- LOGIN
- MemberShip
- 2026-04-08 22:18:32
- Company
- New CKD drug Kerendia is expected to receive reimb soon
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Jan 04, 2024 05:33am
- Bayer’s new chronic kidney disease drug ‘Kerendia’ is expected to receive reimbursement status in Korea. New chronic kidney disease drug ‘Kerendia’ is expected to receive reimbursement status. According to the industry, Bayer has reached a settlement with National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) in negotiations for the reimbursement pricing of its drug Kerendia(finerenone), which is used to treat chronic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes, at the end of the year. When it passes the Heath Insurance Policy Review Committee in January, Kerendia is expected to be listed for reimbursement starting February. Kerendia received approval in Korea last year. It is indicated to reduce the risk of sustained eGFR (estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate, eGFR) decline, end-stage kidney disease, cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and hospitalization for heart failure in adult patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) associated with type 2 diabetes. CKD is one of the most common complications in type 2 diabetes and is an independent risk factor of cardiovascular diseases. While CKD is a progressive disease, it can be difficult to detect because the disease can progress without showing obvious signs until just before the late-stage renal failure occurs. Also, with late-stage renal failure, patients require dialysis or kidney transplants to sustain life. This can pose a socio-economic burden and have a profound impact on a patient’s quality of life. For patients with type 2 diabetes, frequent monitoring and assessment of kidney damage and kidney function are essential. Early detection and appropriate treatment are critical to slowing down the progression of the disease and reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. In type 2 diabetes, the three key factors causing kidney disease are hemodynamic changes, metabolic abnormalities, and inflammation or fibrosis. However, in current therapy, treatments targeting hemodynamic and metabolic factors are only available, while treatments targeting inflammation and fibrosis are lacking, highlighting the need for new treatment approaches. Kerendia is a novel therapeutic approach targeting inflammation and fibrosis in adult chronic kidney disease patients with type 2 diabetes. It is the first non-steroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist. Overactivation of the mineralocorticoid receptor can lead to inflammation and fibrosis, which can result in permanent damages to kidney. Kerendia inhibits the overactivation of the mineralocorticoid receptor, reducing inflammation and fibrosis, and thereby preventing kidney damage. Kerendia demonstrated its effectiveness in the Phase 3 FIDELIO-DKD trial. The FIDELIO-DKD trial enrolled approximately 5,700 patients from 48 countries globally, and Kerendia is indicated to inhibit the progression of chronic kidney disease and reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in adult patients with chronic kidney disease accompanying type 2 diabetes. Patients participating in the study received either Kerendia at doses of 10mg or 20mg in addition to standard therapy or a placebo. The primary composite endpoint of the study was a sustained decline of more than 40% in eGFR, end-stage kidney disease. In the trial, Kerendia reduced risk of death by approximately 18% compared to placebo. In addition, the secondary endpoint was cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and a reduction of approximately 14% in hospitalization for stroke or heart failure. The outcomes of major adverse events or the rate of adverse events related to acute kidney damage were comparable between the two groups. Meanwhile, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) revised its ‘2021 ESC Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute or Chronic Heart Failure’ and listed Kerendia as a Class 1A recommendation to prevent hospitalization due to heart failure in patients with chronic kidney disease accompanying type 2 diabetes. Additionally, the ESC recommended an annual measurement of eGFR and urinary albumin levels to screen for the development of chronic kidney disease in diabetes patients.
- Company
- Only 1 of 10 CEOs ‘positive’ about drug regulations in KOR
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun Jan 03, 2024 07:28pm
- 2024 Pharma-Bio CEO Survey: Business strategies and perceptions on regulations in Korea A survey showed only 1 in 10 CEOs of pharmaceutical companies were found to be satisfied with the Korean health authorities' regulatory policies for the pharmaceutical industry. In all major regulatory areas such as approvals, drug pricing, and sales, the satisfaction rate of CEOs was more negative than positive towards the set regulations. In particular, the CEOs expressed the least satisfaction with Korea’s drug pricing and reimbursement regulations. According to a survey Dailypharm conducted on 53 CEOs of pharmaceutical companies on their perception of government regulations in Korea, only 8% of the respondents expressed positivity towards the government regulations made for the pharmaceutical industry in Korea. Of the 53 CEOs surveyed, only two responded that they were "very positive" and "positive” towards the regulations each. The proportion of respondents who showed a negative attitude towards government regulations (42% was more than 5 times higher than the proportion of respondents who expressed a positive attitude towards government regulations. Those who expressed "very negative" and "negative" feelings toward the government regulations accounted for 8% and 34% of the respondents, respectively. Around half of the respondents expressed a ‘moderate’ feeling towards government regulations. Also, CEOs of pharmaceutical companies perceived that the government regulation was having a negative impact on their company’s business management. Nearly half of the respondents (49%) said government regulations had a negative impact on their business. "Very negative" and "negative" responses accounted for 9% and 40% of all responses, respectively. Only 6% said government regulations had a positive impact on their company management. In particular, the CEOs expressed the most dissatisfaction with the government’s drug pricing and reimbursement regulations. When asked to name the most unreasonable regulation, 57% of the respondents cited reimbursement and drug pricing regulations. This means that 3 out of 5 pharma CEOs perceive reimbursement and drug pricing regulations as the most unreasonable. 25% of respondents cited approval, production, and quality control regulations as the most unreasonable. Only 11% said distribution, sales, and marketing regulations were the most unreasonable. In terms of satisfaction for each type of regulation, the average satisfaction rate was in the 3-4 range for all categories. In all 3 major categories of regulations – approval/production/quality control, drug pricing/payment, and distribution/sales/marketing – the scores were rated below 5. To quantify the CEOs’ degree of satisfaction, respondents were asked to answer on a scale from 0 to 10. A higher score indicated greater regulatory satisfaction. Pharma CEOs were the least satisfied with drug pricing and reimbursement regulations. When asked about their satisfaction with drug pricing and reimbursement regulations, they gave an average score of 3.15. Only 2 respondents gave scores above 5 regarding satisfaction with Korea’s drug pricing and reimbursement regulations. More than half (53%) of the CEOs gave satisfaction scores below 3 for Korea’s drug pricing and reimbursement regulations. The most urgent area in need of improvement among drug pricing and reimbursement regulations was new drug listings, which 22% of the respondents had selected. Companies expressed dissatisfaction over the disruptions they experience in their businesses from delayed listing or non-designation of an appropriate price for their new drugs after spending a long time and considerable expense on developing a new drug based on their R&D capabilities. The next urgent area in need of improvement, which 18% of respondents selected, was improving the post-listing drug price cuts of generics. This is due to the great deal of dissatisfaction that arose from last year's generic drug price reevaluations. Last year, the government lowered the drug prices of more than 7,000 generic drugs through generic drug price reevaluations. After the reform of the drug pricing system, which was implemented in July 2020, was applied to listed generic drugs, the prices of products that had not undergone bioequivalence tests were lowered in large quantities. It is analyzed that pharmaceutical companies' dissatisfaction grew as the drug price cuts made on the products already in the market affected the companies’ performance. More than 10% of the respondents said that it is urgent to reform the drug pricing system, by improving the reimbursement evaluation system, price-volume agreement system, external price referencing, and listing of generic and incrementally modified drugs. The average satisfaction level of pharma CEOs gave for the approval, production, and quality control regulations was 4.00. This is higher than the CEO’s satisfaction rate for drug pricing or reimbursement regulations, but there were still more complaints than compliments. Only 4 of the 33 respondents rated their satisfaction level as 6 or higher. 9 out of 10 respondents had a negative stance in terms of satisfaction with Korea’s approval, production, and quality control regulations. In terms of the area in need of the most urgent improvement among approval, manufacturing, and quality control regulations, an overwhelming majority of respondents (55%) pointed to the period of approval. The companies saw that the development of new drugs and incrementally modified drugs were not leading to the prompt approval expected by the companies, and has negatively affected company business. Clinical reevaluations and improved GMP regulations were the next top priorities, accounting for 15% and 12% of all CEO respondents, respectively. On average, pharma CEOs rated their satisfaction with distribution, sales, and marketing regulations at 4.22. This was higher than the satisfaction they expressed for approval, production, quality control, or drug pricing and reimbursement, but still more negative than positive. The CEOs most frequently cited the regulation of CSOs (CSOs) as the area in need of most improvement among distribution, sales, and marketing regulation. 48% of respondents cited the need to regulate CSOs. Recently, there has been an increase in companies using CSOs and reducing their own sales force, especially among small and medium-sized pharmaceutical companies. There is a growing recognition of the need for strong regulations to regulate the CSOs' aggressive sales activities that can lead to overheated and confused market competition. Among the distribution, sales, and marketing regulations, 33% of respondents said that advertising regulations should be improved. There is a common perception that strict drug advertising regulations hinder companies' sales.
- Product
- KPDS demands gov. action to end chemotherapy drug shortages
- by Kang, Hye-Kyung Jan 03, 2024 05:40am
- The Korean Pharmacists for Democratic Society (KPDS) The Korean Pharmacists for Democratic Society (CEO: Hyeong-geun Shin, KPDS) has criticized the government’s system for the stable supply of essential medicines. The KPDS stated on the 28th that “5-fluorouracil, referred to as 5-FU, is a chemotherapy drug used to treat several types of cancers, including colorectal cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and breast cancer. It is considered essential for treatments that it has been listed in the WHO’s list of essential medicines, and in Korea, it has been designated and managed as a shortage prevention drug (SPD) since 2010. However, over the past month, the unstable supply and demand of 5-FU have led to delays in chemotherapy schedules, by 1 to 4 weeks, and frequent switches to alternative drugs in cancer patients. The gravity of the current issue concerning drug availability for cancer patients is evident in online communities. Many patients have shared their experiences of traveling from other cities to hospitals in Seoul, only to find that they cannot receive necessary treatments due to drug shortages. Furthermore, these online communities serve as a platform for patients to exchange information on which hospitals currently have the essential medications in stock. “The concern is that the drug-producing companies have not disclosed the reasons behind the causes of drug shortages and have failed to propose alternative solutions to resolve this issue. Instead, the company has only explained the challenges in the CRO processes as their explanation for the difficulties,” the KPDS insisted. And “The government's response to the issue has been inadequate,” the KPDS criticized, “The government claims that there is a system, through collaboration with related agencies and experts, in place for essential medicines for monitoring supply and demand stages and receiving reports from companies on supply halts. However, there is a lack of publicly available information on the government's actions and corrective measures. Additionally, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) website does not provide the latest reports on supply halts, as required by the reporting system for supply-halted medicines.” The KPDS has requested a release of several information related to the 5-FU supply issue: ▲Reporting by JW Pharmaceutical regarding the supply halt of 5-FU (Products: 5-FU Injection Choongwae 5ml/10ml/20ml), as required by the reporting system for supply-halted medicines ▲Details on the government’s review of JW Pharmaceutical’s reports, as required by the reporting system for supply-halted medicines ▲Drug monitoring reports from MFDS and Korea Orphan & Essential Drug Center regarding the supply halt of 5-FU ▲Supply and demand monitoring results from HIRA’s Korea Pharmaceutical Information Service (KPIS) regarding the supply halt of 5-FU ▲Content of the contract between the government and JW Pharmaceutical regarding the designation of 5-FU as shortage prevention drug (SPD) ▲Additional reports submitted by JW Pharmaceutical to the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and MFDS concerning the 5-FU issue, besides the reporting system for supply-halted medicines ▲Corrective measures implemented by MOHW regarding the fair distribution of 5-FU supply to patients in need ▲Additional corrective measures implemented by MOHW and MFDS to facilitate the 5-FU supply ▲Corrective measures to stabilize 5-FU supply in the future. “The government should take effective measures, or show responsible actions, to instill trust in citizens that essential medicines taken today will continue to be available in the future,” the KPDS urged, “We expect that the government will put efforts to ensure that citizens can access essential medicines without difficulty.”
- Policy
- Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan to be released soon
- by Lee, Jeong-Hwan Jan 03, 2024 05:40am
- With the government's plan to announce the 2nd National Health Insurance Comprehensive Plan being postponed from December last year to January of this year, the pharmaceutical industry is anxiously awaiting what policy direction will be included in the new plan regarding drug expenditures. The pharmaceutical industry’s wishes are that the plan should include policies to promote and revitalize domestic generics and incrementally modified drugs that can serve as cash cows in securing research and development (R&D) investment costs for new drug development. On Jan. 1, the Ministry of Health and Welfare is known to be in the final stages of formulating the second health insurance plan, which will be in place for 5 years from this year (2024) to 2028. The MOHW had aimed to release the plan in December last year, but postponed the announcement, saying it needed more time to reflect the newly announced policies. This implied that the MOHW was not finished organizing the policies it had finalized last year, such as setting a public policy fee to support essential healthcare and the reform of the drug pricing system to reflect innovation value, into the comprehensive plan. The industry’s eyes are on the drug expenditure management direction that will be included in the new health insurance plan. In particular, domestic pharmaceutical companies are concerned that if the MOHW includes a new mechanism for reducing drug prices in addition to the post-listing reimbursement management of generic drugs that are already in place, this will dampen the industry’s drive for new drug R&D. In the study on the establishment of a comprehensive health insurance plan released by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs in October last year, no mention had been made of the need to introduce a new drug price reduction model for generic drugs. However, the study suggested a policy to expand the targets subject to reevaluation for drug reimbursement adequacy review and to reevaluate generics by comparing their drug prices with the overseas A8 countries (Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada). It also revealed plans to improve the effectiveness of the actual transaction price investigation and management system, reorganize the targets of the Price-volume Agreement system, and revise its formula. Furthermore, the MOHW had set criteria for easing the application of the PVA system for drugs made by innovative pharmaceutical companies or equivalent in the reform plan for the drug pricing system that recognizes the innovation value of drugs. Despite such improvements, domestic pharmaceutical companies are nervous as the MOHW is still known working on a drug price reduction model for generics. A domestic pharmaceutical company official said, "We hope that the new health insurance plan will not include a new price reduction mechanism. We also need to up with a reasonable reorganization plan for the post-listing management measures that are already in place. Also, we would like to discuss the permanence of the drug price reduction dispositions." The official added, "Although a drug pricing system that reflects innovation value has been introduced, it is partly focused on new drugs or essential drugs with low monetization. We need more measures to encourage generic development, which is the source of cash generation, to strengthen Korea’s new drug development momentum.” Another domestic company official said, "I hope that the MOHW will hold a closer ear to the voices of companies with the aim of advancing post-management mechanisms including the PVA system. In the big picture, I hope that the new plan will include short- and long-term policies to save health insurance finances and revitalize the pharmaceutical market to exceed the performance made this year.”
- Policy
- Subject drugs with claims over KRW 5 bil for price nego
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Jan 03, 2024 05:40am
- A study has shown that more drugs need to be subject to PVA negotiations due to the expanded scope of use. In other words, the current standard, which sets the expected additional claims amount in the KRW 10 billion range needs to be expanded to KRW 5 billion, and drugs with an expected increase rate of more than 100 % should also be subject to negotiations. Such results were disclosed as part of the 'Study on the Performance and Improvement of the Scope of Use Expansion Negotiation System' that was conducted as a research service for the National Health Insurance Service (Research Institute Yonsei University, Industry-Academia Cooperation Center, Professor Euna Han). The research team said, “The current system was introduced in 2014 and has been maintained for 10 years without any revision. With the continued rise in national health insurance’s drug expenditures and the increasing number of drugs with multiple indications, many of which are expensive RSA drugs, there is a clear need for revision of the system.” The research team said, "It is important to review the performance of the expanded use negotiation system, which proactively manages drug costs for expanded use of drugs, represented by expanded indications, and to prepare development plans to strengthen the capability of the system,” and suggested short- and long-term improvement measures. As a short-term improvement plan, the researchers first proposed that the criteria for the selection of negotiation targets need to be expanded from the current estimated additional claims amount of KRW 10 billion or more to an estimated additional claims amount of KRW 5 billion or more and to establish new criteria for selection of negotiation targets based on the estimated additional claims amount (e.g., an increase of 100% or more). Secondly, as a measure to improve the performance of the negotiation system, the researchers proposed that the reduction rate set through prior adjustments should be increased, which is considered one of the price criteria used during negotiation. In addition, the researchers also proposed differentiated drug price cuts based on the rate of increase in claims, not by just the additional claims amount. In the long term, the researchers proposed that drugs subject to focus management (e.g., drugs with annual claims of more than KRW 30 billion or annual expenditures of more than KRW 300 million per person) should be selected and be designated as mandatory negotiation targets when expanding their scope of use, regardless of the selection criteria. Second, although the current system that manages the expanded scope of use uses the period one year before and after the expansion of use as the reference period, considering that the amount of usage and claims for one year after the expansion may differ from the use amount and claims made in the mid-to-long-term. Therefore, the researchers requested the government to consider post-management measures such as financial impact assessment and drug price adjustment measures accordingly from the mid-to-long-term perspective. The researchers also suggested strengthening the linkage with the Price-Volume Agreement system in the short term to minimize the loss in the monitoring period arising from the expansion of the scope of use and in securing the sustainability of health insurance by strengthening reimbursement management.
- Company
- New antibiotic to be listed for reimb, following Zerbaxa
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Jan 03, 2024 05:40am
- Pfizer Pharmaceutical Korea is currently in negotiations for reimbursement pricing for its Zavicefta Inj (ceftazidime·avibactam). Zavicefta, the next-generation antibiotic, is progressing towards reimbursement listing. According to the industry, Pfizer Pharmaceutical Korea is currently in the final round of discussions with the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) to settle the reimbursement pricing negotiations for its Zavicefta Inj (ceftazidime·avibactam). Zavicefta received approval from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA)'s Drug Reimbursement Committee in September 2023, and its negotiations began in November. When negotiations reach a settlement without any delays, it is anticipated that Zavicefta will be able to get listed for reimbursement next month. Until now, apart from MSD Korea’s Zerbaxa Inj (ceftazidime·tazobactam), new antibiotics have not produced satisfactory results. Therefore, it is noteworthy to watch whether Zavicefta will successfully receive reimbursement listing. Zavicefta has been developed in response to the urgent need for new antibiotics to treat serious infections that are becoming increasingly resistant, such as multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa, carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens, and ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. Zavicefta, an intravenous injection, is targeted for use in the treatment of adult patients suffering from complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI); complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI), including pyelonephritis; hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), including ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP); and, the treatment of aerobic Gram-negative infections in adult patients who have limited treatment options. Zavicefta was initially developed by AstraZeneca and later became the property of Pfizer when Pfizer acquired AstraZeneca’s antibiotics business in 2016. Securing new alternative treatments for carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens is a global health priority, as announced by the WHO. Multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa has seen a global increase and is causing serious problems in recent healthcare-related infections. The WHO has appointed carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens as one of the pathogens requiring high-priority research and development of new antibiotics. The rate of gram-negative pathogens exhibiting carbapenem resistance in Korea is 30.6%, ranking as the second highest among the countries surveyed, with Greece being the highest. ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae confers resistance to most cephalosporins-class antibiotics, which are typically effective against a broad range of gram-negative pathogens. To date, new antibiotics introduced in Korea include MSD’s Zerbaxa (ceftazidime·tazobactam) and Pfizer’s Cresemba (isavuconazonium), etc. Zavicefta has recently passed the Drug Committee (DC) of the “Big 5” hospitals, including Seoul National University Hospital, Samsung Seoul Hospital, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul Asan Hospital, and Sinchon Severance Hospital. It has secured prescription in approximately 40 hospitals in Korea.
- Company
- ‘Drug pricing and reimb' needs most regulatory improvement
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun Jan 03, 2024 05:40am
- CEOs of both domestic and multinational pharmaceutical companies alike identified 'drug prices and reimbursement as in need of most regulatory improvement. CEOs of multinational pharmaceutical companies only gave a 2-point range satisfaction score in terms of satisfaction with Korea’s drug pricing and reimbursement regulations. This indicates how CEOs are even more dissatisfied with regulations that affect the management of pharmaceutical companies, such as new drug registration, generic reevaluation, and reimbursement reevaluations. According to Dailypharm's survey of 53 CEOs of pharmaceutical companies, CEOs of both domestic and multinational pharmaceutical companies had a negative perception of government regulations. Among the 42 CEOs of domestic pharmaceutical companies, 34% said that their attitude towards government regulations was negative, which is three higher than the 10% who said they had a positive attitude. More than half of domestic pharma CEOs described government regulation as ‘moderate.’ CEOs of multinational pharmaceutical companies were even more towards government regulations. Of the 11 multinational pharmaceutical company CEOs, 73% had a negative view of government regulation. "Very negative" and "negative" responses accounted for 18% and 55%, respectively. Not one respondent had a positive view of government regulation. The area with the most common complaints was drug pricing and reimbursement.’. When asked to name the most unreasonable regulations, 57% of respondents cited reimbursement and drug pricing. This means that three out of five pharma CEOs perceive reimbursement and drug pricing regulations as the most unreasonable. 25% of respondents cited licensing, production, and quality control as having the most unreasonable regulations. Only 11% said distribution, sales, and marketing regulations were the most unreasonable. Both domestic and multinational pharma CEOs were most dissatisfied with drug price and reimbursement regulations. Nearly half, 48%, of the 42 CEOs from domestic pharmaceutical companies said that reimbursement and drug pricing regulations were the most unreasonable. Licensing, production, and quality control followed at 29%. More than 10 out of 11 (90%) multinational pharma CEOs perceived that the drug pricing and reimbursement system was unreasonable. It is noteworthy that the multinational pharmaceutical companies, which are responsible for a sizable proportion of new drug listing and sales, are most dissatisfied with drug pricing and reimbursement listing regulations in place for market entry. The dissatisfaction with the drug pricing and reimbursement system among MNCs was also evident in the specific indicators. CEOs of multinational pharmaceutical companies gave a satisfaction score of 2.90 points for Korea’s drug pricing and reimbursement system. This is significantly lower than the 3.24 score given by domestic pharmaceutical CEOs. 73% of multinational pharma CEOs said that new drug approval is in need of the most urgent improvement. Even if a new drug is developed and approved by company headquarters after a long period of research and development (R&D), there are many cases where their launch is delayed or abandoned in Korea due to inadequate drug prices or reimbursement. CEOs of domestic pharmaceutical companies perceived post-generic drug price reductions as the most problematic. Last year, the government lowered the prices of more than 7,000 drugs through generic drug price reevaluations, and the industry complained that repeated generic drug price reductions due to system changes threaten business. CEOs of domestic pharmaceutical companies also pointed out the need to improve reimbursement reevaluations (21%) and price-volume agreement systems (18%).
- Policy
- 430K osteoporotic fractures in 2022, a steep rise over 20 yr
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Jan 02, 2024 05:45am
- There has been a yearly increment of 7.8% in patients with fractures due to osteoporosis, marking a staggering 346% increase compared to 20 years ago. Joint research conducted by National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) (Chariman: Jung Ki Suck) and The Korean Society for Bone and Mineral Research (Chariman: Ha Yong-Chan) has presented research findings titled ‘Reporting the incidences of osteoporotic fractures and re-fractures among Koreans over 50 years old,’ based on the National Health Insurance Big Data for the periods of 2002 to 2022. The overall incidence of osteoporotic fracture totaled 434,470 patients in 2022, a 34.2% increase compared to 323,806 patients in 2012, and a 346.2% increase compared to 97,380 patients in 2002. Additionally, it shows a yearly increment of 7.8%. Over the last 20 years, the overall incidence of osteoporotic fractures has steadily increased, with a yearly average rate of 8.1% increase in men and a 7.6% increase in women. A yearly rate of osteoporotic fracture incidences based on the National Health Insurance Big Data for the periods of 2002 to 2022. There has been a yearly increment of 7.8% in patients with fractures due to osteoporosis, marking a staggering 346% increase compared to 20 years ago. When considering gender differences, the prevalence of fracture was 3.1 times higher in women (329,104 people) than men (105,366 people). Among men, 29.1% were in their 60s, while 33.1% of women were in their 80s. (Unit: n, %) As of 2022, out of a total of 434,470 fracture patients, 31.0% were in their 80s (134,549), 26.3% were in their 70s (114,273), 26.4% were in their 60s (114,886), and 16.3% were in their 50s (70,762), demonstrating a steep increase with advancing age. When considering gender differences, the prevalence of fracture was 3.1 times higher in women (329,104 people) than men (105,366 people). Among men, 29.1% were in their 60s, while 33.1% of women were in their 80s. Wrist and ankle fractures were common in the ages of 50s to 60s, and the number of vertebral and hip joint fractures increased with age. The 1-year mortality rate for patients with hip joint fractures exhibited a decreasing trend from 18.9% in 2006 to 15.9% in 2020 but increased again to 18.2% in 2021. In contrast, the 1-year mortality rates of hip fracture or vertebral fracture remained without any changes over the years up to 2020, but saw an increase in 2021, presumably due to the effects of Covid-19. During the last 20 years, the rate of osteoporotic fracture patients receiving osteoporosis-treating medications within a month is 22.0% in 1 month, 28.9% in 3 months, 32.2% in 6 months, and 35.5% within a year. In terms of medications, the highest prescription rate within a year following a fracture was for bisphosphonate class drugs 30.8%, followed by denosumab 3.3%, Selective estrogen-receptor (ER) modulators (SERMs) 2.9%, parathyroid hormones (PTH) 0.7%, and romosozumab 0.15%. The prescription rate for fracture treatments within a year following a fracture showed a steady increase for both men and women over the years. A 2.5 times higher proportion of women, with a rate of 46.9%, started treatments within a year compared to men, with a rate of 18.7%. In terms of fracture localizations, the highest prescription rate within a year following a fracture was the vertebral fracture with 52%, and the lowest was the ankle fracture with 15%.
- Policy
- 5-year relative survival rate of cancer 72.1% in 2021
- by Lee, Jeong-Hwan Jan 02, 2024 05:45am
- The five-year relative survival rate for cancer patients increased by 6.6% points in 10 years and has become 72.1%. In Korea, thyroid cancer was the most common, followed by colorectal, lung, and stomach cancers. On December 28th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Minister Kyoo-Hong Cho) and the Central Cancer Registry Cancer (National Cancer Center, Director Hong-Gwan Seo) released the 2021 National Cancer Registry statistics (cancer incidence, relative survival rate, prevalence, etc.). The number of new cancer cases in 2021 was 277,523, an increase of 27,002 (10.8%) compared to 2020. This is analyzed to be a result of a resurgence in the use of healthcare services, including cancer screenings, which had decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and an expansion of the scope of registration screening subjects made according to changes in cancer registration guidelines. The most common cancer in 2021 was thyroid cancer (35,303, up 19.1% from 2020), followed by colorectal, lung, stomach, breast, prostate, and liver cancers. The incidence of stomach, colorectal, liver, and cervical cancers, which are cancer types targeted by the National Cancer Screening Program, has been decreasing for the past decade, while the incidence of breast cancer has been increasing for the past 20 years. The 5-year relative survival rate for cancer patients diagnosed in the last 5 years ('17-'21) was 72.1%, indicating that 7 out of 10 cancer patients survived for more than 5 years. The 5-year relative survival rate for cancer patients has continued to increase and is 6.6% points higher than the rate found for cancer patients who were diagnosed around 10 years ago (’06-’10, 65.5%). As of January 1, 2022, 2,434,089 people had cancer. 1 out of every 21 people (4.7% of the total population) had cancer, and 1 out of every 7 people aged 65 and older (1,194,156 cancer patients) had cancer. In particular, as of 2021, more than half (60.8%) of people with cancer survived for more than 5 years after being diagnosed, amounting to 1,795,366, which is an increase of 111,396 survivors compared to the previous year (1,361,840 survivors).
- Company
- SK Chemicals ends copromotion agreement with Eli Lilly
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Jan 02, 2024 05:45am
- SK Chemicals announced that its copromotion agreement with Lilly Korea for the antidepressant Cymbalta Cap (duloxetine hydrochloride) and the migraine treatment Emgality (galcanezumab-gnlm) has been brought to an end. Cymbalta is the number one selling antidepressant on the market. Sales of Emgality have also been rising since last year's reimbursement approval. SK Chemicals has co-marketed Cymbalta since 2017 and Emgality since July 2020 with Lilly. According to industry sources, SK Chemicals will supply Cymbalta until Dec. 31 last year and Emgality until Jan. 31 this year with the termination of the co-promotion agreement with Lilly Korea. Cymbalta is the No. 1 antidepressant in Korea's KRW 30 billion antidepressant market, with sales of KRW 9.7 billion last year, according to IQVIA. It is mainly prescribed for depression but is also used to treat diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, and osteoarthritis pain that has not responded adequately to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. SK Chemicals has been responsible for marketing and sales activities for Cymbalta's pain-related indications since January 2017. The announcement this time marks the end of the co-promotion agreement in 5 years. Emgality, a migraine prevention drug, has been co-marketed by the companies since July 2020. SK Chemicals had been in charge of marketing the drug in domestic clinics, and the two companies worked together on marketing it in general hospitals. Emgality is the first drug to be introduced in Korea to prevent migraines and offers convenience as a once-a-month subcutaneous injection therapy. Emgality has been listed for reimbursement since September last year, and sales have been on the rise ever since The drug, which generated sales of KRW 5.7 billion last year, has posted sales of KRW 3 billion in the first half of the previous year alone, according to IQVIA.
