Last January, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) posted a document explaining the delay in listing and related press reports.

The message was that the HIRA strives to implement faster listing, but pharmaceutical companies must cooperate.

“Pharmaceutical companies must submit relevant documents for drugs subjected to the cost-effectiveness evaluation waiver system because cost-effectiveness of the drug may be determined vague,’ the HIRA said. “To shorten the evaluation period, proactive cooperation from pharmaceutical companies by submitting comprehensive data demonstrating the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of drugs is necessary,” the HIRA emphasized.