NHIS adjusts drug prices for 81 products; cuts prices for hypertension and hyperlipidemia medicines

[Financial News] The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) has completed negotiations with pharmaceutical companies on 81 drug products subject to the 2026 volume-price linkage "Type Da" negotiations. Effective from the first of this month, it cut the prices of 80 products by an average of 4.6%.
The volume-price linkage negotiation system adjusts the prices of reimbursed drugs through negotiations with pharmaceutical companies when their usage increases beyond a certain level from the previous year and places a burden on insurance finances. The types are classified as Ga, Na and Da. Under Article 13, Paragraph 4 of the Rules on the Standards for National Health Insurance Benefits, Type Da negotiations apply to drugs whose claims have increased by at least 60% year on year, or by at least 10% and at least 5 billion won. The NHIS conducts these negotiations every year to reduce insurance spending and ease the public's medication costs.
Following this year's negotiations, the prices of 80 of the 81 products were reduced effective from the first of this month. For the remaining product, the parties signed a contract providing a one-time refund for the additional financial burden without adjusting its drug price. The average price cut was 4.6%, generating approximately 33.9 billion won in savings for insurance finances.
The number of negotiated products fell by 36 from 117 the previous year to 81, but savings for insurance finances remained similar to the previous year's 33.7 billion won. As a result, average savings per product rose 50% to 420 million won, up from 280 million won the previous year.
Among the drugs whose prices were reduced amid population aging and the growing number of people with chronic diseases, treatments for hypertension and hyperlipidemia accounted for a substantial 43.2%. The cuts are expected to ease the medication costs of patients with chronic diseases who need to take drugs for extended periods.
The NHIS plans to hold quarterly meetings with the Korea Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association to exchange views on drug-price negotiations and the post-management system. It will also continue discussing improvements to the system in line with the government's plan to reform the drug-pricing system.
Kim Nam-hoon, standing executive director for benefits, said, "We will continue working to strengthen the management of drugs with a significant impact on insurance finances through volume-price linkage negotiations and to ease the public's medication costs."
Meanwhile, one of the negotiated products was an infertility treatment whose usage increased as the government expanded support policies to address the low birth rate. To ensure a stable supply, the parties signed a one-time refund agreement without adjusting the drug price, following discussions between the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and the Korea Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association and in accordance with guidelines revised in June this year.
  [email protected] Reporter Jung Myung-jin

[email protected] Jung Myung-jin, Medical Specialist Reporter