신약의 적응증 확대와 가치평가 방안 연구

Analysis of the Expansion of the Reimbursement Coverage and Value-based Pricing for Anticancer Drugs in South Korea

Anticancer drugs with multi-indications have recently increased, which creates the need for a new pricing system that reflects the value of each indication. This study aims to describe the current status of the expansion of reimbursement coverage of anticancer drugs in Korea. Immunotherapy and targeted therapy were analyzed to find out the status of approval and listing. We identified the status of the expansion of reimbursement coverage and the price reduction rate. A survey was conducted with pharmaceutical employees to find their opinions on the current and newly suggested pricing system. In South Korea, 54 anticancer drugs (four immunotherapy and 50 targeted therapy drugs) had been reimbursed by April 2020. Three out of the four immunotherapy drugs (75.0%) and 29 of the 50 targeted therapy drugs (58.0%) were confirmed to have multi-indications. Among them, all four immunotherapy drugs and 25 (86.2%) of the targeted therapy drugs had their reimbursement coverage expanded. The price reduction also stood out as the expansion of the reimbursement coverage increased. Most pharmaceutical employees had recognized a problem with the current drug pricing system and were aware of the need to improve it. Therefore, the drug pricing system needs to be changed to one that reflects the value of the drug when the indication is expanded.