[Regulatory Framework for Approval of PET Drug in Korea: A Survey Report]

To identify regulatory framework for approval of PET drugs in Korea.

Interview and literature survey.

In Korea Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulation specific to radiopharmaceuticals, including PET (Positron Emission Tomography) drugs, under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act was issued in August 2014, to be enforced on July 1, 2015, and its guidance was issued in December 2014. The new facilities to be established after July 1 of 2015 have to be compatible with this new regulation and already established facilities have two years grace period until June 30 of 2017. During this period, the regulatory authority will inspect all of the production sites which hold or submit approvals of radiopharmaceuticals. As of September 2015 in Korea, there are 7 commercial companies and 15 hospitals and institutes, which have approvals of PET drugs mainly FDG, and these companies and/or hospitals can supply PET drugs outside institutions. In this article we introduce the Korean regulations of development and approval of radiopharmaceuticals.

The Korean regulatory authorization policy for radiopharmaceuticals are to some extent similar to the policy which the U.S. regulators set as the new regulations of PET drug. It is expected that the situations of production sites in Korea are to be improved through actual discussions among regulators and PET community through the process of actual inspection.