China Medical News

The 12th round of China's centralized drug procurement program has selected 65 types of medicines, with patients expected to gain access to the drugs at more affordable prices by the end of the year. The program results were released by the National Healthcare Security Administration on Friday evening. The selected drugs cover a wide range of therapeutic areas, including anti-infectives, oncology, treatments for blood clots, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, rheumatology and immunology, as well as anti-inflammatory and pain relief therapies.

Under the program, drug manufacturers offer price reductions in exchange for large-volume supply contracts with public hospitals. The bidding for the latest round took place in Shanghai on Friday. According to the preliminary list of bidding results, 45,000 medical institutions submitted procurement demands, and a total of 521 products from 327 drugmakers secured winning bids. The administration said that the procurement process prioritized products from drugmakers with strong clinical recognition, reliable quality, and assured supply capabilities, encompassing both domestic and international companies.

The program also emphasized rational industry competition. On average, each drug type drew 15 bidders, while the most competitive variety attracted as many as 49 companies. The administration said selected drugs are prohibited from being downgraded or having their packaging altered during the required procurement period. In addition, overseas generic drug manufacturers are now required to submit proof of compliance with Chinese drug regulatory standards.

To improve access to lower-cost medicines at the grassroots level, the administration has also encouraged small primary care institutions to form consortia for joint procurement volume submissions. Since the centralized procurement program was launched in 2018, China has organized 12 rounds of procurement, covering a total of 555 types of medicines. (Source: China Daily)

China on Thursday unveiled its new national essential drug list comprising 794 medications, which serves as a guide for medical institutions' procurement and prescribing, an update eight years after the release of the current version. According to China's National Health Commission, essential medicines are those that meet the country's basic health care needs, with reliable supplies, equitable access, and comparatively high cost-effectiveness. Medicines on the updated list are preliminarily estimated to account for 71% of the total volume of drugs used by the country's public medical institutions, said Gong Xiangguang, a senior official of the commission.

The new list will take effect from September this year. According to the National Healthcare Security Administration, all newly added drugs on the list have been included in the national reimbursement drug list. The update adds 68 pharmaceuticals and biological products to the previous version released in 2018, in line with growing demands for common illnesses at community and rural health care institutions and other highly prevalent diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, according to Hu Xin, a chief pharmacist at the Beijing Hospital. "The addition of these medicines will provide doctors with more treatment options and better satisfy patients' demands for medicines under different circumstances," Hu said.  The updated list also adds 31 medicines indicated for use in children, including five drugs developed specifically for pediatric use. It now contains 317 drugs with instructions on the usage for children, including 22 pediatric-specific medicines.

China released its first national essential drug list in 1982, and had updated the list three times before the latest version since the country launched a new round of national medical reform in 2009. (Source: Xinhua)

The National Healthcare Security Administration said on Monday that 557 drugs have passed the preliminary review for inclusion in the national basic medical insurance drug list, while another 54 have been provisionally approved for the commercial health insurance drug catalog.

The administration received 818 applications this year covering 674 generic drug names, an increase of 100 applications and 41 generic drug names from the previous year. The overall pass rate for the preliminary review reached 92% this year, up 8 percentage points year-on-year, according to the administration. "The majority of the declared varieties are newly developed drugs. A total of 343 drugs approved within the past five years are new medications," it said. "This reflects the robust development of China's pharmaceutical industry, with the number of new drug approvals continuing to rise and pharmaceutical enterprises actively engaging in the catalog adjustment process," it added. The administration said the higher pass rate indicates that drugmakers have gained a better understanding of the catalog adjustment rules and are submitting applications in a more rational manner.

China updates its basic medical insurance drug list annually to expand coverage of essential medicines, including treatments for cancer, chronic diseases, rare diseases and pediatric conditions. In 2025, the country introduced the inaugural commercial health insurance drug catalog, aimed at covering innovative, high-cost therapies. Passing the preliminary review is only one of the initial steps toward inclusion in the insurance list. The process is followed by expert evaluations and drug price negotiations, with the final list of newly added drugs typically released toward the end of the year.

Huang Xinyu, head of the administration's department of medical services management, had said in a previous interview that one change to this year's adjustment rules allowed drugs included in last year's commercial health insurance catalog to apply for inclusion in the basic medical insurance drug list. He said innovative drugs with significant clinical value are encouraged to apply for inclusion in the commercial catalog during the early stage of their market launch. Wider clinical use will facilitate the accumulation of real-world clinical outcome data, while scaled-up production is likely to reduce manufacturing costs, paving the way for their eventual inclusion in the basic medical insurance drug list. (Source: China Daily)

The number of assisted reproductive institutions across China has reached 645, with clinical success rates now on par with advanced international levels, an official from the National Health Commission said on Friday.

Fu Wei, director of the commission's department of maternal and child health, said that as part of efforts to ensure safe, convenient, and pleasant fertility services, the country has guided medical institutions to establish specialized clinics for women in early pregnancy — defined as within 14 weeks of gestation. To date, 12,226 such clinics have been set up nationwide, covering all county-level and district-level regions essentially, she said during a news conference.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–25), China's prenatal screening rate and pre-pregnancy health examination rate remained over 90%, while the neonatal disease screening rate exceeded 99%. Moreover, the country has established 3,571 critical maternity care centers and 3,221 critical neonatal care centers, Fu added.

Efforts are also underway to promote the development of childbirth-friendly hospitals, with a focus on increasing the number of single and double rooms in maternity wards, scaling up the use of medication-assisted pain relief during labor, and delivering personalized, patient-centered care services, Fu said. (Source: China Daily)

China has targeted illegal practices in cosmetic surgery, pregnancy and childbirth services, online health education and pharmaceutical procurement in this year's annual campaign to improve governance in the healthcare sector, authorities said recently.　The tasks were outlined in a circular issued by the National Health Commission and 13 other government departments on Monday, marking the launch of a yearly campaign to crack down on irregularities in the medical sector.

The document said enforcement efforts will target unqualified cosmetic service providers, crash courses that train participants to perform aesthetic procedures after only brief instruction, and false advertising in the medical aesthetics sector.　It also aims to crack down on illegal surrogacy, fetal sex identification and the issuance of fraudulent birth certificates, as well as malpractice in online health education, including illegal advertising and improper patient referrals.

In the pharmaceutical sector, regulators pledged to investigate violations including failure to clearly mark prices, price fraud and collusion to manipulate drug prices.　Supervision of the procurement of high-value medical consumables and equipment will also be strengthened. Key areas of focus include illegal interference by decision-makers in procurement processes, contract splitting to circumvent open bidding requirements, and tailoring tender specifications to favor specific bidders.

The circular also stressed the need to strengthen end-to-end oversight of medical data, improve data review and traceability mechanisms, and standardize data security management.　"The disclosure, resale and unauthorized use of medical data is strictly prohibited, and profiteering from data will be resolutely curbed to ensure patient privacy and the security of personal information," it said.

The circular also called for stricter enforcement of professional ethics and anti-corruption rules for medical workers, as well as a tougher crackdown on illegal marketing practices disguised as academic or research activities.　Meanwhile, authorities pledged to crack down on violent attacks against medical workers and online harassment targeting healthcare institutions.

This year's campaign directly responds to several media reports over the past year that exposed misconduct in the healthcare industry and prompted regulatory action.　In July last year, media reports exposed crash courses that enrolled students with no medical background and provided only a few days of training in injectable treatments and other medical procedures. The reports prompted the commission to strengthen oversight and enhance cross-departmental coordination in handling violations.　In late May, local authorities in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, said they discovered drugs and medical equipment used for fertility treatment at a residential complex. Health and public security authorities have since launched an investigation into the case. (Source: China Daily)

China has made substantial progress in improving child health during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), with key mortality indicators now among the best in upper-middle-income countries, the National Health Commission said on Monday.

In 2025, the country's infant mortality rate dropped to 3.8 per 1,000 live births, and the under-5 mortality rate fell to 5.4 per 1,000 live births, according to Fu Wei, director of the commission's Department of Maternal and Child Health. By the end of 2025, a total of 4,848 secondary and tertiary public general hospitals and 40,000 primary-level medical institutions were able to provide pediatric services, significantly improving access to care for children, she said. Severe birth defects such as neural tube defects and Down syndrome have been effectively controlled, while mother-to-child transmission of diseases has dropped markedly. Vaccination rates for routine immunizations among eligible children have remained above 90%, Fu said.

Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), Fu said authorities will implement a comprehensive strategy focusing on three key areas: ensuring safe birth, strengthening early childhood development and promoting physical and mental health among children and adolescents. "We will continue to strengthen the emergency rescue network for pregnant women with severe conditions and for newborns, improve the efficiency of referral and treatment, and make every effort to ensure that every child comes into this world healthy and safe."

Meanwhile, primary health institutions will provide free regular physical checkups, developmental assessments, vaccinations and health guidance for every child aged 0 to 6, laying a solid foundation for their healthy growth, she said. A new action plan involving 12 government departments will target five major health issues — obesity, myopia, mental health problems, scoliosis and dental caries — through integrated prevention and management, Fu said. Health authorities will work with families, schools and communities to encourage healthy lifestyles, expand screening and follow-up services and integrate health education into students' daily routines, she added. (Source: ChinaDaily)

China has granted a six-year protection period for clinical trial data on innovative drugs, the National Medical Products Administration said on Friday. The six‑year protection applies to innovative drugs and originator drugs, calculated from the date of drug registration. Improved new drugs receive four years of data protection, and first generic drugs receive three years, according to a guideline issued by the administration. Ordinary generic drugs and biosimilars are not granted data protection.

During the protection period, the administration will neither accept nor approve any marketing application filed by other applicants that relies on the protected data without the holder's consent. Clinical trial data – typically requiring huge investment and more than a decade of research – have not been covered under the patent regime. The new rules are designed to prevent "free‑riding" applications and reward genuine innovation.

The administration said the newly implemented trial data protection system, working in tandem with the patent protection system, will provide "dual protection" for new drug research and development in China, enabling enterprises that have invested heavily in original data on safety, efficacy and quality control to receive returns and fostering a virtuous cycle in the country's innovative drug ecosystem.

For innovative drug companies such as Innovent, the most significant benefit of the new policy is that data has become a measurable, priceable and legally protected core strategic asset, the company said. Innovative drug companies now have stronger institutional guarantees for returns on R&D investment, allowing genuine innovation and real research efforts to be tangibly rewarded, the company said.

The company said the data protection measures will encourage greater investment in research and development. “We look forward to seeing China's innovative drugs go further and more steadily under the system, truly enabling the transition from a major pharmaceutical manufacturer to a strong pharmaceutical innovator,” the company added. (Source: China Daily)

The National Health Commission warned on Thursday against livestreams disguised as legitimate health lectures that aim to sell health products to the elderly.

Hu Qiangqiang, spokesman of the commission, said during a news conference that these livestreams often feature actors posing as medical experts, exaggerate or distort the effectiveness of health supplements, and sell them at inflated prices. Some streams use tactics such as offering gifts, free lectures, or attendance rewards to attract older viewers, and then exploit their health anxieties and emotional needs to manipulate them and infringe upon their rights and interests.

He urged the public to remain vigilant against people posing as medical experts, small giveaways, and tactics involving repeated messaging, emotional bonding, or exaggerated health anxieties. "Family members should also pay close attention to whether their elderly relatives have been invited to join private groups, attend online lectures, or make unusual purchases," Hu said. "If anything seems off, they should verify the situation and discourage such behavior in time."

Hu stressed that ordinary food and health supplements cannot replace medication or medical treatment, and that any claim suggesting a product can cure multiple diseases or reverse chronic conditions in place of proper medical care is unreliable. (Source: China Daily)

The world's first prescription for a groundbreaking monoclonal antibody treatment for the hepatitis D virus has been issued recently at a Beijing hospital, marking a milestone in global viral hepatitis care, Science and Technology Daily reported.

Developed by a team from Tsinghua University and the Beijing-based biopharmaceutical company Huahui Health, the drug Libevitug is the first monoclonal antibody ever approved for viral hepatitis worldwide, filling a long-standing treatment gap for one of the most severe forms of the disease. Of the over 254 million chronic hepatitis B carriers worldwide, approximately 5 percent are co-infected with the hepatitis D virus, and patients with co-infection have long lacked effective targeted therapies. China's National Medical Products Administration granted conditional approval in January 2026 following priority review.

Libevitug is a monoclonal antibody that works by blocking hepatitis B and D viruses from entering liver cells. Clinical trials for this drug began in 2018, with an international multi-center study launched in 2023 among patients with chronic co-infection. Clinical results demonstrated significant efficacy in virological response and normalization of liver function, with particularly notable benefits for patients with cirrhosis.　（Source: Xinhua）

Japan's Daiichi Sankyo and the United Kingdom's AstraZeneca announced on Friday that their co-developed innovative medicine, Enhertu, has been approved for use in China as a neoadjuvant treatment for early-stage breast cancer. This marks China as the first country globally to have this indication approved. Such development underscores the multinational pharmaceutical companies' focus on the China market and highlights the acceleration of China's drug approval reforms.

This approval, which signifies the entry of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) into the treatment of early-stage breast cancer, serves as the latest example that China is increasingly becoming a crucial launch market for global pharmaceutical innovations, said industry experts.

Wu Jiong, Party secretary of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center and the lead researcher for relevant clinical studies related to this drug in China, emphasized the importance of effective preoperative neoadjuvant treatment in reducing the risk of disease recurrence, maximizing the chances of cure, and helping to reduce the intensity of surgery. "The approval of this innovative injection offers a new treatment option and hope for clinical cure to more early-stage breast cancer patients in the country," he said. (Source: China Daily)

China rolled out a commercial insurance innovative drug list on Jan 1 that expanded the healthcare coverage policy in the hopes of reducing financial burdens on patients requiring advanced treatments, particularly for cancer and rare diseases. The launch introduced 114 new drugs to the list and singled out 19 high-cost innovative drugs for recommended coverage by commercial insurers.

Huang Xinyu, head of the National Healthcare Security Administration's medical services management department, said that new drugs must meet at least one of the following criteria to be included in the list: "filling an unmet clinical need, being superior to existing options, or offering better cost-effectiveness".

Fa Cuiwen, a medical sociologist at Tsinghua University, said the new list aims to build a stronger, multi-tiered safety net. Basic insurance would handle essential care, while commercial plans would step in where coverage falls short. China's public system, she explained, often cannot pay for expensive new medicines. Commercial health insurance can help close that hole and respond to patients who need a wider range of treatment options.

The commercial insurance directory, a key component of this update, includes advanced drugs such as new Alzheimer's medications and treatments for rare diseases like Gaucher. High-priced modern drugs, like a CAR T-cell therapy for cancer, which previously cost anywhere from $600,000 to over $1 million, will be included in the commercial directory. This means that patients with qualifying commercial insurance could receive substantial compensation. (Source: China Daily)

Chinese health authorities have completed another round of bulk purchases of medical supplies, a move aimed at lowering costs for hospitals and patients across the country. The National Healthcare Security Administration on Wednesday announced the results of its sixth national bulk procurement program for high-value medical consumables. The latest round covered 12 types of devices, including drug-coated balloons and urological intervention products. A total of 440 products from 202 manufacturers were selected for procurement. Health officials said the bulk-buying scheme successfully included major suppliers that hospitals rely on, ensuring a diverse and stable supply of the selected medical devices.

To date, the government's bulk procurement program has expanded to cover 142 types of medical consumables across nine major categories, spanning clinical fields such as cardiology, orthopedics, peripheral vascular surgery, ophthalmology, otolaryngology and urology. Patients are expected to begin accessing the latest batch of lower-priced devices around May 2026, according to the administration. China has regularly used centralized procurement to negotiate lower prices for medical equipment and drugs, part of broader efforts to make healthcare more affordable. (Source: Xinhua)

China will accelerate reforms to allow family members to use funds from the personal accounts of basic employee healthcare insurance across provincial regions, authorities said on Friday. The move, announced by the National Healthcare Security Administration and the Ministry of Finance, aims to further reduce people's medical expenses and improve the efficiency of healthcare fund management.

Under the new policy, holders of employee insurance may use the balance in their personal accounts to pay for medical expenses of their parents, spouses, children, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren, even if they reside in different provinces. These funds can cover costs for treatments at designated medical institutions and purchases at retail pharmacies, as well as personal contributions toward basic medical insurance or long-term care insurance plans.

The administration said that regional authorities have already piloted the fund-sharing mechanism in recent years. Over the past five years, a total of 780 million such transactions involving over 100 billion yuan ($14.3 billion) have been processed, it said. (Source: China Daily)

China's health literacy level climbed to 33.69% in 2025 — an increase of 1.82 percentage points from the previous year — maintaining a steady upward trend in recent years, according to the National Health Commission. The rate stood at 36.68% among urban residents, compared with 30.58% for those in rural areas. Meanwhile, the gap in health literacy between eastern, central, and western regions of the nation has narrowed. The findings are based on survey data collected from about 70,500 questionnaires completed by residents aged 15 to 69 across the country. (Source: China Daily)

China released its fourth catalog of brand-name drugs on Sunday, aiming to foster the development of generic alternatives to address unmet clinical needs, according to the National Health Commission. The list, jointly issued by the commission and three other government bodies, includes 21 branded medicines in fields such as oncology, neurology, assisted reproduction and diagnostic imaging.

The selected drugs prioritize those with novel targets and mechanisms, such as difelikefalin, a medication used to relieve moderate to severe itching in hemodialysis patients with chronic kidney disease, and four radiopharmaceutical therapies that are not yet available domestically. The list also highlights internationally recommended first-line treatments, such as the insomnia medication suvorexant, which aids sleep onset and maintenance while minimizing daytime drowsiness and fatigue.

In support of the national strategy to encourage births, the catalog includes advanced reproductive health products, including gel and suppository formulations designed to reduce redness, swelling, pain and other adverse reactions commonly associated with long-term injectable therapies during in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer cycles.

Furthermore, emphasis is placed on medicines with established clinical use in China. For example, deflazacort, a treatment for the rare genetic disorder Duchenne muscular dystrophy, is included.

Since 2019, China has released four such catalogs, each aimed at accelerating the development of high-quality, affordable generic alternatives to original brand-name drugs. (Source: China Daily)