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- 2026-05-12 03:30:37
- Company
- MSD Korea to replace its leader for the first time in 2 yrs
- by Jan 31, 2023 05:59am
- Kevin Peters, president of MSD KoreaThe head of MSD Korea will be replaced for the first time in about two years. Kevin Peters, the current president, will leave Korea at the end of this month. According to the pharmaceutical industry on the 28th, Kevin Peters, CEO of MSD Korea, will be appointed as the general representative of the German branch from February. It has been two years and three months since he became the representative of MSD Korea. He recently reportedly had a farewell ceremony with Korean MSD employees. Kevin Peters has led MSD Korea since November 2020, succeeding former president Avi BenShoshan. It is evaluated that he actively communicated with employees even in a situation where he was converted to telecommuting due to COVID-19. After Kevin Peters took office as president, MSD Korea signed its first collective agreement since the establishment of the labor union. This is considered to be a result of mutual cooperation between labor and management ahead of the corporate division of Organon Korea. At the time of the replacement of the president, MSD Korea was at odds with the union in the process of spin-on. Immediately after taking office, Kevin Peters traveled around the country to communicate directly with employees and actively accepted employees' opinions to lead labor-management cooperation. He also succeeded in expanding the primary benefit for Keytruda lung cancer, which had not crossed the threshold for four years. Keytruda had a very good effect in terminal non-small cell lung cancer without major mutations, but discussions on salary have not progressed for four years due to a large number of patients and expensive new drugs. President Kevin Peters drew the primary benefit for lung cancer in Kitruda with an unconventional proposal of a 'trade-off'. Instead of expanding Keytruda's benefit, the plan calls for lowering drug prices for 15 items, including the "Januvia," a diabetes treatment with large domestic sales. At the time, Kevin Peters, president of the company, said in an interview with Dailypharm, "We presented an unprecedented level of sharing to the Cancer Disease Deliberation Committee of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service." Since then, the benefit has expanded in March last year as discussions on Keytruda's benefit have accelerated. It also contributed to the rapid approval and supply of Lagevrio, a COVID-19 treatment developed by MSD. Peters also appealed, "Lagevrio can be supplied from the day of approval." Kevin Peters was scheduled to continue his term as president of MSD Korea this year, but the sudden resignation of the German branch representative led to Peters serving as the German general representative. The successor to MSD Korea has not been decided. For the time being, David Peacock, president of MSD Asia-Pacific, is expected to temporarily work on MSD in Korea. Kevin Peters joined MSD in the UK in 1996 and performed various tasks at the relevant national/regional and global levels in the Asia-Pacific, China, and Europe. He served as vice president of MSD in China, chief marketing officer (CMO), and CEO of MSD in Thailand.
- Policy
- The legislation of cold chain improvement plan is announced
- by Lee, Hye-Kyung Jan 30, 2023 05:55am
- Following biological agents such as insulin, the cold chain regulations for refrigerated and frozen medicines such as eye drops will be eased. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced today (26th) a revision to the "Prime Ministerial Decree on Safety of Drugs," which includes reasonable improvement in temperature management methods to be observed when transporting refrigerated and frozen drugs, and will receive opinions by March 27. The revision to the Prime Minister's Decree calls for dividing the refrigerated and frozen storage products into the current refrigerated and frozen storage products and the allowed products to be stored at temperatures other than refrigerated and frozen for a certain period of time. Transportation facilities equipped with automatic temperature recording devices should be used for all refrigerated and frozen medicines, but in the future, transportation facility standards will be rationalized for products that are allowed to be stored at temperatures other than refrigerated and frozen for a certain period. Products that are allowed to be stored at temperatures other than refrigeration and freezing for a certain period of time can be installed in transportation facilities instead of automatic temperature recorders if the temperature meets the permitted storage conditions when entering and leaving. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety strengthened drug distribution safety and management standards in January last year, requiring importers and drug wholesalers to have automatic temperature recorders when transporting drugs (including biological products) that require refrigeration and freezing storage. As complaints have been filed at the site, including biological products such as insulin, non-refrigerated products that can be stored at room temperature are excluded from mandatory applications such as automatic temperature recording devices and automatic calibration records. In order to prevent supply instability due to rising costs for temperature management when transporting refrigerated and frozen medicines, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety discussed with industries such as KDPA, the Korean Pharmaceutical Association, and pharmaceutical companies to improve the cold chain. Earlier in December last year, it was deliberated by the Active Administration Committee to quickly implement drugs for a stable supply of drugs, and measures to improve the transportation management system for refrigerated and frozen medicines will be implemented first from the pre-announcement of the Prime Minister's Decree. Among refrigerated and frozen medicines, a list of products that may not be refrigerated or frozen for a certain period of time when used can be found on the notification board of the representative website of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (www.mfds.go.kr). Opinions on this amendment can be submitted to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety or the Public Participation Legislative Center by March 27.
- Company
- HKinno.N exports new drug K-CAB technology to Brazil
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun Jan 30, 2023 05:54am
- K-CABHKinno.N announced on the 26th that it has signed a technology export contract with Brazilian pharmaceutical company Eurofarma for the new drug K-CAB for gastroesophageal reflux disease. HKinno.N will transfer the manufacturing technology of K-CAB to Eurofarma, and Eurofarma will develop and sell K-CAB in Brazil. Along with the down payment, HKinno.N receives technical fees step by step, such as permission and release, and royalties according to sales. The contract period is 10 years after the launch of the product in Brazil. Eurofarma is the third-largest pharmaceutical company in the region with sales power throughout Latin America, mainly in Brazil. Brazil's digestive ulcer solvent market is the largest market in Latin America with an annual amount of about 800 billion won as of 2020. K-CAB announced its entry into the Americas with this Brazilian technology transfer following the US and Canada technology transfer. K-CAB, a Tegoprazan ingredient released in Korea in March 2019, is an anti-allergic drug based on P-CAB). It shows an action mechanism that inhibits gastric acid secretion by competitively combining a proton pump located in the final stage of acid secretion and potassium ions in gastric wall cells. K-CAB has entered a total of 35 countries and has recently been released in the Philippines following China. Twenty-seven countries, including Mexico, have been approved for permission in Mongolia, Indonesia, and Singapore, and are currently reviewing or preparing for permission. Development is underway in three countries, the United States, Canada, and Brazil. Kwak Dal-won, CEO of HKinno.N, said, "Recently, K-CAB's export contracts, follow-up clinical trials, item permits, and local launches are progressing at a rapid pace in the global market, and we will further accelerate our global business with the goal of entering 100 countries by 2028."
- Company
- SK Bioscience proposes building a vaccine hub in Middle East
- by Jan 30, 2023 05:54am
- Jae-Yong Ahn, CEO of SK Bioscience SK Bioscience announced on the 27th that the company’s CEO, Jae-Yong Ahn, participated in the ‘2023 Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit’ that was held in Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and proposed a partnership for vaccine supply on the 25th (local time). The Riyadh Summit, which celebrated its second event this year, is a national bio event where major bio-industry officials from the US and Europe gather to share future R&D prospects and investment strategies for the bio industry. At the event, CEO Ahn gave a session presentation on the theme, 'Preparing for Next Pandemic through Global Partnership'. During presentations, CEO Ahn shared his company’s experience in successfully developing Korea’s first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine and proposed a partnership that builds on the company’s R&D and manufacturing capabilities. CEO Ahn said, “We can establish a bilateral partnership if the country is willing to provide funds, human resources, and an overall pharmaceutical manufacturing environment based on global initiatives. Then, building on the partnership, the country can stably supply necessary vaccines within the region during Peace Time, which can also switch to a pandemic vaccine production system during Pandemic Time.” He added, “Having already experienced the human casualties, economic loss, and crises in national systems with the COVID-19 pandemic, we all know that this is the time to consider ensuring self-sufficiency of vaccines for national security. The cooperation model we are proposing requires strong will and commitment from each government and can only be achieved when reasonable compensation is provided to participating institutions." SK Bioscience has been pursuing a ‘Glocalization’ business based on its R&D capabilities, global partnerships, and its Ahndong Plant’s manufacturing capacity. The project is expected to contribute to addressing the inequity in access to vaccines in countries that lack technology and infrastructure and further create social and economic values by pioneering new markets for its vaccine. SK Bioscience is currently conducting specific discussions with various countries in the Middle East, and Southeast Asia including Saudi Arabia, and plans to expand the project to other countries and regions in the future.
- Company
- Practice manual issued for COVID-19 treatments in Korea
- by Jan 30, 2023 05:54am
- Doctors have issued a ‘Practice Manual’ to provide an understanding of how to use the COVID-19 treatment in one glance. The manual was prepared to directly address difficulties HCPs experienced prescribing COVID-19 treatments in the field due to a large number of contraindicated drugs. The Korean Society for Antimicrobial Therapy (KSAT) recently distributed a manual for the actual prescription of Paxlovid, Pfizer's oral COVID-19 treatment. The manual was designed to allow easier understanding for HCPs on whether to refrain prescription of Paxlovid or make dosage adjustments according to a patient's medication status. Paxlovid is the first oral COVID-19 treatment that was approved in Korea. The drug was granted Emergency Use Authorization in December 2021 and was indicated for moderate-to-severe COVID-19 patients at high risk of progressing to severe disease. At the time the authorities initiated the supply of Paxlovid, the authorities had also issued treatment prescription guidelines, however, the guidelines issued then were more than 100 pages long and were not easy to use in the field. un-Joo Choo, Professor of Infection, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, The Guidelines on Paxlovid use that was recently announced by KSAT is a practice manual that addresses such difficulties experienced in the field. The KSAT collected the main areas of consideration of up to 100 drugs that require attention so that they could be applied to practice right away. The manual summarized the cautions that do not appear in the Drug Utilization Review (DUR) program. The guidelines also contain, a list of over-the-counter drug products that contain ingredients that require special attention. In an interview with Daily Pharm, Eun-Joo Choo, Director of the Insurance Committee at KSAT and Professor of Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, who contributed to the preparation of the guidelines for Paxlovid, said, “The existing guidelines were too detailed to identify what precautions apply for each patient's medication. We hope that the guideline can contribute to increasing the practical prescription rate of oral COVID-19 treatments that lower disease severity rate,” stressing the importance of prescribing the COVID-19 treatment. The full interview transcript of Daily Pharm’s interview with Professor Choo is as follows. - A Paxlovid prescription guideline that the government issued already exists. Why did KSAT see a need to prepare a separate guideline?? =KSAT’s practice guideline is more of a ‘practical manual' that allows healthcare professionals to understand contraindicated drugs and dose adjustment at a glance in the field during prescriptions. The Paxlovid prescription guidelines issued by the government are over 100 pages long. It contains too much detail for HCPs to immediately absorb and apply in the field. This is why HCPs had difficulty prescribing the drug in the field, being an unfamiliar drug that is difficult to use. Paxlovid KDCA’s guideline categorizes the list of drug-drug interactions as ▲ 7 contraindicated drugs ▲21 drugs that can be temporarily discontinued or substituted to a different drug during Paxlovid use, ▲List of OTC drugs that contain the ‘St. John’s Wort’ substances that are contraindicated, ▲drugs that require use with caution when co-administered, etc. In particular, the drug substances that require caution in the use and key recommendations were summarized in a table format so that they can be applied immediately in practice. -I first thought the contraindicated drugs will be easy to identify as they immediately show up in the DUR database, but it seems that I was wrong. In particular, it seems that it would have been difficult to identify all the products that contain St. John’s Wort, as the substance is commonly used in OTC drugs and health functional foods. =That’s right. Only the 7 contraindicated drugs that must not be prescribed together pop up on the DUR, which includes epilepsy substances such as St. John's Wort. Substances commonly used by patients for hyperlipidemia, heart failure, gout, etc., that can be temporarily discontinued or substituted to administer Paxlovid, but such information is not reflected in the DUR. In addition, there are about 100 drugs that require attention, such as dose reductions, etc. It's not easy for doctors to know all this during prescriptions. In particular, the St. John's Wort substance is contraindicated, regardless of whether it is a prescription drug, general OTC drug, or health functional food. Since doctors need to check directly with the patient on whether or not they use the substance, a list of the OTC drugs was prepared that specifies the product and company names. The self-checklist also asks patients once more to confirm whether they are taking OTCs or health functional foods. Fortunately, St. John's Wort is mainly used in women, but the rate of those taking it at the age of over 60 is not that high. Patient self survey to identify patient -The prescription rate of oral COVID-19 treatments has remained in the 30% range for several weeks. What do you believe is the reason behind this? = During our webinar, one of the most common concerns that the doctors had was ‘Whether they should use COVID-19 treatments in mild COVID-19 patients with few symptoms.’ Being a drug that the doctor hasn’t used before, in addition to the fact that the drug has many drug-drug interactions, and the treatments for COVID-19 are mainly conducted non-face-to-face, it is natural that doctors may be hesitant in using such unfamiliar drugs. The part I want to emphasize is that oral COVID-19 treatments prevent patients with mild symptoms from progressing to severe diseases. Patients may have minor symptoms at first, but if they do not take the right medicine at the right period, their disease can progress to severe disease, in particular in patients that are over the age of 60 or have underlying diseases. In fact, quite a lot of inpatients who had COVID-19 were sent to the intensive care unit when there were no available vaccines or treatments. However, this number decreased significantly after the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines and oral treatments. Real-world data also showed that the rate of progressing to severe disease was reduced by about 50% with the prescription of Paxlovid. I believe prescriptions will naturally increase after such data on Paxlovid’s actual effect and HCP prescriptions increase and accumulate. -The majority of Korean people have been vaccinated several times. Also, with so many having a history of COVID-19 infections, not many are concerned about reinfections. Do you believe these people also should receive vaccinations with booster shots? If they are high-risk groups, would they need to be prescribed oral COVID-19 treatments when reinfected? If you look at the government’s reinfection rate data, the age-standardized risk of death in case of reinfection is 1.58 times higher than that at initial infection. Just as people receive vaccination for the flu every year and then use Tamiflu when infected, COVID-19 also requires regular vaccination and treatment. In fact, COVID-19 requires more caution as it has a higher rate of complications and disease progression than the flu. Patients who have pneumonia due to COVID-19 suffer complications such as difficulty in breathing due to pulmonary fibrosis even after completing treatment. Some people describe COVID-19 as a 'highly contagious cold', but I do not agree, as no one dies of a simple cold. Also, the experience of the patient that receives the treatment is as important as the HCP that prescribes Paxlovid. There is little positive feedback yet because not many patients have experienced the treatment. However, the treatment has been proven to be effective, and in particular, it is more beneficial for patients that opt for at-home treatments. Because of the definite benefits, I hope that patients do not worry too much and take their prescribed oral COVID-19 treatment as indicated.
- Policy
- Price of Dutasteride has fallen to the 200 won range
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Jan 30, 2023 05:54am
- Original AvodartThe upper limit of Dutasteride products used for prostatic hypertrophy and hair loss has fallen to around 200 won. The effect of cascading drug prices is large, and it is expected to affect the hair loss treatment market. According to industries on the 27th, TELCON RF PHARMACEUTICAL's Durid 0.5mg will be listed at the upper limit of 267 won on the 1st of next month. More than 20 of the same system were applied, 85% of the existing lowest price of the same system (315 won). Dutasteride tablets are evaluated as more convenient formulations than conventional capsule formulations. All 37 currently paid drugs are from domestic pharmaceutical companies. Domestic companies have put forward tablets as a differentiation strategy from Avodart, the original drug containing Dutasteride. Analysts say that it is easier to split and swallow than capsule formulation. As more than 20 are listed at once, the upper limit is gradually falling due to the cascaded drug prices implemented by late pharmaceutical companies since July 2020. The lowest price of 267 won is only 38% of the highest price (709 won). The lowest price for a month on the 30th is 8,010 won, while the highest price is 21,270, a difference of more than 10,000 won. The original Avodart is also 709 won per capsule, the highest price. As such, the falling upper limit of Dutasteride is expected to affect the non-reimbursed hair loss treatment market. This is because low prices are advantageous in the non-reimbursed market. If pharmaceutical companies supply products to nursing institutions in line with the upper limit, hospitals and pharmacies will put a margin based on the upper limit. Therefore, the lower the upper limit, the cheaper the non-reimbursed amount when prescribed for hair loss. Hair loss patients also visit hospitals and clinics that prescribe inexpensive products on purpose, so the lowest price is also helpful for market competition. As a result, it is understood that there are pharmaceutical companies that want to register salaries for competitiveness in the hair loss treatment market even if the upper limit is lowered due to cascaded drug prices. Since Dutasteride drugs are covered by benefits for prostate hypertrophy, most pharmaceutical companies have fewer factors to lower the upper limit. Currently, 28 out of 37 Dutasteride tablets are listed at 709 won, the highest price. It is said that a few pharmaceutical companies deliberately lower the upper limit and sell it as a non-payment for hair loss treatment because supplying it cheaper than the upper limit of the actual transaction price could be lowered. Ten of the same products currently licensed remain non-reimbursed.
- Company
- HK inno.N introduces biosimilar for Prolia & Xgeva
- by Lee, Seok-Jun Jan 27, 2023 05:51am
- HK inno.N announced on the 25th that it has signed an exclusive license contract for Denosumab biosimilar, a treatment for preventing osteoporosis and cancer-related skeletal complications in Mabxience, Spain. HK inno.N will receive an exclusive supply of two Denosumab biosimilars from Mabxience to apply for and sell domestic licenses. Denosumab is an antibody treatment that targets the RANKL protein, which is key to the survival and function of osteoblasts and exhibits a strong bone absorption inhibitory effect. The original is Prolia60mg, a cancer osteoporosis treatment, and Xgeva 120mg, which is used to prevent skeletal complications in patients with metastatic cancer and treat osteoporosis. Both products were released in Korea in 2016. Based on IQVIA, it recorded a total of 120 billion won in sales from October 2021 to September 2022 and is about to expire in 2025. HK inno.N aims to obtain a domestic license for Denosumab biosimilar in 2025, the expiration date of the original patent. Mabxience, which signed a contract with HK Innoen, was acquired by Fresenius Kabi in Germany last year as a company specializing in the development, production, and commercialization of biopharmaceuticals based in Spain. Mabxience is currently undergoing an original equivalence confirmation clinical trial with a Denosumab biosimilar.
- Policy
- Negotiating Erleada's price with the NHIS
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Jan 27, 2023 05:51am
- It has been confirmed that Erleada, Janssen Korea's prostate cancer treatment, is negotiating drug prices with the NHIS. This drug was conditionally passed at the deliberation of the HIRA Drug Benefit Evaluation Committee in December last year. According to industries on the 25th, it is negotiating Erleada's price with the NHIS. Erleada was passed at the 12th meeting of the Drug Benefit Evaluation Committee held in December last year on the condition that if the conditions for presenting the drug evaluation committee were accepted, it would be appropriate for benefit. The move to the stage of drug price negotiations is interpreted as meaning that Janssen Korea accepted the amount suggested by the Pharmaceutical Affairs Evaluation Committee. This drug is a hormone-responsive metastatic prostate cancer treatment and was approved in 2020. The efficacy and effect were approved as a combination therapy with androgen-blocking therapy, a treatment for hormonal-responsive metastatic prostate cancer patients. Phase 3 clinical trials (TITAN study) showed that the risk of imaging progression was reduced by 52% compared to the placebo group when frozen in patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer, and the risk of death was reduced by 33% compared to the placebo group. At the time of approval by the U.S. FDA in February 2018, Janssen explained that Erleada would be an alternative option to delay metastasis when treating prostate cancer. Erleada is expected to be the next-generation treatment that connects Zytiga of Janssen and Xtandi of Astellas. If a smooth agreement is reached in the drug price negotiation with the NHIS, it will be applied after reporting to the Health Insurance Policy Review Committee of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. In the case of hormone-responsive metastatic prostate cancer, delaying metastasis is an important treatment goal, so if Erleada succeeds in entering the benefits range, the treatment effect will increase and the cost burden on patients will be greatly reduced.
- Company
- Flu activity rises...revives Tamiflu market
- by Jan 27, 2023 05:51am
- The influenza treatment market, which had virtually disappeared after the spread of COVID-19, has revived for the first time in 3 years. With the number of flu patients surging due to the flu epidemic, the number of quarterly prescriptions soared from less than KRW 100 million to KRW 10 billion. According to the market research institution UBIST on the 26th, outpatient prescriptions of oseltamivir in A4 last year had recorded KRW 10 billion. Oseltamivir is the most commonly used substance to treat influenza, and the original product is Roche's 'Tamiflu'. This is the first time since Q4 2018 that quarterly prescriptions of the substance recorded KRW 10 billion. By product, Roche Korea’s ‘Tamiflu’ occupied over half of the market, recording KRW 6 billion in sales. Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s ‘Hanmiflu’ followed, raising KRW 1.7 billion in sales. The flu treatment market had been dissolved after the spread of COVID-19 in 2020. With the breakout of the pandemic, personal hygiene management such as social distancing, the mandatory wearing of masks, and hand washing have been strengthened, resulting in a significant decrease in the incidence of infectious diseases, including the flu. The market, which raised prescriptions of KRW 7.8 billion in Q4 2019 and KRW 8.7 billion in Q1 2020, plunged 99.7% YoY to KRW 27 million in Q4 of 2020 after Corona 19 became prevalent. Since then, the market recorded less than KRW 100 million won in quarterly prescriptions for 9 consecutive quarters and then showed signs of a rebound in Q3 last year. The first flu epidemic warning in 12 years since 2010 was issued in Q3 last year. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency issued a flu epidemic warning earlier than in previous years with the fraction of flu-like patients (patients with suspected flu symptoms) meeting the epidemic standards of 5.1 per 1,000 people from September 4 to 10 last year. Data: KDCA Weekly Report on Infectious Disease Sample Surveillance The number of flu patients really started to surge rapidly in the winter. The fraction of suspected patients, which was 13.2 in the 46th week of last year (November 6-12), increased by 130% to 30.3 a month later. In the 53rd week, the last week of last year, the fraction peaked to 60.7. This was a higher rate than that in the 2019-2020 season. Due to the surge in the number of patients and the limited quantity of treatments, a treatment shortage issue had also risen last year. In addition to the original oseltamivir, many generic versions have been approved for manufacture, but their manufacture was limited. Even before COVID-19, the majority of drugs other than Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s ‘Hanmiflu’, Yuhan Corp’s ‘Yuhan N Flu’, Kolon Pharmaceutical’s ‘Comyflu,’ and Vivozon Pharm’s ‘Seltaflu Flu,’ etc sold less than KRW 100 million per quarter. Also, many products withdrew their licenses in the aftermath of COVID-19. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, licenses of ▲Dong-A ST’s ‘Newraflu,’ ▲Ahngook New Pharm’s ‘New Flu,’ ▲Dongkoo Bio Pharm’s ‘Dongkoo Oseltamivir,’ ▲Samsung Pharm’s ‘Samsung Oselta,’ ▲Dae Han New Pharm’s ‘Enphiflu Cap,’ ▲Seoul Pharma’s ‘ OD Flu,’ ▲Yuyu Pharm’s ‘Yuyu Tami,’ ▲Inist ST’s ‘Inist ST Oseltamivir,’ ▲CTC Bio’s ‘Easy Flu Cap,’ ▲Genu Pharma’s ‘Genupharma Tamiro,’ ▲Kolon Pharmaceutical’s ‘Comiflu Suspension Powder,’ ▲GC Corp’s ‘Taminewra,’ ▲Hawon Pharm’s ‘Tami-One,’ ▲Roche Korea’s ‘Tamiflu Suspension Powder,’ ▲Aprogen Biologics ‘Tamflu,’ ▲Kwang-dong Pharm’s ‘Phenflu,’ ▲HK Inno,N’s ‘Flucle Cap,’ ▲Han Lim Pharm’s ‘Hanlim Oseltamivir,’ ▲ Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s ‘Hanmi Flu-S’ had automatically expired or voluntarily withdrawn during the COVID-19 pandemic. With many of the approved drugs not in circulation in the market, a shortage of flu treatments had risen last month. To address the shortage, the KDCA supplied 780,000 courses of flu treatments from the government stockpile to the market on the 9th. With the flu epidemic subsiding this year, the number of prescriptions is also expected to decrease slightly. According to KDCA, the fraction of suspected patients in the second week of January (8th to 14th) was 40.2, a 12.3 (23.4%) person decrease from 52.5 in the previous week.
- Policy
- The copyrights of Valcyte, Alvesco, & Bonviva changed
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Jan 27, 2023 05:50am
- As the domestic owners of major drugs such as Valcyte, Alvesco, and Bonviva changed, they were newly reflected in the salary list. All three items were previously copyrighted by the Korean branch of a global pharmaceutical company, but now domestic pharmaceutical companies are the owners. In the case of Valcyte 440mg, pharmaceutical companies will be changed from February 1st from Roche Korea to Chong Kun Dang. The transfer of permission rights has already been completed. The drug is used to treat CMV retinitis in adult AIDS patients. Roche has been copyrighted and sold in Korea in cooperation with Chong Kun Dang, but Chong Kun Dang will sell exclusively in the future. The global copyright of the drug has already been transferred from Roche to Cheplapharm. Chong Kun Dang acquired exclusive sales rights for Valcyte in Korea through a contract with Cheplapharm in March last year. The two asthma treatment Alvesco inhalants will also be changed from AstraZeneca Korea to SK Chemicals in February. As global copyrights moved, domestic copyrights were finally transferred to SK Chemicals. Along with this drug, SK Chemicals also acquired the domestic copyright of AstraZeneca's Omnaris nasal spray. Bonviva is changed from Handok to Jeil. Cheil Pharmaceutical announced last month that it will exclusively supply osteoporosis treatments Bonviva and Bonviva Plus in Korea. Bonviva was originally copyrighted by Roche Korea but later passed to Jeil via Handok. Currently, global copyright is held by the British pharmaceutical company Pharmanovia. Jeil signed an exclusive domestic sales contract for Pharmania and Bonviva, and began sales and marketing activities for hospitals and clinics. Only Bonviva pharmaceutical companies will be replaced in February, but Bonviva is also expected to revise its salary list soon as the license has been transferred to Jeil. Bonviva Plus is licensed by Alvogen Korea, which developed the drug, and Jeil is in charge of selling it. Drugs that are replaced by pharmaceutical companies this time do not change the upper limit.
