Lee pledges ‘generic prescribing for essential medicines'

Promises to institutionalize telemedicine and public e-prescriptions

Establish a public consignment manufacturing and distribution system to address instability in the supply of nationally essential medicines

Expand RSA and establish a drug price compensation system linked to new drug R&D

The Democratic Party of Korea’s presidential candidate Jae-Myung Lee (No.

 

1) pledged to introduce a limited implementation of the generic (ingredient-based) prescription system for essential medicines with unstable supply.

 

The pledge also included plans to institutionalize telemedicine (non-face-to-face treatment) and establish a public electronic prescription transmission system to enhance patient safety and convenience.

 

Also, plans to establish a neighborhood-based primary healthcare system centered on the patients’ regular clinics and pharmacies, and strengthen interprofessional collaboration among healthcare professionals, and secure adequate personnel were included.

 

To resolve the instability in the supply of essential medicines, the candidate promised to establish a public consignment manufacturing and distribution system.

 

To lay the groundwork for this, the candidate plans to expand support for the production and stockpiling of essential and shortage prevention medicines, actively support the development of technologies for the localization and self-sufficiency of essential raw materials and vaccines, and expand incentives for finished drugs using domestically produced raw materials.

 

Lee also revealed his intention to establish a system linking new drug R&D investment ratios with drug price compensation systems and to strengthen the social responsibility of pharmaceutical companies by improving the Korea Innovative Pharmaceutical Company certification system.

 

Lee issued the Democratic Party of Korea’s Central Policy Pledge Book on the 28th and announced that he would “strengthen national investment and responsibility in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry and establish a stable supply system for essential medicines.” Will address drug shortages through ingredient name-based prescriptions...

 

establish a public electronic prescription system The most notable part was the pledge to introduce ingredient name-based generic prescriptions for essential medicines to address the problem of unstable supply.

 

In addition, Lee announced plans to promote substitute prescriptions to resolve drug shortages and establish a public manufacturing and distribution system to stabilize the supply of essential drugs.

 

At the same time, the candidate promised expanded support and stockpiling for manufacturing facilities of essential and drug shortage prevention medications, and active support for the development of domestic manufacturing and self-sufficiency technologies for essential raw materials and vaccines.

 

Incentives for finished drugs using domestically produced raw materials will also be expanded.

 

Telemedicine will also be institutionalized with consideration for medical quality and safety.

 

The plan aims to establish a legal basis for telemedicine as a complementary means to face-to-face medical care and halt indiscriminate pilot projects.

 

Lee will ensure medical quality and safety by setting reasonable scope and standards for telemedicine, while announcing plans to prohibit dedicated medical institutions and strengthen the management system for platform operators.

 

The construction and utilization of a public electronic prescription transmission system are also included in the policy pledge.

 

The plan is to establish a public electronic prescription system to ensure patient safety and prevent prescription forgery and misuse.

 

Patient safety will be strengthened by preventing prescription information input errors in advance.

 

Introduction of a drug price linkage system for new drug R&D…Improvement of the Korea Innovative Pharmaceutical Company certification system For the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, Lee included the establishment of a support system for innovative pharmaceutical companies and the strengthening of social responsibility for pharmaceutical companies.

 

Lee also pledged to establish a drug price compensation system linked to R&D investment ratios, whereby pharmaceutical companies that invest more in new drug R&D will be rewarded with higher drug prices.

 

Also, the pledge included a proposal to improve the certification system for Korea Innovative Pharmaceutical Companies, taking into account continuous investment and innovation, and encouraging pharmaceutical companies to expand their social contributions and diversify their contribution methods.

 

Notable proposals for expanding national investment and reforming the compensation system to foster a pharmaceutical and biotechnology powerhouse included strengthening the strategic R&D investment system and the performance-based public return support system, establishing an investment ecosystem such as a bio-specialized fund, and concentrating efforts to cultivate specialized human resources.

 

To encourage R&D investment, Lee pledged to integrate drug price management reforms to ensure predictability and create an ecosystem that integrates new technologies such as AI and big data for global new drug development.

 

To improve the accessibility and innovation of medicines, Lee will promote the expansion of risk-sharing agreements (RSA) and, as part of its commitment to preparing for the next pandemic, expand support for research and development of next-generation vaccine platforms such as mRNA and synthetic antigen technology.

 

The candidate will establish a governance framework for responding to the next pandemic, advance the infectious disease response system, expand joint research on infectious diseases, and strengthen international cooperation in responding to public health crises.

 

Additionally, he pledged to support sustainable and appropriate ODA cooperation in the health sector commensurate with the nation's standing.