Pricing settled Prevymis to get listed in Aug. at earliest

Only took 1.5 years to receive coverage, process cruised since DREC’s OK

The MSD Korea’s new drug Prevymis (letermovir) settled on a pricing negotiation with the South Korean health authority and successfully passed the biggest hurdle of the path to healthcare benefit.

 

The novel drug helps to prevent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in patients who have received an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).

 

The prescription drug would be listed for the pharmaceutical reimbursement within this month at earliest after the final reviewer Ministry of Health and Welfare’s (MOHW) Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee approves it.

 

Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has indicated the drug ‘to prevent CMV infection and diseases in adult patients who have received HSCT.’ According to National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) on Aug.

 

3, all four items under the brand—240 mg and 480 mg doses of Prevymis tablets and injections—have concluded the pricing negotiation.

 

In the U.S., the medication has been designated as a breakthrough therapy, priority review drug and fast-track drug and received an approval by the U.S.

 

health authority.

 

After it was green lit for the Korean market by MFDS on Dec.

 

26, 2018, Prevymis started the pricing negotiation with NHIS immediately following the clearance for reimbursement by Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) Drug Reimbursement Evaluation Committee (DREC).

 

The allogeneic HSCT is essential to completely cure severe blood cancers like acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphocytic leukemia.

 

Accordingly, both the patients and healthcare professionals have been constantly demanding for the healthcare reimbursement on the drug.

 

The pharmaceutical company insider said, “The company was actively engaging in the negotiation with the utmost care to meet the high expectation of healthcare providers and patients waiting for the benefits of Prevymis preventing infection and improving overall survival of patients receiving allogeneic HSCT.” The insider added, “We expect to receive the reimbursement soon when HIPDC deliberates and notifies the result.

 

And we would do our best to promptly bring the innovative, CMV infection and disease-preventing Prevymis to the patients who had HSCT.