Movizolo Tab subject to drug shortage prevention program

Raises drug price

Only 2 items other than YooYoung Pharm’s Rucalo remain as same ingredient reimbursed formulations

Chronic supply and demand shortage arises due to rising costs...Pharmbio’s Movizolo Tab is the only drug that applied for designation as a drug shortage prevention drug

Pharmbio Korea’s Movizolo Tab, a prucalopride succinate-based drug used to treat chronic constipation, will be designated as a drug shortage prevention drug, resulting in an increase in drug price.

 

Until now, prucalopride-based drugs have faced supply challenges due to low drug prices.

 

According to industry sources on January 26, Pharmbio Korea’s Movizolo Tab will be designated as a drug shortage prevention drug as of January next year.

 

The first formulation among the same ingredient drugs to be commercialized was YooYoung Pharm’s Rucalo Tab.

 

The original drug is Korea Janssen's Resolor Tab, however, the drug has been supplied without reimbursement as of now.

 

YooYoung became the first to become reimbursed amount a prucalopride succinate-based drugs in 2020.

 

The problem arose afterward.

 

The price of the drug was directly reduced ex officio by 53.55% of the original price when a generic drug was approved.

 

YooYoung has been challenging the enforcement of the price cut through lawsuits, but the reduction in the reimbursement price was unavoidable.

 

Since then, the company has repeatedly stopped supplying Rucalo Tab due to rising costs.

 

The same goes for generic drugs that are covered under Korea’s reimbursement system.

 

Generic drugs have also struggled to keep up with the rising costs.

 

From 6 reimbursed drugs available for the ingredient, only YooYoung Rucalo Tab and Pharmbio Korea’s Movizolo remain.

 

Most of the licensed drugs are currently distributed without reimbursement.

 

In this situation, Pharmbio has applied for designation as a drug shortage prevention drug for its Movizolo Tab.

 

If accepted, the company will be able to preserve Movizolo Tab’s manufacturing costs.

 

However, it is reported that YooYoung Pharmaceutical, the manufacturer of Rucalo Tab, did not apply separately for its designation as a drug shortage prevention drug.

 

As a result, the price of Pharmbio’s Movizolo Tab 1mg will increase from KRW 70 to KRW 114 and 2 mg will increase from KRW 102 to KRW 202 starting in January.

 

It will be interesting to see if this will address the chronic shortage of reimbursed prucalopride succinate drugs.