Boehringer Ingelheim’s SGLT2 inhibitor, Jardiance 10mg (empagliflozin), will be newly reimbursed in Korea for the treatment of non-diabetic chronic kidney disease (CKD) starting August 1. This follows a similar expansion for dapagliflozin-based therapies, which took effect a month earlier.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced a revision to the reimbursement guidelines, stating that Jardiance 10mg will be covered for non-diabetic CKD based on evidence from medical textbooks and clinical guidelines.

Among SGLT2 inhibitors available in Korea, Jardiance and Farxiga (dapagliflozin) are the only originator drugs approved for CKD indications. Meanwhile, Daewoong Pharmaceutical’s Envlo (inavogliflozin) remains indicated only for diabetes. With Farxiga having exited the local market, the dapagliflozin segment is now dominated by generics.

With this update, both Jardiance and Farxiga generics are now eligible for reimbursement in non-diabetic CKD patients. However, Jardiance’s expansion came a month later due to timing overlaps between its post-listing price management and the reimbursement update.

Boehringer Ingelheim was undergoing a price-volume agreement and a related price reduction process for Jardiance 10mg and 25mg when the expanded indication triggered an additional price adjustment. To streamline the process, the Ministry stated, “To prevent confusion and administrative burden from consecutive price changes, the price adjustment for Jardiance 10mg will take effect on August 1.”

As a result, the price of Jardiance 10mg will be reduced from $0.43 to $0.42 upon the reimbursement expansion.