20 ultra-high-priced drugs over ₩5 mil sold in Korea

10 years after introduction of Soliris

‘One-shot’ Kymirah’s price set highest at ₩360 million

The 4 most-expensive drugs were approved for reimbursement by the current administration

Survey results have shown that 20 high-priced drugs over ₩5 million are approved for reimbursement 10 years after, Soliris, which had been then the most expensive drug in the world, was listed for reimbursement in Korea With ‘Kymriah,’ the one-shot treatment that was listed for reimbursement on April 1st, recording the highest price at ₩360,030,000, the top 4 drugs with regards to their price were listed by the Moon’s administration.

 

Looking at the price caps set in the reimbursement list, a total of 20 drugs were found to cost over ₩5 million.

 

When lowering the standard to ₩10 million, the number of drugs increased to 84.

 

The drug in 50th place is the PNH treatment Soliris which was listed 10 years ago in 2012.

 

At the time, Soliris’s price was set at ₩5 million per year, sparking heated debate on the reimbursement of the drug.

 

However, 49 more drugs with a higher price cap had been introduced to the market in 10 years.

 

Of course, the price cap cannot determine the cost of each drug as their treatment period differs.

 

For example, Kymriah is administered once in a lifetime, and in this sense, the drug’s ₩360,030,000 is cheaper than the ₩500,000,000 that was set as the annual cost for Soliris 10 years ago.

 

By price cap alone, Kymriah is the only drug priced at the 100 million level.

 

The second in line is the SMA treatment Spinraza, which costs ₩92,350,000.

 

In third place is the neuroendocrine tumor treatment Lutathera set at ₩22,100,000, followed by the immunotherapy cancer drug Yervoy set at ₩14,000,000.

 

Fourth is the stem cell therapy for Crohn’s Fistula, Cupistem at ₩13,490,000.

 

What is unusual is that the top 4 most-expensive drugs on the list were approved for reimbursement under Moon’s administration.

 

As new drugs with better efficacy in rare diseases are being introduced, the fact that the latest drugs have a higher price is, in a sense, natural.

 

Spinraza was listed for reimbursement in April 2019, Yervoy in September last year, Lutathera from March this year, and Kymriah from April, after which the NHI will be supporting most of their costs.

 

Such essential drugs that are ultra-high-priced will continue to be released in the future.

 

The increased number of such drugs can also burden NHI finances, therefore, the government’s concern over effective fiscal sharing will also continue to deepen.