China to include more cancer drugs on medical insurance list

BEIJING - China will make more cancer drugs affordable, as a new round of negotiations between the country's state medical insurance administration and pharmaceutical companies to add such drugs to the medical insurance list is scheduled to finish by the end of September.

The administration said it has selected a range of drugs to be added and is confirming the producers' willingness to further negotiate.

All of these drugs are of great clinical value and will bring huge benefits to patients with different blood cancers or solid tumors, including colorectal cancer, renal cell carcinoma, lymphoma, and chronic myelogenous leukemia, said the administration.

China has exempted import tariffs from all common drugs including cancer drugs, cancer alkaloid-based drugs, and imported traditional Chinese medicine since May 1.

Based on the new policy, 12 pharmaceutical companies have recalculated the prices of their products and will submit applications for price adjustments on the requirement of the administration.

A negotiation launched in 2017 has lowered the prices of 15 clinically-effective yet highly-priced cancer drugs such as Heceptin, Rituximab, and Bortezomib, as well as added them to the medical insurance reimbursement list.