14 May 2021 - “Unlike other cancers, hepatocellular carcinoma is mostly diagnosed non-invasively. But this has not been reflected in the health policy and there is an unmet need in this area. Expansion of reimbursement for hepatocellular carcinoma treatments is also slow. I hope the government could reflect clinical situations to ease reimbursement criteria and allow the use of drugs recommended by international guidelines for patients in urgent need.”

In Korea, only Nexavar (sorafenib tosylate) and Lenvima (lenvatinib mesylate) in the first-line treatment and Stivarga (regorafenib monohydrate) in the second-line treatment is reimbursable. 

Nexavar got the insurance benefits in 2007, but the reimbursement has not been broadened for over a decade.

Read Korea Biomedical Review article