Life> Health

Expert urges government to subsidize anti-hepatitis B drugs

By Jin Zhu (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-27 10:29

Adding anti-hepatitis B drugs to the insurance list of the city's medicine would solve severe health concerns, a senior medical expert has said.

"Taking anti-hepatitis B drugs is an effective way to reduce the risk of cirrhosis and cancer of the liver, but less than 20 percent of patients agree to do it," said Jia Jidong, director of the liver research center in the Beijing Friendship Hospital affiliated with the Capital Medical University.

He added that the main reason for most sufferers was the high cost of treatment.

"The average cost for taking anti-hepatitis B drugs is between 400 and 1,100 yuan each month, which is too much for most people," said Jia, who is also a member of the Beijing municipal committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Committee. At present, the most frequently used drugs for the disease in the city's hospitals relate to the protection of the liver. They cure the symptoms but not the disease.

"However, since such drugs are on the medicine insurance list, they are the first choice for most patients due to the lower cost," he said.

The medicine insurance list is a collection of drugs that is partially subsidized by the government.

The most effective anti-hepatitis B drugs are included on the latest edition of the National Insurance Medicine List, published in 2009.

However, Beijing is one of the few cities that does not follow the standard.

"Apparently, the city has remained backward in this respect," Jia said. He suggested relevant government departments handle the matter as soon as possible, and noted that adding the medicine to the capital's list would have a positive long-term financial effect.

Ding Xiangyang, vice-mayor of the city, said in a response to comments from Jia that the government will take a serious look at his suggestion.

According to a 2006 survey from the Ministry of Health last year, 7 percent of Chinese people aged from 1 to 60 are HBsAg positive, an indicator of the virus. The figure was 3 percent in Beijing.

"The government has a responsibility to pay for treatment. If they wait, the financial burden will become much heavier," Jia said.