The Korea Research-based Pharma Industry Association (KRPIA) released Friday a statement criticizing the government’s move to amend rules to give pricing benefits to “globally innovative new medicines.”

“Despite heated discussions and efforts between the government and the related industry, we are very disappointed that the final draft was announced without any improvement,” the association said. “This association has said that few new drugs will meet all the five requirements in the amendment, which will make the new regulations a mere scrap of paper.”

However, these requests were ignored, and the final plan, in which unrealistic conditions remained unchanged, proved to be a dead letter, it said.

The drugmakers’ group had called for relaxing what it sees as too tricky requirements in the amended rules relating to the pricing benefits given to globally innovative new medicines, to no avail.

KRPIA stressed that the government’s shortsighted attitude not only makes a poor comparison with its plans to foster the pharmaceutical and bio-industry as the national strategic sectors but also ignores to recognize the value of global new drugs.

The association also expressed grave concerns that the new regulation will have a negative impact on the development of innovative new drugs and fostering the pharmaceutical industry in the future.

“The KRPIA once again emphasizes that fair, reasonable institutional improvement is essential to recognizing the value of new drugs and ensuring quick access for patients,” KRPIA said. “To this end, the government along with the pharmaceutical industry, civic organizations, patient groups, and medical experts, have to work for the institutional reform getting back on the right track.”

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