• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.107-112
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• 2006

This study was aimed to investigate the current status and expectations of orphan drugs in Korea. The Korea Orphan Drug Center was established to supply many medicines for the patients with rare diseases. Among the medicines supplied by the Center, the number designated as the orphan drugs by the KFDA is quite few. However, a few of medicines are not under circulation even if the items are designated as the orphan drugs. Neoplasm-related medicines, infectious and parasitic disease-related medicines, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disease-related medicines are the ones circulated most. There are several unapproved drugs among the medicines supplied by the Center. It's because the director of the Center can import the goods without a process to getting an approval from the KFDA. The Korea Orphan Drug Center has contributed to the selection of the medicines for treating the rare disease. On the contrary, some problems remain in the supply process. The safety and effectiveness of the medicines supplied by the Center are not guaranteed. So far, rare diseases have no specific legal definition, and therefore are only referred to in terms of the population of patients, which prevent from establishing the range of medicines. The introduction of Special Access Program or Access to Unapproved Therapeutic Goods will be the solution of these problems. In addition, it is another solution to keep intimate relations with the Rare and Intractable Disease Center and the Medicine Safety Information Center which will be open soon.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.121-127
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• 2016

Objective: Until now, there is minimal number of research for overall domestic status of orphan drug use in Korea. The purpose of this study is to identify the list of orphan drugs available in Korea and to understand the status of orphan drug usage in tertiary Hospitals and rare incurable disease Hospital. Methods: We made domestic orphan drug lists based on available orphan drugs in Korea. Based on this lists, we conducted e-mail survey from August, 2014 to September, 2014 to identify domestic status of orphan drug usage including the availability and management of orphan drugs. Results: There are three hundred and eighteen orphan drugs (184 ingredients) registered in Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Among the three hundred and eighteen orphan drugs, Two hundred and twenty-eight drugs (102 ingredients) were selected. Information on each item was collected and documented with generic and brand names, manufacturers, wholesalers, indications, FDA approval status and insurance coverage. Forty-three tertiary hospitals and thirty-two rare incurable hospitals responded to the survey questionnaire (57.3%). According to the survey result, the antineoplastics and immunomodulating agents group has the highest percentage (40%) usage in the hospital. Of fortythree tertiary hospitals, thirteen hospitals manage orphan drugs separately (30.2%). Based on the reply, most of the healthcare professionals commented the drug information related to efficacy and safety including medication counseling of orphan drugs is insufficient. Conclusion: Through this study we anticipate providing an understanding of orphan drug usage status in Korea. We found the limited resources to the information on orphan drugs and this information requires updating on a regular basis. This can be the basis for further studies about preparing drug information, educational resources for rare disease patients.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.11
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• pp.547-552
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• 2022

Sorafenib, originally identified as an inhibitor of multiple oncogenic kinases, induces ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Several pathways that mitigate sorafenib-induced ferroptosis confer drug resistance; thus strategies that enhance ferroptosis increase sorafenib efficacy. Orphan nuclear receptor estrogen-related receptor γ (ERRγ) is upregulated in human HCC tissues and plays a role in cancer cell proliferation. The aim of this study was to determine whether inhibition of ERRγ with DN200434, an orally available inverse agonist, can overcome resistance to sorafenib through induction of ferroptosis. Sorafenib-resistant HCC cells were less sensitive to sorafenibinduced ferroptosis and showed significantly higher ERRγ levels than sorafenib-sensitive HCC cells. DN200434 induced lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis in sorafenib-resistant HCC cells. Mechanistically, DN200434 increased mitochondrial ROS generation by reducing glutathione/glutathione disulfide levels, which subsequently reduced mTOR activity and GPX4 levels. DN200434 induced amplification of the antitumor effects of sorafenib was confirmed in a tumor xenograft model. The present results indicate that DN200434 may be a novel therapeutic strategy to re-sensitize HCC cells to sorafenib.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.102-110
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• 2015

Objective: This study was to investigate the perception gap between preceptors and pharmacy students on community pharmacy experiential education. Methods: The online survey was performed for 55 preceptors and 215 pharmacy students separately from April 1 to April 30, 2014. The preceptors were who completed community pharmacy practice experience at least a session and the students were who involved in community pharmacy practice for more than 21 days. The questionnaires were prepared based on the lesson contents guideline of Introductory Pharmacy Practice Education of Community Pharmacy by Korea Association of Pharmacy Education. The survey questions were consisted with demographic characteristics, evaluation of student and preceptors, benefits and disadvantages of pharmacy practice for both groups. Results: A total of 27 (49.1%) preceptors and 103 (47.9%) pharmacy students responded to the survey questionnaires. Preceptors indicated that students lacked face-to-face communication ability with patients, caregivers, and physicians. One of the Benefits of participating in pharmacy practice education as a preceptor included the improvement of self-esteem (70.37%). Disadvantages were identified as workload burden due to teaching and preceptor responsibilities at the same time. All students responded that benefits of experiencing pharmacy practice education were helping them determine their career, and they would consider working in community pharmacies (68.93%). However, handling over-the-counter drugs and communicating with doctors or nurses were identified as barriers. In addition, preceptors and pharmacy students expressed necessity of the standard text books and curriculums. Conclusion: This study identified the perception gap on community pharmacy experiential education between preceptors and pharmacy students. For the successful implementation of pharmacy practice experience, the effective and appropriate methods should be developed.