“34 years in drug industry, but now as a law firm advisor"

Advisor Kwon Jaehong joins Kang Han Law

Handled NHI listing of Baraclude and Sprycel at BMS Korea

“Beyond ‘drug pricing,’ seeking for general healthcare regulatory solutions”

Advisor Kwon Jaehong

A new advisor at Kang Han Law, Kwon Jaehong has 34 years of a long experience in the pharmaceutical industry.

 

After joining JW Pharmaceutical sales department in 1998, Kwon moved to Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) Korea in 1998 and was leading the Government Affairs and Market Access businesses until last August.

 

But as he retired, he left the corporate boundary.

 

And from this January, he wide opened the door to a law firm.

 

While law firm recruiting a pharmaceutical industry specialist is becoming a latest trend, a global pharmaceutical company’s former government affair director joining a law firm holds a greater level of significance.

 

Daily Pharm interviewed Advisor Kwon at Kang Han Law office in Seoul.

 

“I do not think I would do ‘something groundbreaking.’ But I have been in the center of the communication among pharmaceutical company, government, patient group and healthcare providers for over two decades, which gave me a deeper insight on their perception gap and problem solving measures.

 

Based on those experiences, I want to contemplate on what role I could play here.” Behind his humble words, there were prudence and aspiration.

 

In fact, the law firm has a clear agenda in specifically recruiting him.

 

It is quite different from recruiting a high-level government officer as an advisor from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS).

 

These days, South Korean law firms are concentrating on offering a ‘total consulting service for drug pricing,’ covering drug approval, reimbursement application, pharmacoeconomic evaluation (PE) designing, risk sharing agreement (RSA) and PE exemption.

 

Advisor Kwon’s expertise surely meets the need.

 

When he was at BMS, he participated in the National Health Insurance (NHI) listing procedure for blockbuster new drugs.

 

He led the talks on the NHI reimbursement listing and expansion on a blockbuster hepatitis B virus treatment Baraclude, a “super-Gleevec” Sprycel, and a novel oral anticoagulant Eliquis.

 

Also he handled a blockbuster antiplatelet drug Plavix, a first-in-class oral hepatitis C virus treatment Daklinza-Sunvepra, and an immunotherapy Opdivo.

 

As a representative from Korean Research-based Pharmaceutical Industry Association (KRPIA), he also participated in talks for major regulatory reform changes in reimbursement listing and drug pricing, such as introduction of positive listing, selective listing, RSA, PE exemption and lump-sum pricing reduction.

 

“I don’t want to limit myself to pharmaceutical reimbursement listing.

 

The regulations are ever changing.

 

Projecting and preparing for prospective changes takes a vast part of pharmaceutical business.

 

I could provide a help in the process and each phase of adapting to the change, and also I could set up blueprints for now my colleagues and fellow advisers to better understand the industry.” Technically, Kang Han Law is not a major law firm like Kim & Chang and Lee & Co.

 

Also the firm does not even have a team entirely dedicated for healthcare.

 

But as a law firm specialized in healthcare, it has been handling administrative law suit related to the healthcare authority regarding drug pricing.

 

“As I would be working alongside with expert attorneys and advisors, I’m positive we would be able to create a synergy effect.

 

The healthcare sector is directly related to patients, but its regulations are tight and often it finds various variables, which makes it quite interesting.

 

I would do my best to strive for positive outcomes along with my competent colleagues.”