The National Allied Procurement Office has released a notification initiating the information filing process for drugs selected for the 9th national volume-based procurement (VBP) tender round. A total of 44 chemical drugs across 195 different specifications have been selected, with hospitals required to provide details of volume-usage for the affected molecules.
Focus on Central Nervous System Drugs and Oncology Therapies
The 9th round is notable for its focus on central nervous system (CNS) drugs, which top the rankings with 9 spots, followed by cardiovascular drugs (7), gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases drugs (7), and infectious disease drugs (6). This round also sees a significant presence of Japanese companies with originator products, with 12 included in the tender.
Inclusion of Oncology Drugs in the 9th VBP Round
In contrast to the 8th VBP round held in March this year, which excluded tumor drugs due to the requirement for at least four on-market generics for an originator drug to qualify, the latest round includes two significant oncology drugs: BeiGene/Celgene’s Revlimid (lenalidomide) and AstraZeneca’s Faslodex (fulvestrant). Both have been included on China’s National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) since 2017. Lenalidomide was switched to a standard NRDL listing in 2019, while fulvestrant was removed from the list after the failure of negotiations, before being re-listed in 2020 as a standard NRDL listing with no negotiations required.
Reappearance of Molecules from Previous Rounds
A total of 7 molecules in this round have appeared in different specifications in previous rounds, namely: esomeprazole (4th and 5th rounds), aripiprazole (5th and 7th), lacosamide (7th), paroxetine (1st), sildenafil(3rd), azithromycin (2nd and 5th), and aciclovir (5th). This indicates a continued focus on cost-effective procurement for these drugs.-Fineline Info & Tech
