CKD’s G-Tec to be reimbursed from next month

MOHW pre-announces revisions to reimbursement criteria...Changes set to take effect Oct. 1

G-Tec covered for acute and chronic gastritis...Jakavi assessment interval extended to three months

Chong Kun Dang’s gastritis treatment G-Tec Tab. 75 mg (dried cinnamon bark extract) is set to gain national health insurance reimbursement next month.

Reimbursement criteria for Novartis Korea’s Jakavi (ruxolitinib) in chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) will also be eased, potentially improving treatment access for patients requiring long-term therapy.

According to a proposed revision to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s partial amendment to the “Detailed Standards for the Application of Medical Care Benefits” on the 22nd, ew reimbursement criteria will be established for G-Tec, while the criteria for continued treatment and treatment duration for Jakavi will be revised. The changes are scheduled to take effect Oct. 1.

G-Tec Tab. 75 mg is indicated for the improvement of gastric mucosal lesions in acute and chronic gastritis. Under the proposed revision, treatment within its approved indication for gastric mucosal lesions associated with acute or chronic gastritis will be reimbursed.

The ministry established the new reimbursement criteria after reviewing clinical practice guidelines for gastritis, clinical trial reports, opinions from relevant medical societies and experts, and assessments from other countries.

For Jakavi, the assessment interval for continued treatment of chronic GVHD will be extended. Currently, reimbursement is continued for patients who demonstrate a response in assessments conducted monthly after the first 3 months of treatment.

However, patients with chronic GVHD who receive a daily dose of 10 mg or less and achieve at least a partial response may currently be assessed at intervals of up to 3 months as an exeption.

Under the revision, the criterion will be changed to patients who demonstrate a response in assessments conducted every 3 months after treatment initiation. This will allow continued treatment eligibility to be assessed at 3-month intervals without separate conditions based on dose or degree of response.

The criteria for long-term treatment will also be eased. Currently, treatment for chronic GVHD is reimbursed for a maximum of 3 years. Under the revised criteria, reimbursement may continue beyond 3 years when further treatment is considered necessary, based on the treating physician’s medical opinion.

Retreatment will also be covered for patients who discontinued therapy after improvement. Cases in which treatment for acute GVHD transitions to treatment for chronic GVHD, or in which acute and chronic manifestations overlap, will be assessed case by case for reimbursement.

The maximum treatment duration for acute GVHD will remain unchanged at 6 months.