HK Innoen 'K-Cab Tablet' Covered by Health Insurance for Gastric Ulcer Prescriptions

HK Innoen 'K-Cab Tablet' (Photo by HK Innoen)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The scope of National Health Insurance coverage for HK Innoen's gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) new drug 'K-CAB Tablet' is expected to expand.

HK Innoen announced on the same day that starting from the 1st, National Health Insurance benefits will also apply when prescribing K-CAB Tablets for the treatment of gastric ulcers, following erosive and non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease. With this, K-CAB Tablet will receive insurance coverage for three out of the four indications approved domestically, excluding the Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy.

The expansion of insurance coverage this time is the result of a comprehensive review of clinical literature studying the efficacy and safety of K-CAB Tablet for gastric ulcers, as well as textbooks and opinions from related academic societies.

K-CAB Tablet has advantages such as faster onset of action compared to existing PPI-class drugs, the ability to be taken regardless of meals, and excellent sustained efficacy that suppresses gastric acid secretion at night. Since the beginning of this year until September, it has achieved 78.1 billion KRW in outpatient prescription performance.

An HK Innoen official said, “We expect that the position of K-CAB Tablet, which has become a blockbuster new drug in the shortest time in the overall peptic ulcer drug market worth about 950 billion KRW, will be further elevated with this expansion of insurance coverage. We will continue to conduct research and development so that K-CAB Tablet can be used more widely in the future.”

Meanwhile, gastric ulcer refers to a condition where the gastric mucosa is partially damaged and depressed due to inflammation. Helicobacter infection, use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), smoking, and stress are considered major causes of gastric ulcers.