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- 2026-05-17 00:50:36
- Opinion
- [Reporter’s View] Why set deadlines in pricing negotiations
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Feb 17, 2022 05:53am
- A deadline is a pre-determined set amount of period. If this period is extended frequently, what meaning would setting a ‘deadline’ have? This question arises with the uprise of deadline extensions being made in the drug pricing negotiations between the National Health Insurance Service and pharmaceutical companies for reimbursement listing or reimbursed indication extensions. Simply put, too many ‘exceptions’ are being made. When the drug pricing negotiation period for the 3rd generation lung cancer treatment ‘Tagrisso (Osimertinib)’ was extended five years ago, the media had described the extension as ‘exceptional’ or ‘unprecedented.’ However, so many drugs, especially anticancer drugs, have recently failed to reach negotiations or completed negotiations after the deadline. Even now, more than 3 drugs are in negations past their deadlines. This is why pharmaceutical officials awaiting negotiations sometimes make jokes that “We wouldn’t be able to complete negotiations at once, but maybe during the extended period.” With the introduction of the effective but high-priced drugs, the increased extensions, and exceptions may be implying that the ’60 day’ negotiation period is now not sufficient time for the government pharmaceutical companies to reach an agreement. However still, a deadline is a deadline. Moreover, the reduction of the negotiation period is being used as an incentive and a benefit. In other words, the period was set to accelerate listing and limit the final period of negotiations and allow predictability of listings. However, no either party is fully accountable. The common period extensions, the introduction of more expensive and difficult-to-negotiate drugs, and the lack of determination to produce results within the deadline have led to a repetition of such ‘exceptions.’ Also, the companies’ dragging out negotiations due to delay in communication with its headquarters, and the administrative department’s complacency in postponing the immediate breakdown of negotiations fearing the rush of complaints from patients, undermines the purpose of the system. If discussions became difficult, strengthen the conditions for initiating negotiations. The required documentation should be reviewed and discussed with the NHIS in advance at the HIRA review stage, and the parties should be pressed to complete the negotiations within the set period. Do it “for the patients,’ that both parties have frequently referred to. Frequent exceptions are no longer exceptions.
- Company
- Seqirus “to supply next-gen influenza vaccine” in Korea
- by Feb 17, 2022 05:53am
- A new competitor has entered the influenza vaccine market. Seqirus, a subsidiary of the Australia-based biotech firm CSL, will be entering the Korean market in earnest in the COVID-19 pandemic. Seqirus Korea held an online press conference to celebrate the official launch of its Korean subsidiary on the 16th. At the conference, Seqirus threw its hat into the Korean flu vaccine market with its self-developed next-generation vaccine. At the conference, Gee-Seung Yoo, CEO of Seqirus Korea said, “Our global office is deeply interested in the significance and potential held by the Korean market. With our official launch, we hope to establish various partnerships in Korea.” Seqirus is a vaccine company parented by the Australia-based pharmaceutical company CSL. The company is known for its extensive influenza vaccine portfolio that covers a wide range of egg-based, cell culture-based, adjuvanted vaccines. Its vaccines, which are produced in 5 global vaccine manufacturing facilities, are supplied to over 20 countries including the UK, Australia, the US, and Canada. Seqirus planned its entrance into the Korean market due to COVID-19. As the Korean vaccine developer, SK Bioscience was unable to manufacture its influenza vaccines due to the manufacture of consigned COVID-19 vaccines. As egg-based flu vaccines cannot be used on patients with egg allergies, the Korean government had to urgently bring in Seqirus’ vaccine due to this temporary gap in cell culture-derived influenza vaccines that had been solely produced by SK Bioscience in Korea. Using the opportunity as momentum, Seqirus made the decision to start directly supplying its egg-based Afluria that had been marketed through Boryung Biopharma until then. Seqirus has extensive vaccine development experience that goes back over 100 years. It owns both egg-based and cell culture-derived flu vaccines and became the first company in the US to receive approval for an adjuvanted flu vaccine in 2020. With the launch of its subsidiary in Korea, Seqirus plans to introduce its cell culture-derived flu vaccine ‘Flucelvax’ and its adjuvanted flu vaccine ‘Fluad’ in Korea. The company is known to have high expectations for its adjuvanted flu vaccine. General flu vaccines can be less effective in immunocompromised elderly, or when the vaccine strain does not match with the one in circulation, or due to egg adaptations, etc. In such cases, adjuvanted flu vaccines can improve immune reactions and increase the prevention effect. Seqirus’s adjuvanted flu vaccine ‘MF59’ uses squalene that is produced in the liver. MF59 induces an immune response in the injection site and promotes antigen uptake to increase immune response by activating T cells and B cells. Jonathan Anderson, Medical Head of the International Region of Seqirus said, “The use of adjuvants triggers a broader and stronger antigen response and induces longer antigen response. If the MF59 that was first applied to a trivalent vaccine is applied to a quadrivalent vaccine, we will be able to achieve a strong antibody response even with a small amount.” In addition, Seqirus plans to develop various next-generation influenza vaccines including high-dose adjuvanted cell culture-derived vaccines and mRNA vaccines. Gee-Seung Yoo, CEO of Seqirus Korea said, “As Korea’s healthcare partner, Seqirus Korea will be at the forefront of the to protect public health from influenza viruses. We will work our best to promptly introduce and supply the company’s various vaccines in Korea.”
- Policy
- Rybrevant has been approved in Korea
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Feb 17, 2022 05:52am
- Janssen's Rybrevant, which is conducting a combined clinical trial with Leclaza, a new non-small cell lung cancer treatment drug developed by Yuhan Corporation, has been approved in Korea. The MFDS approved Janssen's Rybrevant on the 15th. This drug is used for "the treatment of patients with local progressive and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20 insertion mutations in which the disease progressed during or after platinum-based chemotherapy." The recommended dosage also varies depending on the patient's weight with intravenous injections. The drug is drawing particular attention because it is conducting clinical trials in combination with Leclaza of Yuhan Corporation, a new domestic development drug, in the global market. Lazertinib exported technology worth 1.4 trillion won to Janssen in 2018. Since then, Janssen has been conducting clinical trials on non-small cell lung cancer patients using Lazertinib and its own developed Amivantamab. Two phase 3 clinical trials are underway in Korea. The phase 3 clinical plan was approved in September 2020 as the first treatment for patients with EGFR mutant local progressive and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. In December of last year, EGFR-mutant, which failed Tagrisso treatment, entered phase 3 clinical trials for patients with local progressive and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Tagrisso is a third-generation treatment for EGFR mutated non-small cell lung cancer, and is a large drug with annual sales (based on IQVIA) exceeding 100 billion won in Korea. Leclaza and combination therapy of Leclaza-Amivantamab are expected to be competitive drugs for Tagrisso. Lazertinib expects conditional approval from the U.S. FDA this year as a second and third treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. In addition, combination therapy of Amivantamab-Lazertinib also challenges FDA approval. Rybrevant was approved by the MFDS as a GFR exon20 mutant non-small cell carcinoma treatment, but it was also approved by the U.S. FDA as a therapy that blocks epithelial cell growth factor (EGFR) and MET mutations at the same time.
- Policy
- Revised the method of Rx notes for health functional foods
- by Lee, Jeong-Hwan Feb 17, 2022 05:52am
- Regarding the regulation of "Note Prescription of Health Functional Foods," the MFDS expressed its position to push for legislation after watching the operation of the prohibited regulation that the health functional food industry voluntarily announced. The government plans to steadily monitor the operation of fair competition rules, draw up policies to support voluntary improvement in the health functional food industry, and review the need to revise health functional foods in earnest according to the results. This is the result of examining the prescription management plan for health functional food submitted by the MFDS to the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee on the 13th. Representative movements to pay attention to in order to improve the practice of prescribing health functional foods are the legislation of the National Assembly and the enactment of fair competition rules in the Fair Trade Commission and the Health Functional Food Industry. In the case of legislation, Rep. Kim Woni of the Democratic Party of Korea has proposed a revision to the medical law, and the Fair Competition Rules will take effect in April, discussed by the Fair Trade Commission and the KHSA. The revision to the Medical Service Act stipulated that doctors and medical institutions are not allowed to receive rebates such as money and entertainment provided by health functional food companies. The Fair Competition Rule is a method in which the health functional food industry voluntarily imposes penalties of less than 10 million won and heavy penalties of less than 100 million won when detecting rebates such as expedient health functional food note prescriptions. Some worry that the revision of the Health Functional Food Act should be promoted separately from the revision and enforcement of the Fair Competition Rules to regulate the prescription of health functional food, but the MFDS, which is in charge, is in a position to watch the operation of the Fair Competition Rules. Although the MOHW and the specialized committee of the Health and Welfare Committee expressed their position that the Health Functional Food Act needs to be revised prior to the revision of the Medical Service Act, the MFDS insisted that the need to revise the law be slowly considered. The MFDS argued that medicines and medical devices also implemented fair competition rules in the industry first and then revised related laws over a period of time. In the case of medicines, the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act was revised in 2010 after the enactment of the protocol in 1994, and the MFDS explained that the Medical Device Act was revised in 2013 after the enactment of the protocol in 2011. The health functional food-style note prescription does not directly affect health insurance finances, and unlike medicines and medical devices, the reality that health functional foods have open consumer options also affected the direction of the MFDS' policy operation. As a result, it is expected that the revision of the Health Functional Food Act will become a reality depending on the results of the enactment and enforcement of fair competition rules in the health functional food industry this year. The MFDS said, "We will continue to monitor the operation of fair competition rules while supporting voluntary improvement in the industry," and explained, "According to the results, we will review the need to revise the Health Functional Food Act." Health functional foods have a variety of sales channels such as the Internet, large discount stores, pharmacies, multi-level, door-to-door sales, and home shopping, so consumers can choose them, and medicine and medical devices have also been revised since the enactment of the rules, the MFDS added.
- Company
- Roche's Polivy can be prescribed at Big 5 hospitals
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Feb 16, 2022 05:51am
- The new lymphoma drug Polivy can be prescribed at the Big 5 General Hospital. According to related industries, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital, and Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) Polivy, which combines with existing BR therapy (Bendamustine & Rituximab) for treatment of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lympoma (DLBCL) with a poor prognosis. In the case of Severance, the code was generated with emergency DC. However, Polivy is still a non-reimbursed drug. Roche submitted an application for registration of Polivy's insurance benefits in February last year, but failed to pass the HIRA Cancer Disease Review Committee in April of the same year. Roche plans to continue his efforts to register Polivy in the future. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma belongs to aggressive lymphoma that requires immediate treatment due to the rapid progression of the disease. More than half of patients have a good treatment response rate to reach remission, but 30% to 40% of patients do not respond to the standard therapy R-CHOP or experience recurrence even after primary treatment. Although most patients experience recurrence within two years and have a only six-month survival period if they recur, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma has been an area that lacks effective treatment options. Polivy is the first ADC drug to target CD79b and has a mechanism that binds to CD79b expressed in B cells to induce apoptosis. Polivy confirmed its effectiveness through a phase 1b/2 that confirmed the clinical effectiveness and safety of Polivy combination therapy in 80 patients with recurrent or refractory giant B cell lymphoma who could not receive hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and had more than one treatment experience. The drug was also designated as a rare drug in Korea in October last year. As a result of the study, the Polivy combination therapy group showed higher Complete Response (CR) and Overall Survival (OS) extensions than the BR group. Ko Young-il, a professor of hematologic oncology at Seoul National University Hospital, said, "Polivy confirmed its usefulness through clinical trials and is a treatment option recommended in international guidelines, which is meaningful in that it has suggested a new alternative to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treatment." Peter Welford, an analyst at investment bank Jefferies, analyzed in a memo to investors that if Polivy is used for DLBCL indications, it could achieve sales ranging from at least $2.1 billion to up to $2.4 billion.
- Policy
- Lee to pledge ‘incentives for homegrown new drugs'
- by Lee, Jeong-Hwan Feb 16, 2022 05:51am
- Presidential candidate Jae-Myung Lee of the Democratic Party of Korea is positively reviewing reinforcing incentives for new drugs that were developed by Korean pharmaceutical companies or conducted trials in Korea, establishing a megafund for the pharmaceutical industry, and introducing a pre-approval system for prescriptions of ultra-high priced drugs as pledges for the coming presidential election this year. Also, the candidate is preparing to set official pledges on establishing a public electronic prescription system, institutionalize government support for public late-night pharmacies and complete eradication of hospitals owned by non-medical personnel. The pledges above were those requested by the domestic pharmaceutical industry, pharmacists’ association, and medical field and gained consensus from the NA Health and Welfare Committee. Lee plans to disclose the details of the policy in line with the official electioneering period that starts on the 15th. Lee is known to be reviewing various specific healthcare policies that require expertise regarding non-face-to-face treatment, biopharmaceutical industry, and pharmacy industry, in addition to the public healthcare pledges that he repeatedly announced including the expansion of public hospitals and reinforcing public medical personnel. In particular, the candidate is known to have drawn a relatively detailed blueprint on the development of homegrown vaccines that have greatly increased in importance due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, public manufacture of essential medicines, and national support for the pharmaceutical and bio-industry are being. More specifically, the candidate is likely to make pledges to increase the vaccine self-sufficiency rate of vaccines in the National Immunization Program and strengthen the financial and administrative support needed for the treatment of COVID-19 vaccine and treatments while building a public manufacturing system for essential drugs that are at risk of supply disruption due to low profitability. Also, the candidate is considering incentive systems and active state-driven investment in the pharmaceutical and bio-industry to make Korea a pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical powerhouse. Lee’s plan is to establish create a public-private matching-fund type megafund to improve the support system for clinical trials and realign the compensation system for homegrown new drugs and clinical trials conducted in Korea. Also, enhancing patient access to new drugs and pre-approval system for prescriptions of ultra-high-risk or ultra-high-priced drugs are being considered as pledges. The pledges above were those that multinational pharmaceutical companies with subsidiaries in Korea had continuously requested to the National Assembly and the government. In particular, the policies requested by Korea Pharmaceutical Association and pharmacists around are also expected to be included in Lee’s pledge. Policies that establish a system for non-face-to-face healthcare that has been temporarily approved due to COVID-19 and promote a state-led public e-prescription system, and policies to expand accessibility and convenience to medication for patients with public late-night pharmacies. The state-led public electronic prescription transmission system has been a policy that KPA had requested for several years now. The public late-night pharmacies are being piloted this year after securing a budget the previous year. Lee’s aim is to expand this pilot project into a main project. In addition, to completely eradicate hospitals owned by non-medical personnel, pledges to allow judicial police power to the NHIS, voluntary reporting, immunity for whistleblowers, stronger report rewards, punishment for those who made illegal establishments, and stronger recovery of unlawful profits are also expected to be included in the manifesto. Also, Lee’s camp promised to fully include ‘small/clear happiness pledges’ Lee had made as health insurance reimbursement of hair loss treatments, contraception, and abortion, free vaccination of HPV vaccines in adolescents, and soft landing the legalization of CCTVs in the operating room. An official from Lee’s camp said, “The camp is busy making additional modifications and final touches to the manifesto. We are in the healthcare pledges are in the final stages, and review the general improvements required in healthcare from public Healthcare to pharmaceutical and bio-industry, to patient systems at hospitals and pharmacies in Korea. The official added, “due to the diverse and multifaceted range of pledges that are being discussed by Lee’s camp, some have been producing false news that Lee excluded the reimbursement pledge for hair loss drugs based on the draft prepared by the camp. The completed pledge manifesto will be disclosed on the 15th when the official election campaign begins."
- Company
- GC Pharma & SK Bioscience are competing
- by Ji Yong Jun Feb 16, 2022 05:51am
- From the left, GC Pharma Barycela and SK BioscienceGC Pharma's Barycela challenges the international procurement market. Competition among domestic companies in the international procurement market for chickenpox virus vaccines is likely to begin in earnest. SK Bioscience seems to be challenging first while undergoing the World Health Organization (WHO) certification process for overseas sales of GC Pharma's new chickenpox vaccine. According to the industry on the 15th, SK Bioscience made its debut in the international procurement market for chickenpox vaccines on the 14th. SK Bioscience received a preliminary notice from PAHO about $31.27 million worth of chickenpox vaccine orders. SK Bioscience will supply Sky Varicella, a chickenpox vaccine, to the Latin American market from 2022 to 2024. PAHO, along with UNICEF, is the largest vaccine consumer. SK Bioscience plans to introduce Sky Varicella to various international procurement markets in the future as it passes the PAHO bid. Sky Varicella was released in 2018. In multinational global clinical trials, including Latin America, immunity and effectiveness in children aged 12 months to 12 years have been confirmed. The chickenpox vaccine from global pharmaceutical companies was used as a control group to prove the level of safety equivalent to that of excellent antibodies. As a result, SK Bioscience and GC Pharma competed in the chickenpox vaccine international procurement market. GC Pharma has dominated the international procurement market with Suduvax. Suduvax is the first vaccine developed by GC Pharma in 1993 in Korea and the second in the world. Suduvax, which has won bids in the international procurement market, has served as GC Pharma's cash cow. From 2017 to 2018, it won about $60 million worth of orders from PAHO, ranking first in the procurement market. Chickenpox vaccines generate more sales in overseas markets than in Korea. As a result, domestic companies actively utilize the international procurement market to advance the vaccine into the global market. According to Allied Market Research, a global market research firm, the global chickenpox vaccine market is expected to grow 5.6 percent annually from $2.714 billion in 2018, forming a scale of $4.22 billion by 2026. GC Pharma will also challenge the international procurement market within this year through Barycela. Barycela was approved by the MFDS in March 2020 and was released in Korea in September last year. Like Suduvax, Barycela is a live vaccine and it has improved quality and productivity, greatly increasing yields. GC Pharma's Barycela is currently undergoing WHO PQ certification process. PQ certification is essential to participate in bidding for the international procurement market. The industry predicts that Barycela will acquire PQ certification and participate in the international procurement market in the first half of this year.
- Company
- Amgen’s Lumakras approved in Korea… first-ever approved
- by Feb 16, 2022 05:51am
- Amgen Korea announced on the 15th that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved its ‘Lumakras (sotorasib)’ for the treatment of KRAS G12C mutated, locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer on the 15th. Lumakras is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with KRAS G12C-mutated locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer who have received at least one prior systemic therapy. With the approval, Lumakras became the first targeted therapy to be approved by the MFDS for KRAS G12C NSCLC patients. KRAS is one of the major oncogenes that is found in various cancers including NSCLC. It is the second-most common mutation that occurs in Asian patients after EGFR mutations. NSCLC patients with the KRAS G12C mutation have shown a lower relative survival rate than other lung cancer patients in surgery or chemotherapy, as many are resistant to existing standard therapies. Lumakras is the first-ever oral treatment that selectively inhibits the KRAS G12C mutant protein that is involved with the development of lung cancer. It inactivates the KRAS G12C mutant protein that promotes tumor growth and effectively blocks the signaling for oncogenic activity without affecting the wild-type KRAS. The MFDS approval was based on the phase-1/2 CodeBreak 100 trial results conducted on 124 NSCLC patients confirmed with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC with KRAS G12C mutations. Patients who participated in the trial had been previously treated with chemotherapy or immunotherapy but experienced recurrence. Results showed that the objective response rate, including complete remission and partial remission, was 36%. Tumor shrinkage was observed in 82.3% of the patients, and the median maximum tumor shrinkage rate of the patients was consistently high at 60%. Professor Myung Ju Ahn from the Samsung Medical Center said, “KRAS G12C-mutated NSCLC was an area where a dire need remained for a new treatment option. The average progression-free survival period of these patients had been around 4 months despite the use of chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatment, and no targeted therapy option was available, unlike other mutations. The domestic approval of Lumakras, the first targeted therapy for KRAS G12C mutated NSCLC, is long-awaited news for both the patients and HCPs in the field. Based on its excellent treatment effect and safety profile confirmed in clinical trials, Lumakras is expected to greatly contribute to improving the prognosis of patients."
- Policy
- There's plenty of COVID-19 PO medicine, Regkirona
- by Lee, Jeong-Hwan Feb 16, 2022 05:51am
- The quarantine authorities said they have secured sufficient supplies of COVID-19 oral treatments in Korea and will continue to consider additional purchases depending on the quarantine situation. The quarantine authorities also said they would consider using the budget for purchasing Regkirona as an oral drug as Regkirona, an antibody treatment for COVID-19, is known to be vulnerable to responding to Omikron mutations. On the 14th, the KDCA responded in writing to the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee's Seo Young-seok of the Democratic Party and Lee Jong-sung of the People's Power. Rep. Seo asked if it was possible to secure PO drugs such as Paxlovid and expand the number of additional prescriptions. He also inquired about plans to expand the pharmacy in charge. The KDCA replied that it has pushed for a purchase contract for 1,044,000 people in consideration of the spread of Omicron and the quarantine situation. The KDCA has signed a purchase contract Pfizer vaccine (for 762,000 people) and MSD vaccine (for 242,000 people). The KDCA also said it will continue to consider the need for purchase by comprehensively considering the quarantine situation, medical response, development status of domestic and foreign treatments, and clinical efficacy. The KDCA explained that it has been steadily expanding and operating prescription agencies and pharmacies in charge after bringing PO drugs into Korea on the 14th of last month, and that the criteria for those subject to administration have also been expanded. The KDCA replied, "We will continue to improve for a stable supply so that the treatment to be eaten can be administered quickly and safely to those who need it." Rep. Lee Jong-sung said that the budget set for the purchase of Regkirona, an antibody treatment, should be changed to the budget for additional purchase of oral drugs effective in omicron mutations.bThe KDCA agreed with Rep. Lee and replied that it would consider ways to use Regkirona's purchase cost for oral medicine. Specifically, the KDCA set aside 393.3 billion won in the main budget this year, and 3.4 billion won in the purchase of Regkirona. As a result of the Regkirona pharmacological test on mutants, it was evaluated that they were less likely to show activity in omicron mutations, so they should be careful when prescribing them. Accordingly, the KDCA plans to allow the purchase of Regkirona to be used as the purchase of PO drugs in response to Omikron. The KDCA said, "We have not yet signed a contract for Regkirona purchase cost of 3.4 billion won this year," and added, "We will consider securing PO treatments effective for Omicron mutations."
- Company
- The paradox of COVID-19
- by Kim, Jin-Gu Feb 15, 2022 05:54am
- In contrast to the intensifying supply and demand difficulties of cold medicine and the decline in the performance of respiratory Rx drugs such as antibiotics and expectorants. After the transition to COVID-19 home treatment, the shortage phenomenon intensified, and the pharmaceutical industry began to "excess production." Demand for OTC cold medicines is soaring due to the spread of Omicron mutations. Some pharmaceutical companies have begun overproduction to expand supply. OTC was out of stock This is in contrast to the prolonged slump in Rx drugs such as antibiotics and expectorants used in respiratory infectious diseases. The Corona crisis is acting as a boom in the OTC market and a recession in the Rx drug market. ◆ The shortage of OTC cold medicine and pharmaceutical industry has started overproduction According to the pharmaceutical industry on the 14th, the shortage is prolonged in front-line pharmacies, focusing on commercial medicines such as cold medicines and fever reducers. In particular, general medicines such as Theraflu, Coldaewon, and Champ are mostly out of stock at online malls. In fact, an official from Ildong Pharmaceutical, who is in charge of domestic sales of Theraflu, said, "It is difficult to confirm accurately due to the lack of statistics in February, but demand seems to have doubled or tripled than usual." An official from Dong-A Pharmaceutical, who is producing and supplying the children's fever reducer and cold medicine Champ series, also said, "The demand for the first and second weeks of February has soared. We are continuing to produce, but at the moment, we are unable to keep up with demand." He said, "Not only cold medicine, but also liquid painkillers Ibuone-Q, DexoneQ, and Nap OneQ have more than doubled their sales than usual. Morgle One Q, a treatment for sore throat symptoms, and Noseone Q, a treatment for rhinitis symptoms, are also sold more than usual, he said. Pharmaceutical companies that are supplying related products are focusing on expanding production. In particular, it is also confirmed that some pharmaceutical companies have started overproduction to increase supply. An official from Daewon Pharmaceutical, which is selling the OTC Coldaewon series, said, "We are trying to expand production as demand increases rapidly in the field," adding, "In the production plant, the people in charge are even working overtime." The pharmaceutical industry believes that demand for OTC cold medicines and fever reducers has soared before and after the government announced a change in COVID-19 quarantine and treatment guidelines. Analysts say that more and more consumers are trying to prepare OTC cold medicine as a regular medicine to prepare for Omicron mutations. Theaflu, Champ, and Coldaewon are all out of stock Since the 10th, the government has implemented a new quarantine and home treatment system tailored to the characteristics of Omicron's COVID-19 mutation. The main point is that patients under the age of 60 with asymptomatic or mild symptoms should take care of their health on their own without government care. ◆The use of Rx drugs such as antibiotics and spectators used for respiratory symptoms such as is greatly decreasing Although drugs are used for the same respiratory symptoms, they are in contrast to the significant contraction of the prescription drug market such as flu treatments, antibiotics, and spectators. According to UBIST, a pharmaceutical market research firm, the amount of outpatient prescriptions for flu treatments last year was only 46 million won. It is significantly different from 22.5 billion won in 2019 and 8.8 billion won in 2020. In fact, it is evaluated that the flu treatment market has disappeared. The flu treatment has undergone the most dramatic change since the spread of COVID-19. After the spread of COVID-19, the number of flu patients dropped sharply due to strengthening personal hygiene management such as washing hands and wearing masks. The same is true of changes in sales of antibiotics. Last year, the amount of outpatient prescriptions for oral Cephalosporins was 194.6 billion, down 8.0% from the previous year. It fell 28.2% from 27.1 billion won in 2020. Cephalosporin drugs, also called Cepha, are widely used for pneumonia, sore throat, tonsillitis, and bronchitis. Last year, the prescription size of oral PCN was 105.2 billion won, down 15.7% from the previous year. It decreased 40.8% in two years from 182.2 billion won in 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak. An official from the pharmaceutical industry said, "The sluggish prescription market for infectious disease diseases is prolonged due to the prolonged COVID-19, but paradoxically, the OTC market is booming due to the surge in COVID-19 confirmed patients."
