- LOGIN
- MemberShip
- 2026-06-06 10:10:04
- 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.”
- Product
- ‘Cutting budget for essential drugs neglects public health'
- by Kang, Hye-Kyung Nov 10, 2023 05:19am
- The Korean Pharmacists for Democratic Society (CEO Hyeong-geun Shin) criticized the full budget for the stable supply of essential national medicines and urged for additional budget allocation. On the 9th, before the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee presented and deliberated on the next year's budget and proceeded with deliberation, KPDS submitted an opinion after analyzing the 2024 budget plan. Regarding the budget plan, KPDA said, “Regarding the development and support of the pharmaceutical and bio industry, the R&D budget has been expanded significantly, including the existing Research-Focused Hospital Development Project (approximately KRW 60.5 billion), the National New Drug Development Project (approximately KRW 57.9 billion), the Pharmaceutical Industry Development And Support Project (approximately KRW 35.9 billion), Pan-Ministerial Regenerative Medicine Technology Development Project (approximately KRW 35.3 billion), Global Research Cooperation Support Project (approximately KRW 28.7 billion), Electropharmaceutical Technology Development Project (approximately KRW 6.6 billion), Drug Delivery Treatment Technology Development Project (approximately KRW 7.6 billion), Biohealth Investment Infrastructure Linked R&D Project (KRW 2.7 billion), and the new Korean ARPA-H Project (KRW 49.5 billion) and the Joint Learning-Based New Drug Development Acceleration Project (approximately KRW 2.3 billion), etc. The investment is more noteworthy as the R&D budgets of only the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety were increased among the 31 ministries in Korea.” However, KPDA pointed out, “Although it is a small amount compared to the budget plan set for developing new drugs and fostering the pharmaceutical and bio-industry, which costs hundreds of billions of won, we analyzed the budget plan and found some points worth pointing out to improve issues that the public can feel.” The first issue was regarding the budget implementation ▲to resolve concerns about the unstable supply and demand of medicines in the field KPDA said, “A total of 247 drugs were reported to have supply interruptions and supply shortages in 2022 to the MFDS, and 172 in the first half of 2023 alone. However, in MFDS’s 2024 budget, the budget that ensures a stable supply of national essential drugs was completely cut. The KRW 1 billion that was allocated to improve the supply of medicines through consignment manufacturing for 6 items in 2023 was cut.” Therefore, assuming that there are at least 25 drugs to which the government must respond, an additional KRW 7.5 billion should be allocated, KRW 300 million per drug. KPDA said, “One of the difficulties pharmacies complain about out-of-stock drugs is the lack of a way to explain when the out-of-stock issue will be resolved or explain the out-of-stock situation to patients or prescribers. This ultimately depends on the drug supply and demand situation. So we need to improve the transparency of information regarding the drug supply and demand. For this, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it will disclose distribution information through the Korea Pharmaceutical Information Service Center (KPIS), but most medical practitioners are not aware of this, and even if they go to the website, it is difficult to find the information they want. Therefore, the KPIS webpage should be completely rebuilt so that pharmacies, medical institutions, and patients can easily check the status of out-of-stock items and be aware of the expected release date of necessary drugs.” The second was ▲expanding the budget for drug safety management and side-effect damage relief Under the Yoon Suk-Yeol administration, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced a fast-track program for innovative products and announced that it would improve the system to allow faster approval of medical products, but the budget for licensing reviewers in charge of reviewing the medical products had not increased for several years. KPDA said, "In the 2024 budget, the number of personnel for registering clinical trial information and reviewing reports has been reduced from 7 to 3. There is a need to increase the related budget to expand the number of medical product-related review personnel to 500 people by 2024, as in Japan.” Regarding the Side Effect Damage Relief Fund, "Even though the related fund was established 10 years ago, many people are completely unaware of it, and there have been only about 100 cases of damage relief per year for several years. The government should have actively provided guidance and promotion so that people who have suffered damage from the side effects of medicines can seek relief, but its budget is only KRW 80 million. Considering how this year’s advertising budget for drug safety is KRW 3 billion, there is an urgent need to actively execute a promotion budget for the fund.” Regarding the budget for ▲expanding the publicness of pharmacies, KPDA requested, "The government must gradually expand the number of support pharmacies to ensure people's access to medicines, and expand the system so that at least one late-night pharmacy can be operated by each local governments in the future." In addition, KPDA also insisted on ▲securing a minimum budget to guarantee reproductive health. They said, “After the 2019 decision to deem abortion unconstitutional, guaranteeing women’s reproductive health became a major social issue, but all content related to reproductive health was missing from the 2024 budget. We ask for continued research, including the opening of a website for providing related information counseling services at the government level.” In particular, KPDA added, “It is more essential than ever to secure a budget for the out-of-stock drug situation that is still unresolved."
- Product
- Investigation into companies refusing to supply animal med.
- by Kim JiEun Oct 06, 2023 05:36am
- The Korean Pharmaceutical Association (Chairman Choi Kwang-hoon) took out its sword against pharmaceutical companies that refused to supply veterinary medicines to pharmacies. Kang Byeong-gu, director of animal medicine at the Korean Pharmaceutical Association, appeared at Seoul Namdaemun Police Station as a complainant on September 26 and was investigated. Last August, the Pharmaceutical Association reported Boehringer Ingelheim Korea Animal Pharmaceuticals to Seoul Namdaemun Police Station on charges of violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. This is a criminal complaint for violation of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, unlike the case of violation of the Fair Trade Act in 2013 when some animal drug manufacturers refused to supply products to animal pharmacies. The Pharmaceutical Association believes that Boehringer Korea Veterinary Pharmaceuticals' refusal to supply medicines violates Article 47 of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (Sales Order of Medicines, etc.) and Article 22 of the Rules for Handling Veterinary Medicines, etc. (Compliance Matters for Veterinary Medicine Manufacturers, etc.) The Pharmaceutical Association explains that Boehringer's actions interfere with the preparation and administration of medicines at veterinary pharmacies and are likely to encourage collusion by supplying veterinary medicines only to certain wholesalers and veterinary hospitals. In his appearance at this police investigation, Director Byeong-gu Kang stated that he had requested a thorough investigation into problems with Boehringer Ingelheim's veterinary drug distribution policy. Kang Byeong-gu, director of animal medicine, said, “An animal guardian who has been issued an out-of-hospital prescription by a veterinarian visits an animal pharmacy to dispense a prescription, but the animal pharmacy is unable to supply veterinary medicine for dispensing,” adding, “The Pharmaceutical Association has sent an official letter requesting product supply to the relevant pharmaceutical company.” However, we received a response from Boehringer refusing to supply,” he said. Director Kang said, “A thorough investigation must be conducted into pharmaceutical companies that violate the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. Starting with this complaint, we will normalize the distribution channel of veterinary medicines while continuing to take action against manufacturers that refuse to supply veterinary medicines.”
- Product
- Will Insulin being sold out persist for a long time?
- by Kim JiEun Sep 22, 2023 05:41am
- There are signs that the sell-out of insulin preparations will continue for a long time. Some pharmaceutical companies have announced the timing of the resumption of supply, but the wholesale industry predicts that the current crisis will not be resolved in the near future. Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals recently announced the schedule for the resumption of the supply of Xultophy FlexTouch and Novorephid to pharmaceutical wholesalers. According to the information provided this time, the expected supply resumption date for Xultophy FlexTouch Injection 100U/ml, 3.6mg/ml is the first week of November, and for Novorephid 100U/ml is the fourth week of September. The company said, “We are continuously working to normalize the supply of Xultophy Flextouch Injection products.” The company explained, “We will secure supply so that patients who have been prescribed Xultophy FlexTouch Injection can continue treatment and provide information on the expected supply resumption date.” A company official added, “We deeply apologize for any inconvenience caused to patient care or work due to the instability of product supply due to the global imbalance in supply and demand.” According to the industry, Novo Nordisk had previously announced the resumption of Xultophy supply in September, but this announcement announced that it would resume supply in November, effectively delaying the restart by about two months. As of September 21, products such as Tresiba and Trulicity were still unable to be ordered from online malls, and it was confirmed that product supply and shipment were not smooth in the wholesale industry. Local pharmacies and the industry predict that if patients with long-term prescriptions flock to hospitals and clinics ahead of the long Chuseok holiday next week, the difficulties faced by front-line pharmacies due to shortages of insulin preparations may double. An official from the wholesale industry said, “Items such as Tresiba and Trulicity have been stocked and shipped in small quantities since August, but it is difficult to meet all the demand. In the case of Xultophy, it has not been seen in the market for several months even though there is considerable demand.” “As the resumption of supply has been postponed again to November, difficulties will inevitably arise at pharmacies where prescriptions for the product are delivered,” he said. This official said, “As this Chuseok holiday is so long, the number of visits to hospitals and pharmacies by patients with long-term prescriptions may increase next week.” He said, “If this happens, there could be another shortage of insulin products.”
- Product
- Phentermine and Saxenda has most reported adverse events
- by Lee, Jeong-Hwan Sep 08, 2023 05:33am
- Phentermine, a psychotropic appetite suppressant, was found to have the highest number of reported adverse events among anti-obesity drugs prescribed in Korea. Saxenda, an anti-obesity drug that was developed by changing the MOA of a diabetes drug, had the second-most reported number of side effects after phentermine. On the 7th, the joint research team of the Kyung Hee University College of Pharmacy, Ajou University Hospital, and Ajou University College of Pharmacy announced that phentermine and Saxenda (liraglutide) were the most common causative anti-obesity medications after analyzing 13,766 adverse drug event cases spontaneously reported to the Korea Adverse Event Reporting System Database (KIDS-KD) between 2010 and 2019. The average age of patients who experienced adverse vents was 41 years, and most (89.02%) were women. The side effect reporting rate was highest among pharmacists (44.62%), followed by the general public (29.63%), doctors (17.3%), then nurses (5.24%). Phentermine is an anti-obesity drug that suppresses appetite by activating neurotransmitters in the brain that reduce hunger and increase satiety. It is designated as a narcotic (psychotropic drug). It can be easily prescribed after consulting a doctor, but cannot prescribed to anyone under the age of 16. Saxenda increases satiety and suppresses appetite by delaying gastric emptying. It was originally developed as a treatment for diabetes, but the scope of treatment (indications) was extended after it was confirmed to be effective in obesity. Among the adverse events reported, 4,168 cases were confirmed to have definite or probable causal relationships. Of those, phentermine had the most adverse events at 33.2% (1,385 cases), followed by Saxenda at 27.7% (1,155 cases). Among the 105 (2.5%) ‘serious adverse event’ cases, phentermine and Saxenda accounted for the highest proportion at 26.7% each. The most common adverse drug events caused by anti-obesity drugs were gastrointestinal disorders (29.1%), central and peripheral nervous system disorders (19.2%), and mental disorders (16.9%). However, when narrowing the cases to serious adverse events, the most common were psychiatric disorders (25.7%) followed by central and peripheral nervous system disorders (19.0%). Phentermine accounted for 30% of the psychiatric disorder adverse events. By gender, men were more likely to experience adverse drug events related to gastrointestinal disorders but women were more likely to experience heart and heart rate disorders. Additional analysis also confirmed that men tended to take obesity medication more often. Also, 16% of the patients were found to be taking two or three obesity medications concomitantly, which increased the risk of side effects. The research team estimated that the risk of adverse events developing into serious cases from the use of anti-obesity drugs such as phentermine and Saxenda was 1.73 times higher for mental disorders, 4.57 times higher for respiratory disorders, 5.70 times higher for cardiovascular disorders, and 22.95 times higher for liver and biliary system disorders. The study results were published in the latest issue of the international academic journal, 'Journal of Global Health'.
- Product
- Hugel’s 'Licellvi Webinar' Successfully Completed
- by 어윤호 Aug 24, 2023 09:00am
- Hugel held a webinar for Thai healthcare professionals (HCPs) on Licellvi (Product name in Korea - Blue Rose Forte). The topic of the webinar was the "Combination of Thread Lifting and Botulinum Toxin", which was attended by over 300 local HCPs. The first speaker, Dr Choi Hosung (Piena Clinic), presented "Exploring the Mid & Lower Face Lifting Using PDO Threads Through Personalized Approach," which took into account individual patient characteristics. The next talk was given by Dr Lim Soo-sung (Balance Lab Clinic) who explained 'Brow Thread Lift - What to Consider', in line with the local trend of high interest in treating the forehead and brow area. A company representative said, "We will carry out various academic marketing activities aimed at local medical professionals with the goal of successfully settling down the Licellvi brand in the market. As the first company in Thailand to enter the PDO suture, botulinum toxin, and HA filler markets, we will increase the Hugel's corporate value in the local market."
- Product
- Minimally Invasive Thyroidectomy made more speed & safety
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Aug 21, 2023 05:37am
- Professor Jang Ho-jinThyroid cancer surgery is usually performed by inserting an incision of about 6cm in the center of the front of the neck, and it is true that the neck scar after surgery was burdensome. For this reason, a method of concealing the wound through a robot or endoscope was developed, but this also penetrated the tunnel to access the thyroid gland located in the center of the neck, so there were many difficulties in choosing a surgical method due to disadvantages such as poor skin sensation and extensive adhesion after surgery. In this situation, minimally invasive thyroidectomy (Minimally Invasive Thyroidectomy), which operates by inserting a small incision of about 3 cm on the side rather than the center of the neck, has recently been developed and is attracting attention. Minimally Invasive Thyroidectomy is a method that maintains the advantages of the existing traditional incision method and supplements the disadvantages, drawing attention from many thyroid cancer patients. Currently, Professor Jang Ho-jin of Gangnam Severance Hospital is performing the most, and Minimally Invasive Thyroidectomy accounts for more than 95% of the 1,000 surgeries he performs annually. The Dailypharm met him. -How was Minimally Invasive Thyroidectomy developed? In any case, if the incision was made in the center of the neck, the scar would remain for a long time, and especially for those with hypertrophic scars or keloids, the scars would become thick and unsightly. This is a method developed by his teacher, Professor Park Jeong-soo, to prevent this. At the time, it was a minimal incision method in which only the incision was made small and the neck muscles were cut to access the thyroid gland. As a result, other disadvantages such as adhesion to the wound site and muscle atrophy occurred. Therefore, Minimally Invasive Thyroidectomy is a method that has been supplemented and developed by approaching between the neck muscles (strap muscles, SCM muscles) without cutting the neck muscles without using the minimal incision method. -If the incision is made on one side only, the thyroid gland is a symmetrical butterfly-shaped organ. Is it impossible to remove the entire thyroid gland on the opposite side? No, even if the incision is made on one side, a total resection is also possible to remove the thyroid gland on the opposite side. In addition, even in the case of lateral neck lymph node metastasis, a minimally invasive method other than the traditional incision method is also possible. In general, traditional incisional lymph node surgery inserts a long incision of about 10 cm, whereas minimally invasive incision is limited to the side neck area and only about 5 to 6 cm incision is made. -I think it's definitely more eye-catching than the traditional incision method. Then, what is the difference between surgery time and recovery period after surgery? If the surgical method is more difficult, the operation time and hospitalization period are likely to be longer. Not really. In the case of a half-resection (one side of the thyroid gland), the operation time is about 30 minutes. In the case of hemisection, the discharge tube is usually not required, so the patient is discharged the next day. -Are you saying that recovery after surgery is fast? As the name of the surgical method suggests, it reduces the impact of normal tissues other than the thyroid by reducing the invasion range of not only the skin but also the subcutaneous fat and muscle layer. Recovery is quick because it makes the impact range that our body receives from the outside small. -Are there any side effects or complications of this operation? The three major complications of thyroid cancer surgery are postoperative hemorrhage, voice change due to vocal cord nerve paralysis, hypocalcemia (numbness in the hands and feet) due to parathyroid function decline, and damage to the airway and esophagus. The probability of such a complication is around 1%, and it can be seen that minimally invasive thyroidectomy is similar.
- Product
- 9 of 10 pediatric patients are prescribed off-label drugs
- by Kang, Shin-Kook Aug 18, 2023 05:20am
- Over 9 out of 10 patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at university hospitals were found to have been prescribed drugs off-label. The joint research team of the Department of Pharmacy at Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Gachon University’s College of Pharmacy studied the 6,183 medications that were prescribed to 502 patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at the Seoul National University Hospital for 1 year from July 2019 (median age 1.7 years). The results were released on the 15th, and published in a recent issue of the international pharmaceutical journal, Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal. Off-label medications are drugs that were approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety but are being used for an indication, age, or dose that is not listed in the approved label for the drug. Drugs are mainly used off-label in children, pregnant women, elderly patients, patients with rare diseases, and cancer patients for whom separate clinical trials had not been conducted during the approval process. The report showed that pediatric patients in the PICU received a median of 12 drugs per patient, 9 of which were off-label prescriptions. 99.6% of the 500 patients received one or more off-label prescriptions during their time in the PICU. In other words, most drugs that are prescribed to severe pediatric patients were being prescribed at the doctor’s discretion based on their adult indications and doses. The drugs that were most often used off-label were sedatives, followed by digestives, antibacterial, then cardiovascular-related drugs. By category, the labeling changes were most often made on the dose (67.8%), followed by age (50.1%), then indication(31.5%). During the study period, 67 adverse drug reactions were identified in 5.4% (27 patients) of the patients from off-label use. The research team estimated that the incidence of moderate or severe adverse drug reactions from off-label drug use was 69.0%, much higher than the 38.9% that arise from on-label drug use.
- Product
- Discontinued muscle painkillers in heavy demand
- by Kim JiEun Aug 03, 2023 05:35am
- The aftermath of some pharmaceutical companies’ tricking pharmacies into believing ‘there is not much stock available for order’ An ironic situation has occurred where a drug that pharmaceutical companies have given up manufacture and sales of due to the inability to demonstrate its effect is in heavy demand at pharmacies. On the 1st, in drug online malls used by pharmacists, many muscle pain relievers that are fixed-dose combinations of chlorzoxazone 250mg + acetaminophen 300mg, are out of stock, or can only be ordered in small quantities. The issue arose after it was recently confirmed that pharmaceutical companies that manufacture and distribute related products voluntarily withdrew their products or did not apply for renewal of the product licenses. The stock shortage occurred because some pharmacies are trying to stockpile the drug to sell within the expiration date as the pharmaceutical industry as well as the pharmacist society believe the drug will be naturally removed from the market. As pharmaceutical companies have voluntarily withdrawn or did not apply for renewal within the deadline, pharmacies can only sell those in stock until the expiry date of the currently distributed products. According to pharmacists, most of the muscle pain relievers that contain chlorzoxazone 250mg + acetaminophen 300mg are used at pharmacies and the combination is one of the steady sellers at pharmacies. As a result, some pharmacies trying to stock as much as possible and sell the product until possible. In addition, the fact that some pharmaceutical companies implemented a sales policy of “imminent closing” had also partially affected the out-of-stock phenomenon of related products. In the case of pharmaceutical company A, immediately after applying for voluntary withdrawal of related products, it sent a text message to pharmacists using its online mall to encourage them to order related products. A sales representative of the pharmaceutical company encouraged pharmacies to buy the product, sending the message that “manufacture will be discontinued and the current stock is our last. Those in stock can be sold until the expiration date. Therefore, it would be good to order as much as possible.” It is known that the number of orders that can be ordered per pharmacy has been limited to 300 for each specific time, but orders poured in in a very short period of time. Some pharmacists said it was regrettable that over-the-counter products with certain ingredients, which are in constant demand in pharmacies, are being removed. It seems necessary to look at the overall situation to see if the system is being excessively applied or whether related pharmaceutical companies are being complacent.” A pharmacist in Seoul said, “Most pharmacies have one or two products with the combination, and the demand for them is quite high, it is unfortunate that relevant products are being withdrawn from the market. It seems that the related pharmaceutical companies need to look at the overall situation to see if they are being complacent.”
- Product
- Series of non-face-to-face medical care platforms close down
- by Jung, Sae-Im Jun 16, 2023 05:55am
- More than 30 platforms that were created while temporary non-face-to-face medical care was allowed, initiated self-restructuring. With the government starting a non-face-to-face medical care pilot project under the ‘only allowed for returning patient’ rule rather than allowing the first-time visits requested by the platforms, companies have not only closed down their non-face-to-face medical care services but are undergoing restructuring. According to industry sources, CheKIT, which has been providing non-face-to-face treatment for women and STD tests, has stopped providing its non-face-to-face services. As of 0:00 on the 8th, CheKIT closed down their non-face-to-face STD testing, non-face-to-face medical care, and drug delivery services, and officially announced the service termination on its app on the 12th. CheKIT said, "We would like to thank our customers who have used CheKIT’s non-face-to-face STD testing and non-face-to-face medical care services. Under the government guidelines, we can no longer provide non-face-to-face medical care or drug delivery services from June, which is why CheKIT also will be ending its non-face-to-face medical care service." The company worked to maintain its service during the 3-month guidance period, however, the service was terminated as it became clear that it will be difficult to provide the non-face-to-face STD testing service. Regarding the end of the non-face-to-face medical care service, the company said, "We were only able to provide the non-face-to-face medical care service to our customers due to the temporary lift of restrictions allowed due to the severe COVID-19 situation in February 2020. However, as of May 17, the COVID-19 alert has been eased from ‘serious’ to ‘risk,’ and the temporary grant was also converted into a pilot project. Companies that had been providing the temporary service were given a 3-month guidance period to conform to the new rules, including restricting the users to those who are revisiting the same hospital within a month. Under the new rules, patients who have no record of visiting the hospital will virtually be unable to receive non-face-to-face medical care. We tried our best to operate the service during the guidance period, but with patient registration itself blocked, we decided to end the service to avoid further confusion.” However, CheKIT plans to continue to provide services such as vaginal microbiome testing, lactic acid bacteria recommendation, and non-face-to-face STD disease test kits that do not require a doctor's consultation. The discontinuation of CheKIT’s non-face-to-face medical care service follows the closedown of Sirs (operated by Trust Labs) and Fadacs (operated by Impact Station). With a series of non-face-to-face medical care platforms ending their services one after another, other relevant industries are also closely watching the situation with bated breath. A platform official said, “Other platforms are also considering closing down their non-face-to-face medical care services. That only people who have previously visited medical institutions can receive non-face-to-face treatment, is like a death sentence to the platform industry. We are all treading lightly.” Although a guidance period of 3 months was given until August 31, the MFDS recommended that medical institutions should personally check whether patients are eligible for the pilot projects. Most companies have to realistically consider business sustainability. Another official said, “It is an inevitable ordeal. After experiencing a tsunami, there some will discontinue relevant businesses, and the industry will be sorted out naturally. Even larger platform companies have been reducing their workforce.”
