New drugs Bimzelx and Adempas reimbursed from June

MOHW announces Standards for application of drug reimbursement

UCB Pharma Korea's Bimzelx and Bayer Korea's Adempas will be reimbursed by national health insurance starting on the first of next month.

 

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced an amendment to the Details on the standards for application of drug reimbursement (drugs).

 

Bimzelx is a monoclonal antibody drug that targets both interleukin-17A and 17F and is used to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

 

It can be used for patients who have not responded adequately to existing biological agents or those who have poor tolerability.

 

Specifically, patients with chronic severe plaque psoriasis (adults aged 18 years or older) who have had the condition for six months or longer must meet the following criteria.

 

Patients with plaque psoriasis covering 10% or more of their total body surface area, with a PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) score of 10 or higher, who have been treated with MTX (Methotrexate) or Cyclosporine for 3 months or longer but have not responded or cannot continue treatment due to side effects are eligible for Bimzelx’s use with reimbursement.

 

However, patients who are contraindicated for both photochemotherapy (PUVA) and medium-wave ultraviolet B (UVB) therapy are only eligible if they have received MTX (Methotrexate) or Cyclosporine for at least 3 months with no response, or if treatment cannot be continued due to side effects.

 

In addition, reimbursement is also available for patients with plaque psoriasis covering more than 10% of the total skin surface area who have been treated with photochemotherapy (PUVA) or medium-wave ultraviolet (UVB) therapy for more than 3 months but have not responded or cannot continue treatment due to side effects.

 

Bayer Korea's Adempas Tab (riociguat) will also be newly covered by reimbursement.

 

Adempas is an oral soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator used for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).

 

It reduces pulmonary vascular resistance by dilating blood vessels, improving exercise capacity, and delaying functional decline.

 

It is indicated for patients diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension (WHO Group I) corresponding to WHO functional classification Stages II–III, who have insufficient response to ERA and/or PDE-5 inhibitor pulmonary arterial hypertension medications, or who are contraindicated for both ERA and PDE-5 inhibitor pulmonary arterial hypertension medications.

 

Among the approved indications, reimbursement is recognized in accordance with the general principles for pulmonary arterial hypertension drugs in the “Details” section when administered for pulmonary arterial hypertension.