DREC members’ term extended due to delayed nominations

delayed candidate recommendation process cited as the cause

9th Term DREC Members' Terms Expire on the 7th... No changes made to the schedule

The term of office for members of the Drug Reimbursement Evaluation Committee (DREC) of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA), which is responsible for the final drug reimbursement adequacy evaluations, has been extended.

 

Although their term was originally scheduled to end on the 7th, the extension was explained as due to delays in the candidate recommendation process for the next committee members.

 

According to HIRA, the terms of both the 9th DREC and its subcommittee members have been extended.

 

The 9th committee began its term on September 8, 2023, and was set to end on September 7, 2025.

 

Each term lasts two years, and the current committee has 75 members in total.

 

Accordingly, HIRA has been accepting nominations for candidates for the 10th-term DREC from various organizations since last month.

 

DREC members are appointed based on recommendations from academic societies and organizations, with medical and pharmaceutical-related professional societies recommending around 70 members.

 

The Korean Pharmaceutical Association can recommend one expert.

 

However, due to delays in candidate recommendations, the composition of the 10th DREC could not be completed before the expiration of the 9th DREC's term.

 

Consequently, the terms of the 9th DREC members have been extended.

 

DREC’s operating regulations also stipulate that members whose terms have expired shall continue to perform their duties until their successors are appointed.

 

HIRA explained that it plans to promptly finalize the recommendation process and complete the composition of the 10th committee.

 

It maintains that there will be no changes to the DREC's schedule.

 

The next DREC meeting is scheduled for October 2nd, which is likely to be attended by the existing 9th committee members.

 

Once the 10th committee is formed, its subcommittees—including those for reimbursement standards, pharmacoeconomic evaluation, risk-sharing agreement, budget impact assessment, herbal medicines, and post-listing evaluation—will also be reconstituted.

 

The DREC generally consists of around 105 members.

 

The 31 medical societies eligible to recommend candidates include the Korean Society of Cardiology, Korean Society of Gastroenterology, Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, Korean Endocrine Society, Korean Pediatric Society, Korean Neurological Association, Korean Neuropsychiatric Association, Korean Surgical Society, Korean Cancer Association, Korean Academy of Family Medicine, Korean Dermatological Association, Korean Urological Association, Korean Ophthalmological Society, Korean Society of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Korean Association for the Study of the Liver, Korean Diabetes Association, Korean Society of Nuclear Medicine, Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, Korean College of Rheumatology, Korean Society for Transplantation, Korean Society of Hematology, Korean Association for Lung Cancer, Korean Breast Cancer Society, Korean Gastric Cancer Association, Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology, Korean Society of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Korean Urological Oncology Society, Korean Orthopedic Association, Korean Society of Coloproctology, Korean Society of Medical Oncology, and Korean Society of Surgical Oncology.

 

At each monthly meeting, 20 committee members are randomly selected to participate.

 

In July, HIRA revised its regulations, granting the HIRA President the authority to appoint the committee chairperson and to determine the composition of subcommittees and appoint subcommittee chairs.

 

HIRA explained this as a measure to enhance the effectiveness of the DREC's composition and operation.

 

However, some in the industry have expressed concerns that this could undermine the committee's fairness and neutrality.