MSD Korea’s antibiotic drug Zerbaxa Inj. failed to receive insurance coverage due to lack of evidence for cost-effectiveness, the health insurance agency said.

The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) said it held a meeting of the pharmaceutical reimbursement evaluation committee and made the decision on Thursday.

Zerbaxa Inj., an antibiotic that treats complicated intraperitoneal infection and intractable urinary tract infections, received marketing approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2017. Compared to other alternative drugs, Zerbaxa Inj. had too unclear cost-effectiveness to be reimbursable, HIRA said.

However, the HIRA’s final decision is subject to change if there is any change in the details of the scope of reimbursement, reference items, drug’s approval conditions, or nullification of the license.

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