Takeda Pharmaceuticals Korea said Kynteles Prefilled Pen Inj. (Kynteles SC), an inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) treatment, started to be covered by health insurance on Thursday.
Kynteles SC is subcutaneously injectable at home with the same efficacy as Kynteles intravenous injection (IV).
Kynteles SC showed clinical remission tendency equivalent to that of Kyntelex intravenous injection in two trials — VISIBLE 1 and VISIBLE 2. The former was on adults with ulcerative colitis, and the latter was on adults with Crohn’s disease.
Kynteles IV was authorized in August 2020 as the first-line therapy regardless of the use of a TNF-alpha inhibitor.
“Kynteles, with excellent treatment effect and safety profiles, will improve patient convenience by offering IV and SC options,” said Kim Tae-hun, general manager of Takeda Korea’s Gastro-Intestinal Business Unit.
To be eligible for the insurance benefit, patients should record a medication diary within 14 weeks after the first administration, and the hospital should manage the record.
For long-term prescriptions, the prescription period is allowed up to two weeks from discharge and up to four weeks for outpatient care. After 24 weeks from the first administration day, patients without side effects are recognized for reimbursement for up to 8 to 12 weeks.
