China’s healthcare insurance authority has completed its preliminary formal review for this year’s adjustments to the National Reimbursement Drug List and the Commercial Health Insurance Innovative Drug List. This moves the annual process forward toward final listing decisions later this year.
The review covered 818 drug submissions spanning 674 generic names. The majority of candidates cleared this first screening stage. Among the more closely watched entries, GLP-1 treatments for diabetes and obesity advanced past the initial hurdle, though these products are expected to face pressure to align pricing with existing hospital benchmarks before final approval.
The process now moves into a public comment phase, with feedback on candidate drugs accepted through July 5, alongside a July 3 deadline for companies to submit required documentation to remain eligible. These steps follow the broader rollout of the dual-track reimbursement system introduced with the 2025 cycle, which paired the traditional NRDL with the newly created commercial insurance list for higher-cost innovative therapies.
Final list adjustments are expected to be announced later this year, following negotiation and pricing stages that typically follow the preliminary review.
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.