An orphan drug, 'Welireg,' for cancer still faces challenges in entering insurance reimbursement coverage.

Sources said that MSD Korea is preparing to reapply for reimbursement review of its oral hypoxia-inducible factor 2 alpha (HIF-2α) inhibitor, Welireg (belzutifan), after failing to pass the Cancer Disease Review Committee (CDRC) review last month.

MSD Korea filed a reimbursement application in April, and the issue was posted on a national petition platform in May. The petition had received over 50,000 signatures, but the drug did not pass the hurdle of the CDRC review. The analysis suggests that finance will be a determining factor for the outcome.

Welireg received