Prescriptions of anticancer drugs surged in January compared to a year earlier, government data showed Tuesday.

According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA), the claims for prescribed drugs to treat malignant tumors reached 117.1 billion won ($108.9 million) in January, up 89.53 billion won from 27.6 billion won in the same period of last year.

In the same period, prescriptions of arteriosclerosis drugs increased 47.8 billion won to 140.8 billion won, from 93 billion won. Antihypertensive treatments rose 39.3 billion won to 139 billion won from 99.6 billion won.

Other drugs the prescription of which include central nervous system drugs (up 26.85 billion won), immunologicals (up 21.25 billion won), antidiabetic drugs (up 20.76 billion won), other chemotherapies (up 20 billion won), peptic ulcers treatments (up 18.2 billion won), X-ray contrast media (up 16.5 billion won), treatments and diagnosis of other tissue cells (up 14.8 billion won), other bloods and body fluids (up 13.8 billion won), gram positive and gram negative drugs (up 12.8 billion won ), psychiatric medications (up by 12.8 billion won) and blood products (up by 11.9 billion won).

On the other hand, prescriptions of anodynes, antipruritic drugs, astringents and anti-inflammatory agents fell 6.5 billion won in January from a year earlier.

Medicines with a drop of prescriptions include ectoparasitic infection remedies (down 2.7 billion won), skin softeners (down 455 million won), dental and oral agents (down 388 million won), and circulatory drugs (down 270 million won).

The total claims for drug prescriptions climbed to 1.66 trillion won in January, increasing by 530.2 billion won from 1.13 trillion won a year earlier.

Prescriptions of arteriosclerosis drugs amounted to 140.8 billion won, followed by antihypertensive treatment with 139 billion won, antineoplastic agents with 117.17 billion won, and peptic ulcer treatments with 94.6 billion won.

hwz@docdocdoc.co.kr

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