In late November, China’s National Health Care Security Administration added 90 new drugs to the NRDL. At the same time, 44 drugs were deleted. Now the NRDL has over 3,160 drugs, about 1,770 of which are chemical and biological drugs, with the rest being Chinese medicines with patents and traditional Chinese medicines.
Of the 90 new drugs added, about 25% are for cancer, 16% for chronic diseases like diabetes, and 14% for rare diseases. The drugs added to the NRDL are mostly new drugs, and all have been marketed in China over the last five years. They will enter the NRDL on January 1st, 2025. Please remember that being on China’s NRDL has both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is more Chinese patients will be eligible for some reimbursement, so the potential number of buyers will be higher. On the other hand, however, the main disadvantage is that to get on the NRDL list, oftentimes, drug makers need to reduce their drug prices. These price reductions have meant some foreign makers of innovative drugs have chosen not to be listed on China’s NRDL.
Written by: Ames Gross – President and Founder, Pacific Bridge Medical (PBM)
Mr. Gross founded PBM in 1988 and has helped hundreds of medical companies with regulatory and business development issues in Asia. He is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in the Asian medical markets. Mr. Gross has a BA degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Columbia University.