Korean Insurance Covers Merck's Pergoveris Fertility Pen

Merck Healthcare Korea announced on Tuesday that its Pergoveris prefilled pen has received coverage from Korea's national health insurance. This means patients in Korea can now receive reimbursement for the hormone injection used in assisted reproduction, just like they would with the drug's vial form.

The three pen doses sold in Korea, 300/150 IU, 450/225 IU, and 900/450 IU, will be covered on the same terms as the vial. This is for women with luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) deficiency to stimulate follicular development.

The Pergoveris pen combines recombinant human follitropin alfa (FSH) and recombinant human lutropin alfa (LH). It was first approved by the European Medicines Agency in 2007, followed by approval in Korea as a vial in 2010 and as a pen in 2019.

The company has also relaunched the pen with a shorter, thinner needle. The new 31-gauge, 8-millimeter needle replaces the earlier 29-gauge, 12-millimeter version.