(Yicai) Nov. 28 -- The UK’s AstraZeneca and Switzerland’s Roche Pharmaceuticals are among the drugmakers to have their medicines included in the latest version of China’s National Medical Insurance Drug Catalogue, ensuring distribution throughout the country’s vast medical insurance program.

Roche’s oncology jab Polivy and AstraZeneca's breast cancer drug DS-8201, which failed to make the cut last year, are among the 91 drugs added to the 2024 National Medical Insurance Drug Catalogue, the National Health Security Administration said today. This latest version will be implemented nationwide on Jan. 1 next year.

Eighty-nine of the 91 new drugs gained access through bidding, the regulator said. The negotiated price reductions together with medical insurance reimbursement are expected to save patients more than CNY50 billion (USD6.9 billion) in medical expenses next year.

More than ninety percent of innovative drugs were successful in entering the catalogue this time. These include Akeso's cervical cancer medicine Candonilimab and its oncology drug Ivonescimab, as well as Hengrui Pharmaceuticals' vulvovaginal candidiasis capsules Oteseconazole.

The adjustments to the 2024 catalogue demonstrate strong support for drug innovation and new quality productivity, said Huang Xinyu, director of the department of pharmaceutical service management of the National Health Insurance Administration.

The number of drugs in the catalogue that are produced by Chinese companies has been increasing year by year, reflecting the continuous improvement in innovation levels of the country’s pharmaceutical sector, Huang said. This year, 71 percent of the 91 newly added medicines are from Chinese companies.

The National Health Security Administration has been building the drug catalogue for seven consecutive years. There are now 3,159 medicines in the catalogue, of which 149 are innovative drugs, with an increasing number of treatments for tumors, chronic diseases, rare diseases and children’s diseases.

Editor: Kim Taylor