The 37th drug developed in South Korea, "Ja Q Bo" (active ingredient: Zastaprazan), is expected to be listed for insurance coverage as early as next month, having entered the final stages of the approval process.

Industry sources reported on September 18th that Jeil Pharmaceutical has successfully concluded price and claims volume negotiations for Ja Q Bo. However, final approval from the Health Insurance Policy Review Committee is still pending.

Ja Q Bo was submitted to the Drug Reimbursement Evaluation Committee of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on August 29th, where it was deemed suitable for reimbursement, conditional on accepting a lower price than initially evaluated. The company agreed to this condition and swiftly completed negotiations with the National Health Insurance Service.

Should the listing be approved next month, Ja Q Bo’s journey from approval to insurance coverage would take about 160 days—remarkably quick by industry standards.

Previous South Korean-developed drugs such as HK inno.N's "K-CAB," Yuhan Corporation's "Leclaza," Hanmi Pharmaceutical's "Rolontis," and Daewoong's "Fexuclue" also secured insurance coverage approvals within 6 to 7 months. For instance, K-CAB, the 30th drug developed in South Korea, completed the entire process in about seven months, with approval granted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) in July 2018, followed by insurance listing in February 2019.

Similarly, Leclaza, the 31st new drug, leveraged an approval-evaluation linkage system. After applying for insurance coverage in December 2020, the drug was listed for reimbursement by July 2021. Other examples include Rolontis, approved by the MFDS in March 2021 and listed for reimbursement by October the same year, and Fexuclue, which received insurance coverage within six months of MFDS approval in December 2022.

With Ja Q Bo’s expected insurance listing, a competitive three-way battle among P-CAB formulations is anticipated starting in October. Jeil Pharmaceutical is prepared for Ja Q Bo’s market entry, having signed a co-promotion agreement with Dong-A ST to accelerate its launch.

Meanwhile, Onconic Therapeutics, the drug's developer, plans to enhance research and development to broaden Ja Q Bo’s approved uses beyond its current indication for erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease. The company aims to expand into indications such as gastric ulcers and the prevention of NSAID-induced peptic ulcers, further positioning Ja Q Bo to compete with leading P-CAB drugs.