Changes to DUR criteria for pack unit drugs

Changes will take effect starting on December 11

Need for improvement has been proposed due to the unclear duration of use for packaged units

39 drug items involving 18 active ingredient codes…HIRA requested a recording of total days of administration

The changes to the drug utilization review (DUR) system criteria for pharmaceuticals sold in packs will be applied to duration of use, starting on December 11. The issue concerning confirmation of the actual duration of use due to the characteristics of pack units is expected to be improved.

New regulatory standards will apply to 39 drug items involving 18 active ingredient codes, including treatments for allergic rhinitis, hormonal preparations, and COVID-19 therapies.

On December 9, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) informed medical institutes of changes to the Drug Utilization Review (DUR) criteria. By incorporating the total duration of use, duplicate checking will become more thorough.

For example, if a prescription for Climen is written for 1 tablet once daily for a 28-day supply, the pharmacy dispensing claim will now record as dose per administration: 0.0356 (1/28), times per day: 1, and total days of Supply: 28.

DUR system checks for duplication only for a single day. However, there have been differences in unit size for cases such as a 21-tablet pack or a 30-tablet pack.

From now on, the actual period of use will be displayed next to the total days of supply. For example, if the unit is a 28-tablet pack, the period of use will be recorded as 28. This change will make duplication checks easier for the actual 28-day duration of the pack-unit drug.

Regarding the rationale behind the improvement, ​HIRA stated, "For pack-unit drugs, improvements to the review criteria were necessary to accurately reflect the actual duration of use, as unclear prescribing or packaging unit descriptions resulted in inaccurate monitoring."

Furthermore, the change is also aimed at preventing drug misuse and abuse through accurate duplication checks of the same active ingredient.

HIRA requested cooperation from healthcare institutions, asking them to "accurately record the total days of supply in accordance with the guidelines to ensure the supply of safe use information for pack-unit drugs."

The total days of administration will also be reflected in claims for both treatments and dispensing. For example, if a prescription for Climen is written for 1 tablet once daily for a 28-day supply, the pharmacy dispensing claim will now record as dose per administration: 0.0356 (1/28), times per day: 1, and total days of Supply: 28.