, "We are currently in discussions with several global pharmaceutical companies regarding licensing and partnerships."
- Policy
- Preferential pricing delayed for homegrown new drugs
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Aug 22, 2024 05:50am
- The delay in issuance of a revised draft that includes preferential drug pricing measures for domestic new drugs is raising concerns in the pharmaceutical industry. This month, a revised draft that reflects the innovative value of new drugs was released by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, but the revision lacked a measure for homegrown new drugs. The preferential treatment for such homegrown new drugs was expected to be included in the amendment to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s “Criteria for Decision or Adjustment on Drugs,” but it is difficult to predict when the notification of the amendment will be issued due to the recent change in the Director Division of Pharmaceutical Benefits at MOHW. On the 8th, HIRA issued an amendment to the "Criteria for Detailed Evaluation of Drugs Subject to Negotiation, such as New Drugs" upon DREC deliberations. The amendment included: ▲ New criteria for flexible ICER threshold evaluation; ▲ Addition of severe diseases to the risk-sharing agreement scheme; ▲ Omission of the Drug Evaluation Committee review when expanding the reimbursement range of RSA drugs that claim less than KRW 1.5 billion; ▲ New conditions that require submission of clinical evidence such as RWD and RWE when renewing RSA schemes. However, the draft did not include preferential treatment of domestically developed drugs, which raised questions in the industry. The plan to apply preferential measures for homegrown new drugs was already included in the ‘2024 Implementation Plan for the 2nd Comprehensive National Health Insurance Plan’ in April. The plan contained preferential drug pricing measures for companies that lead healthcare innovation through R&D investment, supply of essential drugs, job creation, and stable supply and plans to expand the scope of new drugs eligible for preferential pricing and risk-sharing agreement to include those made by pharmaceutical companies with a high R&D ratio. It also included content that generic drugs that contain ingredients designated as national essential drugs will be given higher drug prices than other generics if they newly registered the drug after using domestic ingredients. The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it would revise the criteria for determining and adjusting drug prices by the first half of this year. However, the amendments have not been made two months into the first half of the year, raising concerns among some in the industry that it will become a non-event. In particular, the Director of the Division of Pharmaceutical Benefits of MOHW, who is in charge of the work, was replaced last month, making the timing of the amendment less predictable. The MOHW changed the Director of the Division of Pharmaceutical Benefits from Chang-hyun Oh (currently the Director of the Division of Health Industry Promotion) to Yang-soo Song on March 29th. The new director Song is an administrative officer who past the 50th Public Administrative Examination and has served as the head of the research and planning department at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Korea National Institute of Health. An industry insider said, “There is also talk that the new head, Song, is reviewing the preferential pricing treatment for homegrown new drugs again. At first, The amendment was expected to be released in the first half of the year, but no news has been heard on its issuance even after HIRA issued an amendment to the ‘Criteria for detailed evaluation of drugs subject to negotiation, such as new drugs.’” HIRA and the NHIS are having difficulty giving a clear answer on when the measure will be implemented, except that the MOHW is reviewing it. The new Director Song is reportedly revisiting major issues of industry interest, from preferential drug pricing for homegrown new drugs to raising the maximum reduction rate for Price-Volume Agreement drugs, to external reference pricing reevaluations. As such, there is talk that the review and outcome may differ from the new review. In particular, as the price of homegrown new drugs that are currently being reviewed for reimbursement by HIRA may change depending on Song’s review, the industry is eyeing its outcome. Another industry official said, “There are many areas that need to be addressed through notification, such as RSA for domestic non-inferior new drugs. There are also drugs that are currently under review that are applicable, which is why the pharmaceutical industry is eagerly awaiting MOHW’s notification.”
- Policy
- Takeda receives P3T approval for TAK-861 in Korea
- by Lee, Hye-Kyung Aug 21, 2024 05:48am
- The Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda Pharmaceuticals will enter Phase III clinical trials for TAK-861, its new drug candidate for narcolepsy, in Korea. On the 20th, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) on Tuesday approved a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TAK-861 for the treatment of narcolepsy with cataplexy (narcolepsy type 1). The Phase III trial will be conducted at Seoul National University Hospital, St. Vincent's Hospital, and Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center. Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder and sleep disorder characterized by episodic drowsiness during daily life. Narcolepsy is categorized into two types: Type 1 narcolepsy, which is characterized by cataplexy or a cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin level of 110 pg/mL or less; and Type 2 narcolepsy, which is characterized by a hypocretin level of 110 pg/mL or higher without cataplexy or no measure. TAK-861 is being developed for the treatment of patients with Type 1 narcolepsy, as stimulation of orexin receptor 2 in patients with Type 1 narcolepsy may restore orexin signaling by targeting the underlying pathophysiology of the disease. According to data presented by Takeda at SLEEP 2024 in June, which outlined the results of the company’s clinical trial evaluating 112 patients with type 1 narcolepsy, TAK-861 demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements compared to placebo in objective and subjective measures of wakefulness, including the primary endpoint, the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT) at week 8. Consistent statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements were also observed in secondary endpoints, including the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Weekly Cataplexy Rate (WCR), Products available in the domestic narcolepsy treatment market include JW Pharmaceuticals' Provigil, Hanmi Pharmaceutical's Modanil, and Handok Teva's Nuvigil, all of which contain modafinil. Mitsubishi Tandabe’s Wakix is a pitolisant hydrochloride drug used for narcolepsy in adults with or without cataplexy. Wakix is the only product approved in Korea for the treatment of narcolepsy with cataplexy, which is defined as a sudden loss of muscle tone provoked by strong emotion.
- Policy
- Orphan drug 'Jaypirca' for Mantle Cell Lymphoma wins nod
- by Lee, Hye-Kyung Aug 21, 2024 05:47am
- Product photo of Lilly The BTK inhibitor Jaypirca (pirtobrutinib) has been approved in South Korea. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) announced on August 19th that it approved Jaypirca, an orphan drug for treating Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL). Lilly Korea imports the drug. Jaypirca works by binding with Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), which is involved in tumor cell proliferation, and inhibiting the BTK activation. Because the drug binds to BTK by mechanism different from existing treatments, it is expected to provide a new treatment opportunity for patients with MCL. The MFDS designated Jaypirca as the 17th Global Innovative products on Fast Track (GIFT) in September last year and quickly reviewed it to make the drug available to clinical practices. Jaypirca is garnering attention as the first irreversible BTK inhibitor, and it is to be used an alternative to reversible BTK inhibitors like 'Imbruvica (ibrutinib)' and 'Brukinsa (zanubrutinib).' After receiving expedited approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a BTK inhibitor in January last year, Jaypirca also received expedited approval for its indication to treat Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) in December of the same year. In South Korea, the Phase 3 trial for patients with CLL/SLL is in progress since 2021. The Central Pharmaceutical Affairs Council (CPAC) review conducted in July decided on conditional marketing approval under the condition of submitting technical documents detailing therapeutic confirmation. Although there were reports of 0.6% deaths from fatal adverse reactions (4 cases) in the safety assessment of the Phase 2 clinical trial document, the opinion is that drug-associated adverse reactions can be managed by discontinuing the use or reducing dosage. Furthermore, the study showed that the treatment had a 57.8% tumor response rate in patients with R/R MCL who have received prior therapy, including BTK inhibitors. The drug-related adverse reactions occurred in 20.6% that are adverse reactions over Grade 3, which were commonly decreased neutrophil counts and manageable.
- Policy
- Reevaluation of foreign drug price comparisons
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Aug 21, 2024 05:47am
- HIRA President Jung-Gu Kang The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) announced that drug prices will be adjusted in the second half of next year by reevaluating foreign drug price comparisons. This year, an announcement about reevaluation will be made, and the HIRA will conduct the evaluation in the first half of next year. On August 20th, President of the HIRA Jung-Gu Kang announced this during a meeting with journalists. Kang said, "We have had ten meetings so far to discuss about detailed criteria related to the reevaluation of foreign drug price comparisons with the pharmaceutical industry." Kang explained, "Based on discussions, the final plan for reevaluation will be shared with the industry when prepared." The plan for reevaluation of foreign drug price comparisons is under review after the tenth meeting on August 5th. The products to be compared in the first year include 6467 items, including gastrointestinal medications, hypertension medications, and antibiotics. The average adjusted price, excluding the highest and the lowest, from A8 countries (U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, and Canada) will be used as the reference price. The pharmaceutical company has suggested taking a 50% reduction from the drug price reduction portion and excluding Germany and Canada, which employ reference-pricing systems. Whether the final plan would reflect the industry's opinion garners attention. Kang said, "There will be a reevalutation this year." Kang added, "After the final evaluation, drug price adjustments will be implemented in the second half of next year." He drew a line to further delays in reevaluating foreign drug price comparisons. Kang explained the new drug innovative value revisions reflected in the recent Drug Reimbursement Evaluation Committee (DREC) review on August 8th. He stated, "The risk-sharing agreement (RSA) scope has been expanded to include drugs used for severe, difficult-to-treat diseases. Additionally, when expanding the reimbursement criteria for RSA-designated drugs, if the additional claim amount is less than KRW 1.5 billion, the evaluation by the DREC can be waived, allowing for faster reimbursement processing." Additionally, "The scope and criteria for assessing 'innovativeness,' which is one of the ICER value evaluation factors, will be specified for drugs that 'cannot be substituted or have no therapeutic equivalent products or treatments available. We have also clarified the process for evaluating the clinical value of drugs receiving RSA of outcome-based and reimbursable type." In answering the maximum ICER value to be applied, Kang said, "We will consider the individual drug's nature, and the maximum price has not been set." Regarding the second round of the pilot project for concurrent approval-reimbursement evaluation-drug price negotiations, Kang explained that the selection of drugs for the second round of the pilot project would be based on careful consideration of disease severity, the availability of alternative treatments, and treatment efficacy. This process will involve discussions with the government agencies (Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA), the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), and the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS)), as well as consultations with experts. The first round of the pilot project included Bilberry capsule and Qarziba, which are under review for reimbursement evaluation. However, the drug price listing of Qarziba has been delayed due to receiving the non-reimbursement decision from the DREC review in August. Kang explained, "There have been achievements such as reduced supplementary periods," and added, "Although there had been variables, we will make efforts to expedite the timing of reimbursement listings through concurrent evaluations by the MFDS, the HIRA, and the NHIS." Meanwhile, the HIRA plans to strengthen the DUR service for the safe use of narcotic drugs. Information on 471 narcotic drugs has been provided already, and the HIRA has expanded the assessment of the use of propofol overuse and antidepressants beyond the specified period. Kang said, "To solve issues related to long-term administration and overdose of narcotic drugs, we plan to improve the system by asking for the reasons for prescribing and dispensing that exceed the maximum dosage or duration limits," and explained, "The DUR should be mandatory for narcotic and antidepressant drugs, and we will continue to manage these drugs to resolve drug safety issue." This implies that the HIRA will make efforts to ensure that the mandatory DUR legislation passes the National Assembly."
- Policy
- MFDS reviews COVID-19 drugs Xocova and Lagevrio
- by Lee, Hye-Kyung Aug 21, 2024 05:47am
- Amid the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic, The food and drug authorities in Korea have been taking steps to approve COVID-19 treatments. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) on the 19th, the agency began reviewing Ildong Pharmaceutical's ‘Xocova’ and MSD Korea’s ‘Lagevrio,' which the companies have submitted applications for approval in Korea. “Currently, three drugs are licensed or approved for emergency use in Korea - the oral drugs 'Paxlovid' and ‘Lagevrio’ and the injectable drug ‘Veklury.’” said an MFDS official, ”and we are reviewing the applications of additional products that have applied for marketing authorization thereafter.” Paxlovid and Veklury are officially approved in Korea, while Lagevrio, which was used under the Emergency Use Authorization, is undergoing a formal approval process. In the case of Xocova, the company hasn't even been approved for emergency use, according to an MFDS official, who added, “Emergency use approval requires close communication with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency due to regulations.” Xocova is an oral COVID-19 treatment co-developed by Ildong Pharmaceutical and Japan's Shionogi Pharma. The companies applied for Xocova’s domestic marketing authorization in December last year, but the application is still stuck in the review stage. In Japan, it was granted emergency approval in November 2022 and received full approval from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in March this year. Xocova is regarded to have provided improved convenience for patients as patients only need to take Xocova once daily for 5 days as a single tablet compared to other conventional treatments that are administered twice a day. Ildong Pharmaceutical completed the technology transfer and trial production of Xocova last year and will be able to proceed with production and supply once the authorities grant domestic approval. Meanwhile, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients increased 5.1 times from 91 in the first week of July to 465 in the fourth week, according to data submitted by KDCA to the office of Representative Ye-ji Kim of the People's Power Party. Also, the weekly usage of COVID-19 drugs increased about 32 times from 1,272 doses in the fourth week of June to over 42,000 doses in the fifth week of July. However, as of the 9th, only 70,557 doses of COVID-19 treatments - 41,790 doses of Lagevrio and 28,767 doses of Paxlovid - were available in stock in Korea.
- Policy
- New criteria set for flexible ICER threshold evaluations
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Aug 20, 2024 06:34am
- The National Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) established new criteria for drugs that apply flexible ICER (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio) thresholds during the Drug Reimbursement Evaluation Committee (DREC) meeting that was held on the 8th. The previous criteria only stipulated that a flexible ICER threshold could be applied, but specifics were established. this time. In February, DREC recognized reimbursement adequate for the breast and stomach cancer drug Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan, Daiichi Sankyo Korea) by flexibly applying the ICER threshold. On the 8th, HIRA disclosed the "Criteria for detailed evaluation of drugs subject to negotiation, such as new drugs" which was newly amended based on DREC deliberations. The amendments include ▲ New criteria for flexible ICER threshold evaluation; ▲ Addition of severe diseases to the risk-sharing agreement scheme; ▲ Omission of the Drug Evaluation Committee review when expanding the reimbursement range of RSA drugs that claim less than KRW 1.5 billion; ▲ New conditions that require submission of clinical evidence such as RWD and RWE when renewing RSA schemes. ◆ New criteria for flexible ICER threshold evaluation=The existing regulations only stipulated that the ICER threshold “need not be explicit, and can be flexibly applied with regards to the results of previous deliberations in consideration of the severity of the disease, the burden of disease on society, the impact on quality of life, and innovativeness.” In the amendment, the 'innovativeness' requirement has been specifically established for the flexible evaluation of new drugs. A new drug is regarded as ‘innovative’ when it satisfies all of the following criteria: ▲ there is no substitutable or therapeutically equivalent product or treatment ▲ has shown significant clinical improvement, such as prolonged survival, is recognized in the final outcome, ▲is a new drug is approved by the MFDS under Article 35(4)(2) of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act through expedited review or is recognized as equivalent by the committee. ◆ Addition of severe diseases to the risk-sharing agreement scheme = In principle, anti-cancer drugs or rare disease drugs were subject to RSA. However, the previous regulation had allowed drugs that are not necessarily anti-cancer or rare disease drugs to be applied to RSA if the committee recognizes the drugs as equivalent. However, the amended regulations clarified the ‘equivalent disease’ condition. The amendment stipulates that an ‘equivalent disease’ to a severe disease does not qualify for the currently recognized special calculations, but is difficult to cure, causes irreversible disability or organ damage due to the progression of the disease, and has a significant burden of disease. DREC had already recognized reimbursement of severe atopic dermatitis drugs like Dupixent and severe asthma drugs as reimbursable using RSA. ◆ Omission of the Drug Evaluation Committee review when expanding the reimbursement range of RSA drugs that claim less than KRW 1.5 billion = The new amendment allows RSA drugs to skip DREC review if the expanded claims amount amounts to less than KRW 1.5 billion. Specifically, if the expected additional claims of refund-type RSA drugs, excluding the mixed-type RSA drugs, is less than KRW 1.5 billion, DREC’s evaluation can be skipped and the insurance ceiling price and refund rate be re-negotiated through NHIS negotiations. ◆RWD, RWE, etc. to be submitted when RSA is renewed =The new amendment also requires drugs with a certain condition to submit RWD, RWE, etc. when renewing their RSA contract. This is in line with how Ilaris (canakinumab, Novartis Korea) was recently approved for reimbursement based on the condition of submitting prospective clinical trial data. As such, the amendment specifies that drugs that are listed under the condition of collecting clinical evidence, such as RWD and RWE, should collect and submit clinical evidence when renewing their RSA contract. On the other hand, the new amendment does not include terms for the preferential treatment of homegrown new drugs. The pharmaceutical industry had expected that the preferential treatment for domestic new drugs would be included by revising the ‘1.7. Cases where necessary in consideration of the impact on healthcare' clause of the ‘Criteria for detailed evaluation of drugs subject to negotiation, such as new drugs.’ The industry expected that preferential treatment of non-inferior new drugs and domestically developed new drugs utilizing natural products would be added in the amendment, but were not included. However, there are opinions that the condition for preferential treatment for domestic drugs may be included in other regulations.
- Policy
- KDCA apologizes for COVID-19 drug shortages
- by Lee, Hye-Kyung Aug 19, 2024 05:47am
- The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) apologizes for the COVID-19 medication shortages due to the increased volume of usage than expected. The KDCA stated that after acknowledging the need for medication supply, it had secured medication for 260,000 people after discussing it with the office for national finance. Additional distribution will be made in part starting this week. During the 'COVID-19 Status Report and Measures' briefing on August 16th, KDCA's Assistant Director of Reserve Material Park Jee-yeong stated, "The KDCA is considerably acknowledging the current medication shortage, and we are deeply sorry about the issue." Park said, "We will strive to stabilize the supply." According to the KDCA, pharmacies running out of stock of COVID-19 medications, such as 'Paxlovid,' are due to difficulty in predicting demand as the volume of usage surges compared to last year's summer. Park said, "Currently, more medications are being used than before. Once we were aware of the situation, we were closely in contact with global pharmaceutical companies and have been supplying a portion of the stock starting this week. Park added, "Unlike oral treatments, injectables are being provided as requested. We will also provide additional supplies to tertiary general hospitals."
- Policy
- Will Paxlovid soon be reimbursed in Korea?
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Aug 19, 2024 05:47am
- The government has announced that it will expedite the insurance listing process for COVID-19 drugs due to COVID-19 resurgence in Korea. As a result, attention is focused on whether the government will speed up the reimbursement coverage of the COVID-19 drug Paxlovid, which has remained under review by Korea’s Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service ever since Pfizer applied for reimbursement in October last year. On the afternoon of the 14th, the government held a meeting to urgently review the 'COVID-19 epidemic trend and response plan’ with officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Office of the Government Policy Coordination, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior and Safety, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and the National Fire Agency. At the meeting, the MOHW announced that it will promptly review COVID-19 treatments that apply for reimbursement upon approval by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety by hastening the reimbursement adequacy evaluation, NHIS negotiations, and Health Insurance Policy Review Committee deliberations. The two COVID-19 drugs currently under reimbursement review are Pfizer's Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir) and Gilead's Veklury (remdesivir). The companies had submitted applications for their respective treatments to HIRA in early October of last year. However, none had yet passed the internal review stage. Drugs under review are subject to a final review of their reimbursement adequacy by HIRA’s Drug Reimbursement Evaluation Committee (DREC) before moving on to the negotiation stage with the NHIS, but the 2 drugs have not yet been placed on an agenda for deliberation by DREC. In particular, HIRA has reportedly instructed the company to submit supplementary data for Paxlovid 8 times. However, the government is believed to have changed its policy to expedite review after it was pointed out that the resurgence of COVID-19 is hampering the supply of drugs and that the government needs to hasten its approval to stabilize the supply for severe COVID-19 patients. After the joint ministry meeting, MOHW Minister Kyoo-hong Cho, said, “We will expedite the procurement and reimbursement listing of COVID-19 drugs so that high-risk patients can stably receive supply.” It is reported that HIRA, which is conducting the reimbursement review, and the NHIS, which will negotiate the insurance drug prices in the future, held a business meeting to discuss measures. The NHIS is expected to first conduct preliminary negotiations with pharmaceutical companies for COVID-19 treatments to shorten the time to their reimbursement listing. Preliminary negotiations are conducted for severe disease treatments that do not require pharmacoeconomic evaluation, but the negotiations are likely to be applied this time just like how they were conducted to raise the price of respiratory drugs that had difficulty being supplied due to COVID-19 The 60-day negotiation period can be shortened to 30 days or less if preliminary negotiations with the MFDS are conducted from the drug review stage. Accordingly, if Paxlovid is reviewed by DREC in September, pricing negotiation can be completed within the month, be deliberated by HIPDC, and be reimbursed in October at the earliest. The problem is the price of the drug. Paxlovid’s insured price is likely to be higher than the KRW 50,000 that patients currently pay out of pocket with state support. The non-reimbursed price of Paxlovid is reportedly around KRW 700,000, and if the out-of-pocket cost paid by the patients becomes much higher than it is now, the insurance authorities may face another round of criticism.
- Policy
- KDCA operates Public-Private Council for COVID-19 response
- by Kang, Hye-Kyung Aug 16, 2024 05:56am
- The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced that it will do its utmost to respond to COVID-19 by reorganizing its COVID-19 task force and forming a public-private council with experts. The agency expects the outbreak to continue until the end of August. On the 13th, the KCDA said, “The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients began to increase from the end of June in the COVID-19 sampling surveillance. 861 were reported in the first week of August, approaching the peak of 875 hospitalized patients that was recorded in February this year. Considering the epidemic trend over the past 2 years, the number of COVID-19 patients is expected to increase until the end of August,” it said. The KCDA plans to expand its COVID-19 Task Force currently in operation. The response system, which was initially operated as 2 teams under 1 Task Force, will be expanded to 12 teams under five Units, with the head of the KCDA serving as the lead, to respond more quickly and thoroughly to epidemic investigation and analysis, overseas surveillance, and treatment supply and demand management. In addition, the KDCA explained that it had organized a public-private council with experts from the medical and academic fields related to COVID-19 to collect expert opinions, share the status of the COVID-19 outbreak with the medical community, and discuss countermeasures, and will hold regular meetings starting on the 14th. “This number of COVID-19-related hospitalizations has been increasing this summer, and it is likely to reach the scale of last year's summer epidemic, with 65% of confirmed cases occurring among the elderly aged 65 and older,” explained KDCA Commissioner Young-mee Jee. However, Commissioner Jee added, “Based on the analysis of domestic and international organizations on the KP.3 variant, which is currently the most common variant, the severity and fatality rates are not assessed to be significantly different from the previous Omicron variant, and the COVID-19 fatality rate in Korea in 2022-2023, which was after the Omicron outbreak, was less than 0.1%, especially for those under 50 years old. There is no need to be overly anxious.” “The most important thing to do for a healthy and safe summer is to take precautions to prevent infectious diseases, such as ventilating your home, washing your hands, and wearing a mask.”
