[Reporter’s View] Lung cancer but also a 'rare disease'

What appears to be the same 'cancer' type can be classified based on different numbers.

 

Cutting-edge, targeted anticancer therapies are being developed to target an extremely small number of patients within a specific category of cancer.

 

The cancer types we refer to as liver cancer, gastric cancer, and lung cancer are major categories, and they are classified as different subtypes.

 

Even if a tumor originates from the same organ, treatment difficulty and the number of patients differ among these subtypes.

 

The transition of medicine’s prescription criteria to the focus on 'genetics' is expected as precision medicine is already being developed.

 

It is knocking on our door, yet we still need time to acclimate.

 

These cutting-edge, targeted anticancer therapies can be used once patients’ genetic mutations are confirmed.

 

However, the South Korean system is having difficulty accepting this type of therapy.

 

Let’s examine the cases of lung cancer, which many anticancer therapies currently target.

 

Anticancer therapies, such as RET-targeted medicines 'Gavreto (pralsetinib)' and 'Retevmo (selpercatinib),' MET-targeted medicines 'Tabrecta (capmatinib),' 'Tepmeko (tepotinib),' and 'Rybrevant (amivantamab),' attempted for reimbursement listing in the past years but they all failed.

 

Although these anticancer therapies fall under the top category of 'lung cancer,' their subject category falls under for the number of patients with orphan drugs.

 

Furthermore, previously listed targeted anticancer therapy and immunotherapy for cancer face hurdles in expanding reimbursement coverage.

 

These drugs need value re-evaluation and prediction of the usage volume because the prices and the expanded usage are high.

 

Such strictness is required to maintain the National Health Insurance system of South Korea.

 

We cannot simply blame the government authorities.

 

However, a transition of approach seems necessary considering one of the characteristics of recently developed novel drugs is that the number of patients, in other words, the number of mutations of a certain genetic, is quite few.

 

As mentioned earlier, novel drugs only target a few patients.

 

Out of the total solid cancer population in South Korea, less than 1% of patients have such rare disease, and less than 200 patients are diagnosed.

 

Furthermore, the experts explain that these patients do not respond well to conventional therapies (previously used medicines).

 

Because of these reasons, the industry has lately advocated for re-establishing the definition of a rare disease.

 

The disease should reflect the number of patients per treatment option rather than the number of patients for the entire disease.

 

Of course, such changes may require more detailed discussion.

 

It’s time to put together ideas on how to have targeted anticancer therapies, which have expanded usage but are targeting fewer patients, to be covered by reimbursement.

 

It’s true that there is an increased number of 'medicines available in the market but cannot be used' in South Korea.

 

Now, the pharmaceutical companies need to be resolute, and the government needs to act.