OBJECTIVES : To compare the prices of new anticancer drugs in Korea with those of foreign countries and to explore the feasibility of a proposed ‘pre-listing and post-evaluation’ model that ensures patients have rapid access to new oncology drugs.

METHODS : An international survey was conducted to procure the official list prices per unit at ex-factory price of 18 anticancer drugs among nine countries (US, Japan, UK, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Italy: A7 countries, plus Canada and Australia: A9 countries) and compare them with those in Korea. Three price indices (Laspeyres, Paasche, and Fisher) and unweighted prices were calculated using Korea as the base country. Sales volumes of the study drugs for each country were obtained from the IMS data for 2013-2017. The budget impact of the proposed ‘pre-listing and post-evaluation’ model was estimated based on the difference between the initial listing price in Korea and the average or the lowest price in comparative countries.

RESULTS : The average and the lowest price indexes among A7 or A9 countries at normal exchange rates were 1.45-1.79 and 0.92-1.03 times higher, respectively, than in Korea, depending on the price indices used. The prices of anticancer drugs in Korea were very close to the lowest price index from A7 countries (price index=1.02). The relative prices in Korea increased when purchasing power parity was applied: the average price indexes in foreign countries were 1.12-1.29 times higher than in Korea. The financial burden for one-year early-listing model was estimated at 0.68% of the total anticancer drug sales in 2017.

CONCLUSIONS : Prices of anticancer drugs in Korea were similar to those among A7 countries based on the lowest price of anticancer drugs. It is recommended that a new ‘pre-listing and post-evaluation’ model, which references prices from A7 countries, be implemented to improve patient access to novel anticancer drugs.