MSD Korea expands insurance coverage for ‘Keytruda’ to high-unmet-need 메이저 바카라사이트 indications

[by Kang, In Hyo] MSD Korea announced on December 24 that its anti-PD-1 immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) will be reimbursed under Korea’s national health insurance system starting January 1 of next year for 11 additional indications. These newly covered indications include metastatic human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive and -negative gastric cancer, recurrent or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and endometrial cancer, expanding coverage beyond the drug’s existing seven reimbursed indications.

On December 23, the Health Insurance Policy Review Committee approved a plan to expand reimbursement coverage for Keytruda for these 11 additional indications. The decision is particularly meaningful as it encompasses several underserved 메이저 바카라사이트s with historically limited treatment options, thereby enabling a broader population of Korean patients to access standard-of-care treatments aligned with global clinical guidelines.

It is also noteworthy that precision medicine approaches based on biomarkers, such as PD-L1 expression, HER2 status, and microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H)/mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR), have been broadly incorporated into the national insurance coverage system. This expanded coverage is expected to facilitate the practical application of personalized, biomarker-driven therapies across a wide range of 메이저 바카라사이트s, significantly improving patient prognosis.

In June 2023, MSD Korea filed a request to expand reimbursement coverage for Keytruda for several 메이저 바카라사이트 indications characterized by high mortality risk and a lack of effective or reimbursed modern treatment options, underscoring the urgent clinical need for immunotherapy. Just over three years later, the reimbursement scope has now been expanded. It is rare for a therapy to receive reimbursement expansion for multiple 메이저 바카라사이트 types simultaneously. This development further reinforces Keytruda's position as a comprehensive immunotherapy that spans diverse disease stages, tumor types, and biomarker-driven treatment options.

Since the initial approval of Keytruda, MSD has accumulated more than a decade of robust research and clinical evidence demonstrating the drug’s ability to prolong survival and improve quality of life in a broad range of cancers. Building on the latest international treatment guidelines and real-world clinical data, the company continues to pursue efforts to ensure wider patient access to evidence-based, innovative treatments.

"Over the 10 years since its approval in Korea, Keytruda has broadened treatment options across multiple cancer types and led a paradigm shift in oncology care. Most importantly, this expansion of reimbursement is meaningful in that it offers a brighter future to patients with cancers that have previously been underserved," expressed Lee Min-hee, Executive Director of MSD Korea's Oncology Business Unit.

"The expansion of reimbursement coverage for Keytruda represents a significant milestone in improving both survival and quality of life for cancer patients in Korea. I extend my sincere appreciation to the health authorities and healthcare professionals who have worked together toward our shared objective of saving lives and enhancing patients' quality of life by improving access to Keytruda. MSD Korea remains firmly committed to putting patients first and will continue its efforts to foster a better treatment environment," said Albert Kim, Managing Director of MSD Korea.

Keytruda currently holds approvals for 35 indications across 18 메이저 바카라사이트 types in Korea. With the latest reimbursement expansion, national health insurance coverage will extend to 13 메이저 바카라사이트 types and 18 indications.