South Korea designates 8 more national essential drugs, incl. newborn and cancer care
In short
South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said on 20 October that it has newly designated eight items as national essential medicines, including treatments for newborns and cancer patients. Named items are daunorubicin injection, porcine lung extract injection and compound amino acid infusion (6%, 10%). Deputy head Kim Yong-jae said the ministry will actively support their smooth supply.
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The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said on 20 October that it has newly designated eight items (ingredient and dosage form) as national essential medicines. The ministry said the items are used in the treatment of newborns and cancer patients and need support for stable supply. Newsis and Chosun Ilbo said the ministry also published a notice of the designation. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Three of the eight items are named. They are daunorubicin injection, used to treat acute myeloid leukaemia and other conditions; porcine lung extract injection, used for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome; and compound amino acid infusion (6%, 10%), used to supply amino acids to infants and children. Asia Economy said daunorubicin injection is used for acute myeloid and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
The outlets give different dates for the designation. Asia Economy and Newsis said the ministry held the national essential medicines stable supply council from 6 to 8 October and designated the items there. Yonhap said the ministry designated them on 19 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
National essential medicines are drugs that are essential to health care but whose stable supply is difficult through market forces alone. Asia Economy and Chosun Ilbo cited disease control and radiological disaster response as examples of the health-care need. Asia Economy said they are designated after consultation across government ministries under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Asia Economy also reported that seven previously designated items had their designations changed. It said rotavirus, human papillomavirus and pneumococcal vaccines and baclofen injection, which had been split by detailed type, were merged into single designations, and that the scope of amphotericin B injection was widened to include liposomal injection and invasive fungal infection as a use. [ 1 ]
Kim Yong-jae, deputy head of the ministry and chair of the council, said the government would actively support smooth supply of national essential medicines, including the newly designated items. In remarks carried by Asia Economy and Chosun Ilbo, he said stable supply of newborn and cancer treatments to medical sites is essential, so they need to be designated and managed with priority. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
The ministry set up the council in 2016, according to Yonhap, Newsis and Chosun Ilbo. Yonhap and Newsis said that from next month it will be expanded into a joint public-private council with groups from the production, import, distribution, prescribing, dispensing and use stages of medicines. Chosun Ilbo gave the start as November. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
National essential medicines are drugs that are essential to health care but whose stable supply is hard to secure through market forces alone. Kim said the newborn and cancer treatments need focused management because stable supply to medical sites is essential.
Key facts
- The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said on 20 October that it newly designated eight items (ingredient and dosage form) as national essential medicines. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The new items include daunorubicin injection, used for acute myeloid leukaemia and other conditions. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- They also include porcine lung extract injection for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- They also include compound amino acid infusion (6%, 10%), used to supply amino acids to infants and children. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Kim Yong-jae, deputy head of the ministry and chair of the council, said the ministry would actively support smooth supply of national essential medicines. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The council on stable supply of national essential medicines, set up in 2016, is to be expanded from next month into a public-private body with groups from the production, import, distribution, prescribing, dispensing and use stages. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The ministry newly designated eight items as national essential medicines and announced it on 20 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The new items include daunorubicin injection, porcine lung extract injection and compound amino acid infusion (6%, 10%). [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- National essential medicines are defined as drugs that are essential to health care but whose stable supply is difficult through market forces alone. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The council on stable supply, installed in 2016, is to be expanded into a public-private council with groups from the production-to-use stages. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- When the designation was made. Yonhap says the ministry designated the items on 19 October, while Asia Economy and Newsis say the council met from 6 to 8 October and designated them at that meeting.
- The remaining five of the eight new items. The articles name only three items and describe the rest only as part of the eight.
- Changes to seven previously designated items. Only Asia Economy reports that seven existing items had their designations revised, such as merging vaccine entries and widening the scope of amphotericin B injection.