BEIJING, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- China has introduced an updated version of its national medical insurance drug catalog and the inaugural edition of the commercial insurance innovative drug list. The lists are anticipated to improve access to new and innovative drugs while making commonly used medications more affordable.
According to the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA), the revised national medical insurance drug catalog has incorporated an additional 114 drugs, including 50 innovative pharmaceuticals. Conversely, 29 drugs deemed clinically redundant or having superior alternatives have been eliminated from the catalog.
The catalog has incorporated certain medications that fill the gaps in basic medical insurance coverage, such as life-saving drugs for breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and lymphoma, as well as new drugs for chronic conditions like diabetes.
Zheng Xuanbo, an official with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, said that the total number of drugs in the new version of the national medical insurance catalog has increased to 3,253, including 1,857 Western medicines and 1,396 traditional Chinese patent medicines.
In recent years, the national medical insurance catalog has continued to expand. However, some innovative drugs for emergency and life-saving purposes remain prohibitively expensive upon their initial market release, making it difficult for the basic medical insurance catalog to cover them, Zheng said, noting that the new list may redefine hopes for patients who used to find these drugs unaffordable.
The commercial insurance innovative drug list included 19 drugs, encompassing targeted tumor drugs such as CAR-T therapies, medications for rare diseases like Gaucher disease, and treatments for Alzheimer's.
Axicabtagene ciloleucel, primarily used to treat adult patients with cell lymphoma, is China's first approved CAR-T cell therapy drug for market use. Previously priced at over 1 million yuan (about 141,315 U.S. dollars) per dose on the market, it has been included in the inaugural commercial insurance innovative drug catalog this year.
Huang Xinyu, an official with the NHSA, said that patients will be able to access urgently needed drugs thanks to the policy support, and have their medical bills reimbursed if they have purchased corresponding commercial insurances.
Industry insiders believe that the latest catalogs, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026, are also expected to reshuffle the pharmaceutical market landscape.
Zhang Wenjie, chairman of Fosun Kairos, a high-tech biopharmaceutical enterprise in Shanghai, lauded the adjustment as a "positive development" for the company.
"We will deepen cooperation with insurance companies to promote the inclusion of drugs listed in the commercial insurance innovative drug catalog into more public welfare insurance and commercial insurance products," Zhang added.
Pharmaceutical companies say the catalogs can effectively incentivize them to focus on unmet medical needs and to commit to research and development without the hesitation stemming from uncertain returns.
"Policy support for innovative drugs has successfully materialized in recent years, enabling pharmaceutical companies to focus on developing new and high-quality drugs," said Zhang Yuchong, vice board chairman of Guangdong Zhongsheng Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in south China.
The country's medical insurance authority has adjusted the national medical insurance catalog for eight years in a row, with a total of 949 drugs added.
Official data shows that in 2025, 69 innovative drugs have been approved for marketing in China. In the first 10 months, the country secured over 100 outbound licensing deals for innovative drugs, with the total value exceeding 100 billion U.S. dollars.
"China has become a crucial market for multinational pharmaceutical companies," said Huzur Devletsah, general manager of Lilly China, whose product on diabetes treatment had been included in the 2025 national medical insurance drug list.
Devletsah said the company remains firmly committed to enhancing its presence in China in the future. Enditem
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