First Advanced Regenerative Medicine Treatment Applied in South Korea; Minister Jung Eun-kyeong Encourages Patient On-site

South Korea’s first approved advanced regenerative medicine treatment will be administered to an actual patient.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 22nd that Minister Jung Eun-kyeong visited the Catholic University of Korea Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital at 3 p.m. to review the progress of the first approved advanced regenerative medicine treatment and inspect the facility and operational status.

The visit was arranged to assess on-site preparations and encourage patients and medical staff as the first treatment approved since the introduction of the advanced regenerative medicine treatment system is administered to an actual patient.

The treatment is intended for patients with EBV-positive extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma who are in complete remission after anticancer treatment but have a high risk of recurrence. It uses autologous EBV antigen-specific immune cells.

The treatment consists of intravenous administration of autologous EBV-specific T cells once a week for 4 weeks, followed by a 4-week drug-free period and another 4 weeks of once-weekly administration, for a total of 8 treatments over 12 weeks.

The treatment institution is Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital, and Professor Jeon Young-woo of the Department of Hematology is responsible for conducting the treatment. Fifteen patients are eligible, and the treatment cost is 76,207,178 won.

Patients pay 40 million won at the time of treatment and an additional 30 million won if they do not experience recurrence within 5 years. However, if recurrence occurs within 5 years after treatment, the full cost is refunded.

Minister Jung met with the first registered patient that day to hear about the patient’s experience and difficulties with treatment and expressed her appreciation to the researchers and medical staff.

Minister Jung said, "Advanced regenerative medicine treatments will provide new treatment opportunities for patients suffering from serious, rare and intractable diseases," adding, "I find it especially meaningful that this first treatment could serve as a means of preventing recurrence in patients with rare blood cancers."

She added, "We will continue to improve the relevant systems and provide support so that access to treatment can be expanded while ensuring treatment safety."