AZ’s Imjudo and Imfinzi both make reimbursement progress

Reimbursement standards set for Imjudo(new) and Imfinzi(scope of use expansion)

Raises expectations for Imfinzi’s reimbursement for liver cancer and biliary tract cancer in addition to non small cell lung cancer

AstraZeneca (AZ) Korea’s ‘Imjudo Inj.’ Has passed the first step to reimbursement listing in Korea.

 

Also, reimbursement standards for ‘Imfinzi Inj,’ which is seeking reimbursement expansions, were set.

 

However, these are only the first steps to reimbursement.

 

On the 13th, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service held the 8th Cancer Disease Review Committee in 2024 to deliberate on the reimbursement standards for anticancer drugs.

 

As a result of the deliberation, reimbursement standards were set for the new drug Imjudo Inj (tremelimumab) but not for Tecvayli Inj (teclistamab, Janssen).

 

Imjudo is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with advanced or unresectable HCC in combination with durvalumab.

 

Here, durvalumab is AZ's immuno-oncology drug Imfinzi.

 

Imfinzi is indicated for the treatment of patients with unresectable locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease has not progressed after platinum-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).

 

However, based on clinical results, the company has been seeking to expand its coverage to include liver and biliary tract cancers.

 

One such example is the Imfinzi-Imjudo combination as a first-line treatment for liver cancer.

 

Another is biliary tract cancer.

 

Since February, Imfinzi+gemcitabine+cisplatin has been used for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic biliary tract cancer.

 

However, Imfinzi is currently paid fully out-of-pocket.

 

As Imfinzi is an expensive drug, costing KRW 3,347,202 per bottle, healthcare professionals as well as patients have been requesting Imfinzi be covered by the government.

 

The patients' voices were also discussed as an agenda at the last national audit.

 

In response, HIRA had promised a proper review.

 

On this day, their efforts bore fruit.

 

Reimbursement standards were finally set for the drugs.

 

With both drugs being set reimbursement standards, AZ can now look forward to the prompt reimbursement of both of its drugs.

 

However, another AZ drug - Tagrisso (osimertinib mesylate), the company's flagship treatment for non-small cell lung cancer- failed to make the cut.

 

The company sought to set reimbursement standards for Tagrisso in combination with pemetrexed plus platinum-based chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC with an EGFR exon 19 deletion or exon 21 (L858R) substitution mutation, but the application was not accepted.

 

On the same day, the CDDC deliberated on reimbursement standard improvements proposed by medical societies.

 

As a result, requests to improve the phrase - “failed chemotherapy including docetaxel” - wording in the subjects for prostate cancer chemotherapy, and suggestions regarding the administration of palliative therapy in case of recurrence/metastasis during or after the administration of adjuvant therapy, were accepted.