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NHIS under fire for delay of drug negotiations with AstraZeneca
  • By Marian Chu
  • Published 2017.10.27 16:56
  • Updated 2017.10.27 16:56
  • comments 0

The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) has fallen into public scrutiny over the delay of pricing negotiations with AstraZeneca. Some of the agency’s negotiation staff may have a vested interest in doing so, an anonymous source said.

The health agency and AstraZeneca have been locked in pricing negotiations over Tagrisso – a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) therapy – since August, which should have been over two weeks ago. Critics have noted the delay may have given an unfair advantage to the English-Swedish pharma giant, who has reportedly called for more than double the health agency’s suggested price.

Rep. Nam In-soon of the ruling Democratic Party criticized it and called for the agency to explain Thursday. Nam pointed to the “lack of equality” in the pricing negotiation process, citing the two-time pushback of the deadline due to disagreements between NHIS and AstraZeneca. Pricing negotiations are supposed to end within 60 days in Korea.

NHIS cleared the air Friday saying they are “proceeding with negotiations fairly” and will “do their best in the negotiation process” in response to the criticism.

“The delays in Tagrisso pricing negotiations are due to the request of the pharmaceutical company to extend negotiations. We believe we will be able to reach an agreement if both sides take a step back,” an NHIS official said Friday.

Failure to reach a consensus has also set off rumors among cancer patients that AstraZeneca may refuse the reimbursement or even pull the drug off the market – a claim the Korean offshoot of the pharma company dispelled last week.

Related : AstraZeneca Korea denies rumors on stopping price talks

The anonymous source has also accused the health agency of turning a blind-eye to possible nepotism. The source hinted at a potential conflict of interest within the agency’s negotiating staff, considering one of the negotiator’s spouse is employed at the pharmaceutical company.

NHIS officials refuted these allegations, saying they have followed the agency’s internal guidelines which call for disclosing and reporting whether an employee’s spouse or relative is working at a pharmaceutical company and have since taken appropriate measures to remove conflicts of interest.

The health agency also said it would take legal action against the informant, noting that the “allegations are being made anonymously.”

yjc@docdocdoc.co.kr

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