How to Accelerate Coverage of Chinese Innovative Anti-cancer Medication in Medical Care? Suggests Deputy ZHANG Zhifen

March 11, 2019  859 views

"Patients with cancer can't wait. The coverage of life-saving medication produced in China should be sped up!" Recently, Ms. ZHANG (deputy of the National People's Congress of PRC and President of Hangzhou Women's Hospital, in the room of Zhejiang delegation) called for it..

In the Government Work Report, there are more than 10 million families suffering from cancer in China so that preventative and treatment actions, which also perfectly fits her suggestion— To consolidate support to Chinese innovative anti-cancer medication.

As shown in statistics published by National Cancer Centre last year, more than 3.5 million new medical cases occurred, and death patients reached over 2 million. In the meanwhile, hyper-expensive imported medication and "one patient bankrupts one family" have been the headache of social attention in people's living.

"Strengthen cancer prevention and treatment concerns happiness of more than one billion people." Deputy ZHANG said that China enacted measures beneficial to people including the price reduction and coverage of 17 anti-cancer medicine in medical care to provide practical policy benefits to a batch of patients with cancer.

Deputy ZHANG communicated with several representatives of medicine circle in and after the conference during these days. Currently, the acceleration of research & development, marketing and coverage of medical care of a lot Chinese innovative anti-cancer medicine greatly inspired her. "The significant anti-cancer medicine independently researched and developed by China qualifies us in line with foreign innovative medicine, also satisfies clinic needs of patients with cancer and relieves their medical burden." Ms. ZHANG suggested we should lay focus on strengthening support to Chinese innovative medicine enhancing independent innovation capability of our medicine enterprises from the source so as to facilitate rapid growth and sustainable development of biological medicine industry in China.

How to accelerate the marketing and review of Chinese innovative anti-cancer medicine and their coverage in medical insurance? Ms. ZHANG showed that we should soon solve the "last-mile" problem of Chinese innovative anti-cancer medicine beneficial to patients in widely research & development and suggestions collection.

She suggested that we should firstly accelerate review of new medicine to be available for sales on the market especially for that with great clinic demand, strong innovation and patients' interest to provide patients with new treatment choice for early marketing. Secondly, it is advised that China should take in-depth consideration of having Chinese anti-cancer medicine covered in medical care and establish medical care catalogue dynamic adjustment mechanism during medicine circulation. Once the Chinese innovative medicine with excellent efficacy and national special support to significant science is reviewed, it can be included in the reimbursement of medical case catalogue soon.

"In this way, not only patients can fulfill their need for medication and medicine enterprises can kick off good circulation of independent research & development. At the same time, the level of Chinese biological medicine is expected to get enhanced in good competition against foreign companies. " Ms. ZHANG said these measures could provide fundamental guarantee to solve people's dilemma of "they can't get or afford" good medicine.

Source: Zhejiang News App