Lee to pledge ‘incentives for homegrown new drugs'

as well as the system for e-prescriptions as election pledge

“Is reviewing innovative policies including a mega fund for the pharmaceutical industry and preapproval of ultra-high-priced drugs”

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."