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- 2026-07-22 03:12:17
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- Forxiga return policy in question amid AZ-Daewoong dispute
- by Kang, Hye-Kyung Feb 05, 2024 05:54am
- Forxiga Tab. There was initial confusion among front-line pharmacies regarding the return policy for Forxiga, which is set to be withdrawn from the Korean market. However, it appears that the issue is now being resolved. According to the pharmacy industry sources, there has been a disagreement between AstraZeneca Korea and Daewoong Pharmaceutical regarding the return policy of Forxiga tablet following the decision for Forxiga withdrawal from the domestic market. In 2018, AstraZeneca Korea entered into a partnership agreement with Daewoong Pharmaceutical to co-promote Forxiga and Xigduo. After the end of the domestic distribution contract with Daewoong Pharmaceutical, confusion arose in the market. Currently, HK inno.N has taken over the sales of Forxiga. During this period, pharmacists were denied returning the drugs. A pharmacist commented on the experience such as "I have initially requested a return for the drug to the distributor, but the answer was 'We do not accept returns because the marketing and distribution agreement has ended. Instead, contact AstraZeneca.' However, AstraZeneca said, 'We do not take returns because we are no longer involved in the distributing business.' Both parties rejected returns." "When I was making returns due to changes in the prescription, having two parties reject the returns was confusing," said the pharmacist. It was reported that other pharmacies had also experienced confusions when processing returns. Daewoong has officially informed wholesalers, hospital pharmacy departments, and pharmacies that 'Starting from the 19th, distribution of Forxiga will be suspended due to the contract ending. Although the sales and distribution of existing stock will continue, any returns must be made through AstraZeneca Korea once the distribution and sales are suspended.' On the 30th, AstraZeneca clarified its return policy and informed that 'Returns can be processed through HK inno.N’s cooperating wholesalers, and the pharmacies that have direct transactions with Daewoong can continue to make returns through Daewoong.' On the 30th, AstraZeneca Korea and HK inno.N entered into a partnership agreement to distribute Forxiga and co-promote Xigduo Tab and Sidapvia Tab. "We will do our best to stabilize the supply of Forxiga for patients who are using it for the treatment of diabetes, chronic heart failure, and chronic kidney disease. AstraZeneca Korea will be responsible for the marketing and sales of Forxia and HK inno.N will manage the distribution of Forxiga by the end of this year," AstraZeneca Korea and HK inno.N stated.
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- Shortage no more for Saxenda?...'will increase supply'
- by Kang, Hye-Kyung Jan 15, 2024 05:36am
- The supply of Saxenda, which had been showing stock shortages in pharmacies nationwide, is expected to soon increase in Korea. Novo Nordisk announced on the 10th that it has been gradually increasing the supply of Saxenda from this month. The increased supply is expected to reduce the hassle of pharmacies that have been sending patients away due to stock shortages and resolve the inconvenience of patients having to visit many pharmacies looking for any that have Saxenda in stock. In response to Dailpharm’s report on “Saxenda’s shortage prolonged…raises inconveniences,” Novo Nordisk said, "We are aware of the recent stock shortages of Saxedna at pharmacies that resulted from the increased demand for Saxenda due to due to increased interest in weight loss in the end-of-year and the beginning-of-year seasons. However, we have been continuously producing and distributing the drug to Korea. The company added that it has been gradually increasing the supply since January. Novo Nordisk said, "We are currently experiencing high global demand for all of our products, which is causing supply and capacity constraints across our product portfolio. Over the past 6 months, we have invested around KRW 11 trillion in our production facilities alone to ensure a stable supply of our products.” However, the company explained that is not easy to predict the exact timing of when the shortage will end, as it will take time for the increased supply to enter the market to ensure safety and quality. "We deeply understand the importance and need to ensure the continuity of treatment for our patients and are making the most efforts to stabilize the supply of our drugs for patients in Korea.” Meanwhile, there are still posts and inquiries being uploaded to local community cafes and beauty cafes asking for pharmacies or clinics that have Saxenda in stock. There are also posts uploaded to pharmacist communities asking about Saxenda supply plans or requesting exchanges.
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- Saxenda’s shortage prolonged…raises inconveniences
- by Kang, Hye-Kyung Jan 10, 2024 05:42am
- Saxenda's prolonged out-of-stock status is inconveniencing consumers as well as pharmacies. As many patients set New Year’s resolutions of losing weight at the beginning of the year, the lack of Saxenda is causing dissatisfaction among pharmacies and consumers. Even diabetes patients are experiencing the inconvenience of insulin stockouts, including Saxenda. According to a local pharmacy, Saxenda’s stock shortage began to surface around November last year. Since then, supply and demand disruptions spread across the country, and it is now commonplace for patients to leave empty-handed from. pharmacies, even with prescriptions. Pharmacist A said, " Although many people are deciding to lose weight with the start of the new year, they can't fill their prescriptions because the pharmacies do not have the medicine. Many of those who come in with prescriptions complain that they have already visited several pharmacies due to Saxenda’s stock shortage.” While some doctors have reportedly notified the patients of this stock shortage and are not issuing prescriptions, many doctors who prescribe outpatient prescriptions do not give prior notice, leaving patients to do all the legwork. Pharmacist B said, "I've only heard that the manufacturer is experiencing difficulties in meeting the supply and that the supply will resume later this month, but I don’t know if this is accurate information. Most pharmacies will have also run out of stock due to the prolonged shortage.” Due to its rarity, local communities and diabetes communities are filled with posts asking which pharmacies still have remaining stock of Saxenda. This has led to some illegal trading between individuals or marketing by clinics. Because second-hand platforms forbid drug transactions between individuals, this has led to illegal transactions through open chat rooms. Dailypharm also covered the issue of second-hand trading of self-injectable drugs in open chat rooms in October last year. Pharmacist C said, “There are also posts that promote their clinics using the desperate psychology of consumers in finding Saxenda in stock. Although these advertisers use different nicknames for each internal cafe, the content is the same. I suspect these are PR posts uploaded by part-timers. It doesn't seem right that some clinics are using the stock shortage to promote their clinics when pharmacies are out of stock of Saxenda and unable to dispense the drug. Meanwhile, the Korean Pharmacists Association for a Healthy Society urged the government to take a responsible stance and address the out-of-stock drugs. "The severity of the problem is illustrated by dozens of posts on cancer cafes by cancer patients saying that they were unable to receive necessary treatment due to stock shortage, and the piling comments and inquiries on which hospitals have the necessary drugs. The government should take the best measures to ensure that citizens have the belief that the drugs they take today will be available tomorrow. We look forward to the government's efforts in ensuring the public to use essential medicines without worries."
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- 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.”
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- ‘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."
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- 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."
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- 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.
