Pergoveris Prefilled Pen Gets Korean Insurance Coverage with Needle Upgrade
Merck Healthcare Korea announced that its Pergoveris prefilled pen, a hormone injection used in assisted reproduction, will be covered by Korea's national health insurance from Tuesday. The coverage extends to all three pen doses sold in Korea: 300/150 IU, 450/225 IU, and 900/450 IU. These doses will have the same reimbursement terms as the vial form of Pergoveris.
Pergoveris combines recombinant human follitropin alfa (FSH) and recombinant human lutropin alfa (LH). First approved by the European Medicines Agency in 2007, it was approved in Korea as a vial in 2010 and as a pen in 2019. Merck describes Pergoveris as the only recombinant FSH-LH combination approved in the country.
The prefilled pen has also been relaunched with a shorter needle. The new 31-gauge, 8-millimeter needle replaces the earlier 29-gauge, 12-millimeter version. Merck says this change will make the injection process easier and less painful for patients.