Costly hair-loss drug may get cheaper as Korea expands insurance to alopecia areata
The government is considering expanding insurance to severe alopecia areata cases. gettyimagesbank
The government is moving to apply national health insurance coverage to severe cases of alopecia areata, a condition often misperceived as a cosmetic issue.
Patients with hair loss affecting more than 50 percent of the scalp would be eligible, according to the National Health Insurance Service and medical experts on Thursday.
If approved, the measure would make expensive new treatments for alopecia areata subject to reimbursement, allowing patients to pay only about 10 percent of the current cost.
At present, a daily pill of a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor — considered highly effective against severe forms of the disease — costs 25,000 won ($18), creating a significant financial burden.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks hair follicles. Despite being distinct from cosmetic hair loss, it has often been treated as such, leaving patients without clear medical criteria for severity or insurance coverage.
That began to change in July, when the National Statistical Office revised the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases to categorize alopecia areata by severity — mild, moderate, severe, and unspecified.
Based on guidelines from the Korean Hair Research Society, cases where more than 50 percent of the scalp is affected, or where moderate alopecia (20 to 49 percent) is accompanied by eyebrow or eyelash loss, are classified as severe.
“Severe cases, including total scalp hair loss or complete loss of body hair, make normal schooling and social life difficult,” said Kwon Oh-sang, president of the Korean Hair Research Society and professor of dermatology at Seoul National University Hospital. “Conventional drugs are limited, so insurance coverage for new JAK inhibitors is necessary.”
JAK inhibitors, also used to treat atopic dermatitis, show higher efficacy in alopecia areata, with relatively mild side effects, such as acne or respiratory infections.
Kwon said, “With insurance coverage, patients would pay only a fraction of the cost. Now that severity criteria are established, we hope reimbursement could be approved as early as this year.”
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.