Chinese Public Payer Data Show More New Drugs Get Faster Coverage

But Pricing Trade-Off

China’s Basic Medical Insurance Fund spent 7.1 times more on novel drugs in 2022 compared to 2019, according to figures disclosed by the National Healthcare Security Administration. Meanwhile, such drugs need to wait less to be eligible for reimbursement in China.

NHSA spending on novel drugs — China's public payer spends more on novel drugs but their share of total health expense rose only slowly • Source: Shutterstock

China’s National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA), a government agency managing the $651.3bn national medical insurance fund, recently touted its support for the research and development of home-grown novel drugs, in a move apparently responding to pharma industry concerns over the agency’s dominant role in the pricing of reimbursable innovative drugs.

The first of the NHSA’s arguments for its self-proclaimed pharma-friendly policies, represented by the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL), was...