Immune checkpoint inhibitors require many considerations

as primary lung cancer treatment,

Need to review cost effectiveness and financial impact, expectation of reasonable plans with pharmaceutical companies

The MOHW showed a cautious attitude toward the expansion of the benefits of the primary lung cancer treatment for immune checkpoint inhibitors.

 

This is because the patient's treatment opportunities expand, but enormous insurance finances may be required.

 

The MOHW made this statement in a written answer to a question related to Jongseong Lee of a member of People Power Party at parliamentary audit of the administration on the 8th.

 

The MOHW said, "If the benefit is expanded as a primary lung cancer treatment of immunotherapy drugs, the treatment opportunities for lung cancer patients can be expanded, but it is expected that enormous insurance finances of hundreds of billions of dollars will be required." and The MOHW explained, "We will try to make an insurance benefit by deriving a reasonable plan through active mutual efforts with pharmaceutical companies in the future." Currently, immuno-cancer drugs such as Keytruda are negotiating with the government to expand the benefits of primary lung cancer treatments.

 

In addition, the MOHW explained to the 'non-reimbursement conversion problem when combined treatment of chemo-anticancer drugs and immuno-anti-cancer drugs' raised by Jongseong Lee.

 

It is explained that the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness are reviewed for each therapy, not for individual drugs according to the approval of the MOHW in the case of anticancer drugs.

 

The MOHW said that it would make an effort to provide insurance benefits as soon as possible for immunotherapy and combination therapy by devising a rational financial sharing plan through active mutual efforts with pharmaceutical companies.

 

The MOHW responded to an inquiry from Chun Bong-min of the same party to strengthen the coverage of anticancer drugs that we are continuing to strengthen our coverage, focusing on treatments for severe diseases such as anticancer drugs, but the anticancer drug expenditure increased by 59% (₩1 trillion → ₩1.6 trillion).

 

The MOHW said, "While maintaining the basic principles of health insurance, we will endeavor to ensure patients' treatment opportunities as much as possible and expand the application of insurance benefits along with measures to improve expenditure efficiency such as drug re-evaluation in the future.

 

When asked Choi Hye-young, a memeber of Democratic Party of Korea, to use the National Health Promotion Fund to support the provision of anti-cancer drugs, the MOHW replied: "We agree with the need to support medical expenses including therapeutic drugs to expand treatment opportunities for cancer patients." In addition, the MOHW said that the National Health Promotion Fund provides annual health insurance funding for the amount prescribed by law, and that a careful review is necessary, taking into account the target, scope and required financial resources within the scope of the support.