[Reporter’s View] 1 yr after Zerbaxa's release

Reimbursement of antibiotics remain an issue in Korea

One year has passed since the new antibiotic ‘Zerbaxa’ has been listed for reimbursement in Korea.

 

At the time, the drug was applied the special exemption of the pharmacoeconomic evaluation system as a National Essential Medicine.

 

The government’s flexible response amid the rise of the global issue of antimicrobial resistance shone through.

 

The drug’s need, although it is not for a ‘life-threatening disease,’ has been recognized.

 

However, a more serious issue lies ahead.

 

No other new antibiotic has been reimbursed since then.

 

Even when taking into account how Zerbaxa was listed 5 years after its approval, this 1-year gap is a significant time when determining whether the government had continued to show resolve to address the antimicrobial resistance issue.

 

At the time, when designating antibiotics as subject to the PE exemption system, the government limited the scope of beneficiaries to antibacterial drugs like Zerbaxa.

 

This is why Cresemba, another antibiotic, remains non-reimbursed, due to difficulties in passing pharmacoeconomic evaluations.

 

Medically, antibiotics refer to 'antimicrobial medicines' that include antibacterial drugs (for the treatment of bacterial infections), antifungal drugs (for the treatment of fungal infections), and antiviral drugs (for the treatment of viral infections).

 

The increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is being regarded as one of the most serious public health issues worldwide.

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined AMR as a global health and development threat as it threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi.

 

Also, finding a new therapeutic alternative to carbapenem is another public health issue that has been announced by the WHO.

 

The rise in the incidence of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria has also been causing serious issues in terms of healthcare-related infections.

 

In particular, the WHO has designated carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection as one of the highest-priority pathogens in need of research and development for new antibiotics.

 

In this context, ‘Zavicefta,’ which can benefit from the PE exemption waiver system and receive reimbursement, has passed the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service’s Drug Reimbursement Evaluation Committee in September and is undergoing drug pricing negotiations with the National Health Insurance Service.

 

The drug has been gaining attention as a new antibiotic option for severe infections in which drug resistance poses a serious problem, such as multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections, carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens, extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) producing Enterobacteriaceae, etc.

 

In With its reimbursement listing nearing thanks to the efforts of the pharmaceutical company and government, this is now the time to look back on the antibiotics issue that lingers as a threat to public health.