'True innovation requires guaranteed access to new drugs'

in addition to efficacy

High economic burden and lack of information are identified as key barriers to new drug access

“Innovation must be usable to be meaningful”… Social value must be included in innovation assessments

A recent survey on perceptions of pharmaceutical innovation showed that the vast majority of Koreans believe innovation should be assessed not only by clinical efficacy but also by whether patients can realistically access and use the treatment.

 

The survey, commissioned by global pharmaceutical company BeOne Medicines and conducted by research firm Embrain from August to October 2025, aimed to objectively understand public perceptions of new drug accessibility and the need for improvement.

 

A total of 1,000 Korean adults aged 20 and older participated, including more than 200 cancer or severe-disease patients and caregivers.

 

Among respondents, 69.5% believed they or a family member could face cancer or a severe disease, and a similar proportion, 69.7%, replied that “accessing new drugs would be difficult.” The biggest barriers were financial burden (54.2%) and lack of information (52.2%).

 

Older respondents perceived the lack of information about new drugs as a greater problem.

 

Among respondents who had personally experienced or had a family member with cancer or a serious illness, 47% considered treatment with new drugs, but 74% of those reported difficulties accessing such treatments.

 

84% of respondents stated that ensuring accessibility after new drug development is essential for innovation, and 82.7% agreed that if a drug is inaccessible due to cost, it cannot be considered innovative.

 

This indicates that the majority of Koreans perceive pharmaceutical innovation not merely as scientific progress but also as encompassing broader social value.

 

The government (89%) was identified as the most important entity for improving new drug accessibility, followed by healthcare professionals (83.5%) and pharmaceutical companies (64.2%).

 

70.8% of respondents felt that the role of certain stakeholders was being over-emphasized in the current system, while 87.2% agreed that collaboration among all stakeholders is necessary.

 

Regarding the roles expected of each entity to improve new drug accessibility, the most common response (receiving positive responses from over 80% of respondents) was that the government should secure flexibility in new drug price evaluations and relax/expand reimbursement criteria to broaden coverage.

 

Healthcare professionals needed to provide patients with information on new drugs and disease education, and to assist in selecting optimal treatments through sufficient communication with patients.

 

Pharmaceutical companies needed to contribute to improved accessibility by expanding clinical trials and engaging in reasonable price negotiations.

 

Patient groups needed to lead efforts to improve awareness through sharing patient experiences and advocating for healthcare policy improvements.

 

In-depth interviews conducted to gain deeper insights from the quantitative survey results and derive practical improvement measures revealed that experts from various sectors, government, pharmaceutical industry, patient groups, and media, unanimously agreed that for the innovation of new drugs to truly reach patients, cooperation across systems, industry, and society as a whole must function together.

 

The most urgent issue identified was structural reform of the pricing and reimbursement system.

 

Experts noted that the system remains largely unchanged from 20 years ago and pointed to shortages of trained reviewers and delayed assessment timelines as major bottlenecks.

 

There was broad consensus on the need for a shift toward a reimbursement structure prioritizing severe diseases, improved predictability in pricing evaluation procedures, and greater flexibility to accommodate patient-specific circumstances.

 

Additionally, establishing a sustainable ecosystem for new drug supply was presented as a key task.

 

Emphasis was placed on transparency of data during drug price negotiations, reasonable price negotiations, and responsible efforts by the pharmaceutical industry to prevent market withdrawal due to pricing issues.

 

Lastly, patient-centered decision-making and strengthened public dialogue were deemed necessary.

 

Experts pointed out that the rigid reimbursement criteria limit treatment choices for individual patients, proposing institutional mechanisms to bridge the gap between medical professionals' judgments and patient expectations.

 

They also emphasized the importance of the media and civil society's role in consistently highlighting treatment access issues and fostering public discourse.

 

Ji-yeon Lee, Team Leader of the Business Division at Embrain Research, who oversaw this survey, stated, “This survey confirmed that the public recognizes the innovation of new drugs not just as technological achievements, but as social value that actual patients can tangibly experience.

 

It is time to ‘redefine innovation’ to include not only efficacy but also accessibility, and this public perception needs to be actively reflected in future policy and system improvement discussions.” Jihye Yang, CEO of BeOne Medicine Korea, remarked, “This survey confirms the public's recognition that innovation must be proven in patients' lives, not just in laboratories.

 

 The background enabling BeOne Medicine Korea to drive the rapid reimbursement introduction of Brukins and Tevimbra was internalizing clinical development and streamlining operational models.

 

Innovation can reach patients when all stakeholders—the government, healthcare professionals, and patient groups—act and cooperate."