Health Insurance Coverage Expanded to DVd Regimen from Second Line of Therapy
Annual Treatment Cost Reduced from About 83.2 Million Won to 4.16 Million Won
Starting from September 1, the scope of health insurance coverage for a multiple myeloma treatment (ingredient: daratumumab) will be expanded.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on August 28 that it held the '15th Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee of 2025' and approved the revision of the drug reimbursement list and maximum reimbursement amount table reflecting these changes.
Multiple myeloma, one of the three major hematologic cancers along with leukemia and malignant lymphoma, is a rare and intractable disease that is difficult to cure. Treatment options are selected based on previously used therapies and whether the disease has relapsed, with different drugs administered at each treatment stage.
Until now, health insurance coverage for multiple myeloma treatments was limited to the first and fourth or later lines of therapy. However, from now on, coverage will also be available from the second line of therapy and beyond for the combination regimen of daratumumab, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (DVd regimen).
As a result, multiple myeloma patients who previously had to pay approximately 83.2 million won per year per person for treatment at the second line of therapy or later will now see their annual treatment costs reduced to about 4.16 million won (assuming a 5% copayment).
The Ministry of Health and Welfare stated, "We are continuously working to strengthen coverage by including new drugs that are essential for patients-such as treatments for serious or rare diseases and anticancer drugs-under health insurance, and by expanding the indications for existing drugs." The ministry added, "We hope that this expansion of health insurance coverage will help ease the financial burden of treatment for patients and their families."
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