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- 2026-03-14 11:09:48
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- SGLT2 lowers BP, but more evidence is needed to use it alone
- by Hwang, Jin-joon May 23, 2023 05:50am
- Professor Cho Ik-Seong of Severance Hospital is giving a presentation (photo by Dailypharm) There was an opinion that there is still insufficient evidence for the use of the sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor, a treatment for type 2 diabetes and heart failure, for the treatment of hypertension. It can be expected to lower blood pressure in patients with heart failure or diabetes, but it is difficult to use it alone for the treatment of hypertension. Professor Cho Ik-Seong of Severance Hospital held a hypertension drug treatment update session at the '2023 Korean Society of Hypertension Spring Conference' held at EXCO in Daegu on the 20th and said, "SGLT-2 inhibitors are a drug that is attracting attention in the field of diabetes and heart failure. · For patients suffering from high blood pressure, it can act as a weak blood pressure drug," he said, "but more data are needed to use it only for high blood pressure." Famous drugs for SGLT-2 inhibitors include AstraZeneca's 'Forxiga' and Eli Lilly/Boehringer Ingelheim's 'Jardiance'. Recently, Daewoong Pharmaceutical's 'Envlo', Donga ST's 'Sugadapa', LG Chem's Zemidapa, and Chong Kun Dang's Exiglu M have been released, causing a sensation in the diabetes treatment market. SGLT-2 inhibitor drugs are evaluated as next-generation treatments globally because they have not only blood sugar-lowering effects but also cardiovascular disease prevention, weight loss, and blood pressure-lowering effects. According to the 2021 Diabetes Guidelines, in the case of type 2 diabetes accompanied by heart failure, treatment with proven cardiovascular benefit is considered first. Even in the presence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, SGLT-2 inhibitors are used in combination therapy. The Korean Heart Failure Association completely revised the guidelines last year and recommended the administration of SGLT-2 inhibitors to reduce hospitalizations or cardiovascular deaths due to heart failure, regardless of diabetes mellitus. The fact that SGLT-2 inhibitors have the effect of lowering blood pressure can be confirmed through various studies. According to the 'phase 3 study on the blood pressure and blood sugar lowering effect of dapagliflozin versus placebo on antihypertensive combination therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes' published in the international journal The Lancet, the SGLT-2 inhibitor Dapagliflozin-administered group had lower blood pressure than the placebo control group. The Hypertension Society also acknowledges that SGLT-2 inhibitors lower blood pressure. In the hypertension treatment guidelines, SGLT-2 inhibitors have a blood pressure-lowering effect, so care should be taken to see if the dose of antihypertensive drugs needs to be adjusted. Professor Ik-Sung Cho explained, "In patients without heart failure but with diabetes and high blood pressure, the use of SGLT-2 inhibitors lowered SBP by about 8 compared to placebo." Professor Cho continued, "Looking at the results of studies on patients suffering from both diabetes and heart failure, SGLT-2 inhibitors can lower SBP by 4 to 7 and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 1.5 to 2." -2 inhibitors are effective in lowering blood pressure, but it seems difficult to use them only for hypertension.”
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- AZ runs a neurofibromatosis disease awareness campaign
- by Jung, Sae-Im May 22, 2023 05:42am
- AstraZeneca Korea announced on the 18th that it had conducted the 'Twinkling a Light for NF-1 Campaign' for its executives and employees to support domestic neurofibromatosis patients in celebration of 'World Neurofibromatosis Awareness Day'. The Children's Cancer Foundation designated May 17 every year as World Neurofibromatosis Awareness Day to raise social interest in neurofibromatosis. Worldwide, various activities are conducted every year to increase treatment access for patients with neurofibromatosis and support their overcoming disease. AstraZeneca Korea held in-house lectures, disease infographic exhibitions, etc. to better understand pediatric patients with neurofibromatosis in Korea, and executives and employees carried out a campaign to deliver messages of hope and commitment to improve the domestic treatment environment. Neurofibromatosis is a rare disease that causes developmental abnormalities in the nervous system, bones, and skin due to genetic mutations. The cafe-au-lait-spot is characteristic, and axillary/inguinal spots and Leish nodules, which are small hamartomas, appear on the iris. Accurate clinical diagnosis of neurofibromatosis type 1 can usually be made before the age of 10, and symptoms tend to intensify with age. About 20 to 50% of patients with type 1 neurofibromatosis experience plexiform neurofibroma, which can occur anywhere in the body except for the brain and spinal cord. Depending on where it occurs, it causes pain as well as various body deformities or damage to vision, hearing, and cognitive abilities. Surgical resection was the only fundamental treatment for neurofibromatosis. In the case of plexiform neurofibroma, it appears in various irregular shapes and is difficult to completely remove, leaving the risk of tumor recurrence even after surgery. AstraZeneca Korea received approval for Koselugo, the first type 1 neurofibromatosis treatment in Korea, in May 2021. Koselugo, the only treatment for neurofibromatosis type 1 to date, reduced the tumor size by more than 20% in 68% (34 out of 50) of patients administered in global clinical studies, and among them, 82% (28 patients) showed a response of more than 12 months. showed lasting results. Cheol-Woong Kim, Executive Director of AstraZeneca Korea's Rare Disease Division, said, "Through the Neurofibromatosis Awareness Day event, it was an opportunity to properly understand neurofibromatosis disease and think about what AstraZeneca Korea executives and employees can do for patients." said.
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- Hana Pharm, signed a sub-license agreement for Byfav
- by Lee, Seok-Jun May 22, 2023 05:42am
- Hana Pharm announced on the 18th that it had signed a sub-license contract with Hyphens Pharma of Singapore for the exclusive rights to Byfavo 20mg, an anesthetic new drug. This contract is the first achievement of local partnering while Hana Pharm received licenses for six Southeast Asian countries from German PiON in 2020 and was in the process of obtaining licenses for each country. Byfavo 20mg has indications for surgical sedation that can be used for endoscopic sedation in addition to induction and maintenance of general anesthesia, which is the indication for 50mg. Hyphens Pharma of Singapore is a major pharmaceutical company in Singapore with branches in five major Southeast Asian countries and about 500 employees. Choi Tae-hong, CEO of Hana Pharm, said, "Partnering was made with Hyphens Pharma, which has excellent capabilities in the gastroenterology market in Singapore. We will accelerate the timing of approval and release in Singapore as much as possible and use it as a bridgehead to enter the Southeast Asian endoscopic sedation market."
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- New formulations for schizophrenia are being commercialized
- by Eo, Yun-Ho May 22, 2023 05:42am
- According to related industries, new long-acting formulations of existing schizophrenia treatment drugs, such as Abilify and Invega, are being released one after another. Lundbeck and Otsuka Pharmaceutical obtained US FDA approval for Abilify Asimtufii, which is administered once every two months, last month. Abilify Asimtufii confirmed its efficacy through a clinical study comparing 266 patients with schizophrenia to Abilify Maintena. In pharmacokinetic analysis, Abilify Asimtufii induced plasma aripiprazole concentrations similar to those of once-monthly Abilify Maintena. Janssen's Invega Hafyera is a 6-month long-acting drug that is commercialized more quickly. After obtaining US FDA approval in 2021, the drug was approved in Korea in 2022, and insurance benefits were applied from this month. Invega Hafyera is eligible for reimbursement only when patients have been treated with Invega sustenna for at least 4 months or with Invega Trinza for at least one cycle. Invega Hafyera, which is administered every six months, has confirmed its safety and tolerability profile through PSY3015 clinical trials. Professor Kim Se-hyeon of the Department of Psychiatry at Seoul National University Hospital said, "We expect that patients with schizophrenia will be able to enjoy the benefits of returning to society and restoring confidence in life by continuing treatment with stable drug compliance and convenience through long-acting injections." said.
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- “Need to increase support for new AI drugs in Korea”
- by Jung, Sae-Im May 22, 2023 05:42am
- “Although artificial intelligence (AI) new drug development ecosystem is being created in Korea, there are still many areas that we are lacking at a global level in terms of manpower or investment scale. Chinese companies that were established around the same time received more than KRW 500 billion in investments, while Korean companies only received KRW 87.8 billion, which delayed their growth. It's time to make efforts to expand this ecosystem while building success stories through step-by-step collaboration.” Wooyeon Kim, Head of Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association (KPBMA)’s AI New Drug Development Support Center stressed so at the ‘Pharmaceutical-Bio AI Innovation Forum’ that was held at Lotte Hotel Seoul in Sogong-dong on the 19th. Wooyeon Kim, Head of the AI New Drug Development Support Center At the event, which was hosted by KPBMA, Kim explained that Korea’s AI drug development market has grown steadily over the past 5 years, forming a virtuous cycle ecosystem. Companies and research centers are actively collaborating with AI new drug development companies. There were 88 cases of such collaborative efforts being made for drug repositioning, target discovery, and candidate substance discovery including partnerships between ▲ Boryung Pharmaceutical - Oncocross ▲ Samsung Seoul Medical Center - NetTargets ▲ Dong-A ST - Pharos iBio, etc. The government has also been continuing its efforts. Ministry of Science and ICT has been investing a total of KRW 18 billion for the discovery of innovative new drugs using AI for 5 years since 2022. The Ministry of Health and Welfare is also planning to build a Korean-style Rosetta Fold (an AI-applied protein structure prediction and analysis platform) next year and promote technology matching between pharmaceutical companies and AI companies. In addition, supports for projects such as medical big data construction and AI-based new drug development education are also being carried out. However, Korean AI drug development companies are still experiencing difficulties in securing talent and attracting investment. The stark difference stands out when compared to the global environment. Kim cited the cases of Standigm, a Korean company, and XtalPi, a Chinese company. Although the two companies were founded at a similar foundation time and owned similar levels of technology. However, Standigm had received KRW 87.8 billion in investments while XtalPi attracted 6 times as much, which was KRW 533.8 billion. XtalPi has 700 professionals, which is 10 times more than the 54 experts at Standigm. On this, Kim said, “Although the two companies were established at a similar period, XtalPi has achieved far much on the global stage due to its overwhelming investment and manpower over Standigm. In this graph that shows the growth rate of each company, XtalPi has shown faster growth.” In order to revitalize the ecosystem, Kim saw the need to accumulate successful collaboration cases in each stage of development, and encouraged research on matching supply and demand in the area. "There should be more cases that show companies that drug development can be accelerated and efficiency increased through the use of AI in the industry." Kim added, "This difference is more due to the difference in investment and manpower rather than technology. Although the AI drug development ecosystem in Korea has grown considerably, we are still lacking in many, many areas.” Kim also asked for the government’s closer attention in the field as global competition is taking place. He said, "A lot of investment is being made, mainly in the US and China, for the development of new AI drugs. Korea should also make bold investments and accumulate results step by step." Kim stressed that Korea should also strive to nurture convergent talents that understand AI. Kim said, "Demand for talent training is very high. More than 3,800 people attended the 385 hours of lectures that were conducted at our center. In particular, as convergence is very important in this field, we need to establish a system that continues to nurture convergent talent."
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- Attempts to develop new drugs for hypertension
- by Hwang, Jin-joon May 22, 2023 05:41am
- Opinions were raised that it would be difficult for candidates under development as new drugs for hypertension, such as Baxdrostat, Aprocitentan, and Firibastat, to replace existing drugs. It is expected that it will fill the unmet demand rather than take the place of the prescribed treatment. Choi Ung-gil, professor at Konkuk University Chungju Hospital, is giving a presentation. (photo by Dailypharm) Professor Woong-Gil Choi of Chungbuk National University Hospital held a hypertension drug treatment update session at the '2023 Korean Society of Hypertension Spring Conference' held at COEX in Daegu on the 20th and said, "Major hypertension drug candidates are existing drugs rather than replacing drugs already prescribed in clinical settings. It will be a drug that can help the unfilled part.” The reason why the development of a new antihypertensive drug is needed is that it is a method to treat treatment-resistant hypertension. Professor Woong-Gil Choi explained, "Although the treatment control rate of hypertension has improved a lot, there is no further development after exceeding 70%." According to Professor Choi, major antihypertensive drug candidates include Baxdrostat, Aprocitentan, and Firibastat. Baxdrostat is a candidate substance secured by AstraZeneca, a global pharmaceutical company when it acquired CinCor Pharma, a US bio company. It is a new drug candidate for hypertension in the class of aldosterone synthase inhibitors (ASI). The efficacy of Baxdrostat in lowering blood pressure was confirmed in phase 2 clinical trial (BrigHTN) conducted on patients with treatment-resistant hypertension. In phase 2 clinical trial (HALO) conducted for uncontrolled hypertension patients taking up to two blood pressure medications, statistical significance was not achieved in the primary endpoint, but systolic blood pressure was reduced in subgroup analysis. Phase 3 clinical trials are expected to begin at the end of this year. Professor Choi said, “Baxdrostat appears to be relatively beneficial for hypertensive hypertension,” and “it is expected to give benefits to patients with primary aldosterone and metabolic syndrome.” Aprocitentan is a new drug candidate for hypertension being jointly developed by global pharmaceutical company Janssen and Swiss bio company Idorsia. It is an endothelin receptor antagonist. Applications for product approval were submitted to the FDA and EMA in December of last year and January of this year, respectively. Clinical data of Baxdrostat (Photo by Dailypharm) Aprocitentan has been confirmed to have a significant blood pressure-lowering effect in patients whose hypertension is not well controlled despite taking three or more existing treatments in phase 3 clinical trials (PRECISION). Professor Choi explained, "Although Aprocitentan has a stronger blood pressure lowering effect when used with other drugs, care should be taken about the fact that edema occurred after using the drug compared to placebo." Firibastat is a candidate material being developed by Quantum Genomics, a French biotech company. Firibastat is a candidate in the class of brain aminopeptidase A inhibitors. It is a mechanism that suppresses the production of angiotensin 3 in the brain's renin-angiotensin system (Brain RAS). Firibastat's efficacy with statistical significance was confirmed until the phase 2 clinical trial was conducted for patients with treatment-resistant hypertension. Afterward, it failed to achieve the primary evaluation index in phase 3 clinical trial (FRESH). Quantum Genomics is revising its development strategy to find new indications after the early termination of clinical trials. Professor Choi predicted, “There are still many cases of treatment-resistant hypertension, but if the development of a new drug for hypertension is successful, it will be possible to increase the treatment effect by adding it to existing drugs.”
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- Forxiga price cut enforcement suspension extended
- by Jung, Sae-Im May 19, 2023 05:48am
- A decision on whether to suspend the execution of drug price cuts for AstraZeneca Korea’s diabetes treatments Forxiga and Xigduo is expected to be decided at the end of this month at the earliest. The temporary suspension period, originally until May 19, is also extended. On the 16th, the first division of the Seoul Administrative Court held an interrogation date for the suspension of drug price cuts filed by AstraZeneca Korea against the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The court, which conducted a private interrogation, decided to decide whether to quote a suspension of execution between the end of this month and the beginning of next month. As the court’s decision on whether to suspend enforcement is over 19 days away, the temporary suspension period for drug price cuts is also expected to be extended. Previously, the court had temporarily maintained the drug price until May 19, the scheduled date of the suspension trial. Forxiga and Xigduo, SGLT-2 inhibitors, are blockbuster products that raise outpatient prescriptions worth 90 billion won yearly as Dapagliflozin-based diabetes treatments. However, as a number of generics containing dapagliflozin were registered for reimbursement last month, they were subject to drug price cuts. The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it would cut the prices of Forxiga and Xigduo drugs by 30% from May 1 following the listing of generics. AstraZeneca Korea objected to this and filed an administrative lawsuit and at the same time applied for suspension of execution. As Forxiga and Xigduo also have indications for chronic heart failure and chronic nephropathy that have not expired patents, listing generics with only diabetes indications cannot be the basis for lowering original drug prices. It also argued that if the suspension of execution is not accepted, there is a risk of damage that is difficult to recover. If the court accepts the company's argument, the company can avoid losses of about 27 billion won a year until the prominent lawsuit is decided. In many cases, it takes more than three years from the citation of the suspension of execution to the cancellation of the drug price cut to the Supreme Court, so the company can prevent losses of tens of billions of won. However, it can be a burden that the judiciary's decision on the drug price cut enforcement suspension has been pointed out one after another it is fragmentary. In Korea's drug pricing system, which does not differentiate drug prices according to indications, questions are being raised as to whether the company's claims of inconsistency in price cuts due to inconsistency in drug prices are reasonable. This is because if the Ministry of Health and Welfare wins the prominent lawsuit after citing the suspension of execution, it will not be able to avoid criticism that the court cited the application for suspension of execution too broadly.
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- HLB applies for liver cancer drug approval to FDA
- by Lee, Seok-Jun May 19, 2023 05:47am
- HLB submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA for Rivoceranib, a targeted anti-cancer drug under development as a first-line liver cancer drug. This is the first time that a domestic bio company has completed its own clinical trials for its anti-cancer drug substance and proceeded with the new drug approval process in the global market. HLB started global clinical trials of Rivoceranib in 2011. Through its US subsidiary, Elevar Therapeutics, it has developed the combination of Rivoceranib and Camrelizumab as a first-line treatment for liver cancer. In the global phase 3 (CARES 310) study of 543 patients in 13 countries, compared to control sorafenib, 3 CR vs. 1 person, mOS 22.1 months vs. 15.2 months, mPFS 5.6 months vs. 3.7 months, ORR 25.4% vs. 5.9% was derived. It demonstrated therapeutic efficacy regardless of region (Asia vs. non-Asia) and cause (viral vs. non-viral). In particular, the Hazard Ratio was 0.62 for the overall survival period and 0.52 for the progression-free survival period, lowering the patient's risk of death by 40-50%. The FDA said at the pre-NDA (meeting before the application for new drug approval) that there was 'no problem' in the NDA submission for the Rivoceranib combination method. China already approved it as a first-line treatment for liver cancer in February this year. Rivoceranib is a TKI oral drug that effectively kills cancer by inhibiting VEGFR-2 and blocking the supply of oxygen and nutrients essential for cancer growth. To date, there is no approved first-line treatment for liver cancer that is a combination of a TKI anticancer drug with an angiogenesis inhibitory mechanism and an immune anticancer drug. HLB CEO Kim Dong-gun said, "We will do our best for the remaining procedures so that liver cancer patients and their families waiting for new treatment options, as well as employees and shareholders who have been with us on the long journey of new drug development can feel comfort and pride." On the other hand, HLB holds the global patent for Rivoceranib, HLB Life Science holds the Korean copyright and some profit rights in Europe and Japan, and Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine holds the Chinese copyright. All other global rights belong to Elevar Therapeutics.
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- Korean pharma industry expands R&D investments
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun May 19, 2023 05:47am
- Pharmaceutical companies have vigorously engaged in research and development (R&D) activities to discover future foods. 7 out of 10 major traditional pharmaceutical companies increased their R&D investment compared to last year. R&D expenditures have increased significantly due to the development of new drugs and the introduction of new R&D pipelines. In particular, R&D investments by GC Biopharma and JW Pharmaceuticals soared. According to the Financial Supervisory Service on the 25th, the R&D investment made by 20 major biopharmaceutical companies in Q1 totaled up to KRW 390.6 billion, which was 13.4% increase from the previous year. The top 20 sales of traditional pharmaceutical companies that submitted quarterly reports were counted. 14 out of 20 major pharmaceutical companies saw an increase in their R&D investment expense in Q1 this year compared to last year. Among traditional pharmaceutical companies in Korea, GC Biopharma was found to have spent the most on R&D. GC Biopharma’s R&D expenses in Q1 amounted to KRW 56.9 billion, which is a 57.5% YoY increase. GC Biopharma’s R&D expenditure increased because it recently introduced a new pipeline from a foreign company. In February, GC Biopharma signed an Asset Purchase Agreement with Catalyst Biosciences, a US new drug developer, for a pipeline related to rare blood clotting disorder. GC Biopharma acquired a total of 3 programs, including ‘Marzeptacog alfa (MarzAA)’ that the company is developing in the Global Phase III trial. In March, GC Biopharma exercised its license option to the Canadian company, Acuitas Therapeutics, for its lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery system to develop a messenger RNA (mRNA)-based therapeutics. LNP is a delivery system that safely transports nanoparticles to cells in the body to enable mRNA to function. The ratio of R&D investment to sales at GC Biopharma increased twofold from 8.7% to 16.3% in one year. Daewoong Pharmaceutical's sales increased 7.6% YoY to reach KRW 51 billion in Q1 this year. Daewoong Pharmaceutical is currently developing new drugs for ulcerative colitis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, obesity, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases. It is also conducting joint research with HanAll Biopharma, Daewoong Therapeutics, Oncocross, and D&D Pharmatech. Daewoong Pharmaceutical received approval for its gastroesophageal reflux disease treatment Fexclu in 2021 and succeeded in commercializing Envlo, a new diabetes SGLT-2 inhibitor class drug last year. Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s R&D investment also increased 22.9% YoY to reach KRW 45.7 billion in Q1 this year. Hanmi Pharmaceutical is developing new drugs for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in the field of new biological agents. The company is also developing new combination drugs for diabetes and antithrombosis. Among major pharmaceutical companies, JW Pharmaceutical’s R&D expenditure increased the greatest. JW Pharmaceutical’s Q1 R&D expenditure was KRW 20.3 billion, increasing 94.0% YoY from the KRW 10.5 billion in Q1 previous year. JW Pharmaceutical started a Phase III clinical trial of 'URC-102', a gout treatment, at the end of last year. URC-102 is a uric acid excretion promoter that inhibits Urate transporter 1 (URAT)-1, which allows uric acid to be absorbed back into the body. It is effective for gout disease caused by hyperuricemia in which the concentration of uric acid in the blood is abnormally high. The Phase III trial will compare URC-102 with a total of 588 gout patients with the existing treatment febuxostat. Daewon Pharmaceutical and Handok’s Q1 R&D investment increased 50% from the previous year. R&D expenditures increased by over 20% at Hugel, HK Inno.N, and Dong Wha Pharm. On the other hand, the R&D investment amount of companies including Dong-A ST, Il-Yang Pharmacuetical, Jeil Pharmaceutical, Boryung Pharmaceutical, United Pharm, and Yuhan Corp decreased YoY. In terms of the R&D-to-sales ratio, Daewoong Pharmaceutical’s rate was highest at 17.5%. GC Biopharma, Dong-A ST, Daewon Pharmaceutical, Hanmi Pharmaceutical, JW Pharmaceutical, United Pharm, Samjin Pharm, Chong Kun Dang, and Ilyang Pharm invested more than 10% of their sales in R&D.
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- 90% of pricing managers unsatisfied with new drug price
- by Eo, Yun-Ho May 19, 2023 05:46am
- Study results showed that about 90% of the drug pricing managers in Korea are not satisfied with the value recognized for new drugs. Recently, a study on ‘'An Industry Survey on Unmet Needs in South Korea’s New Drug Listing System' was published on the online version of the medical science journal Springer (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43441-023-00531-3). 6 authors including Professor Jong-Hyuk Lee of the Chung-Ang University College of Pharmacy, expert advisory member Sungju Kim from Lee&Ko participated in the study. The study was conducted with the cooperation of 3 industry associations: Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association, the Korean Research-based Pharmaceutical Industry Association, and the Korea Biomedicine Industry Association. Members of the associations that in charge of insurance drug pricing participated in the study. The total number of respondents was 56, 34% of which were from domestic companies and 66% from multinational pharmaceutical companies. The survey consisted of questions that study the industry's satisfaction with the current insurance system, requests for improvements in the new drug reimbursement listing system, including the pharmacoeconomic evaluation system, pharmacoeconomic evaluation exemption system, and risk-sharing agreement scheme, and the need to introduce systems that have not been introduced to Korea. According to the results, 64.3% and 89.3% of respondents answered that they were dissatisfied with the patient accessibility and value recognition of new drugs, respectively, and answered that institutional improvement for rare diseases was needed the most (41.1%). Regarding the pharmacoeconomic evaluation system, 92.9% said that the ICER threshold needs to be improved. In the risk-sharing system, the reimbursement standard expansion system required improvement (91.1%), and in the risk-sharing agreement scheme, the expansion of target diseases (89.3%) was needed. Also, regarding the reimbursement listing of anticancer drugs, 83.9% answered that the Cancer Disease Review Committee, which determines the reimbursement standards, needs to be improved. In the case of general drugs, the majority of respondents said that the drug price negotiation system needs to be improved. When asked about the need to introduce a system that is yet to be introduced, respondents expressed a high need to introduce a drug pricing system by indication and insisted that the system should be introduced regardless of the severity of the disease, whereas the pre-listing post-evaluation system should be limitedly applied to life-threatening diseases. Sungju Kim said, “In general, study results showed low satisfaction with the current system and a great need for its improvement. As pharmaceutical companies are also important stakeholders, their opinions should also be considered in the process of pricing and reimbursement policy reforms.”
