Shanghai’s Sunshine Medical Procurement All-in-One (SMPA) drug procurement platform has released a notice stating that drugs newly added to the 2022 edition of the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) are now available for online procurement by hospitals. The 2022 NRDL update, which was completed in mid-January 2023, includes 111 newly added drugs. Marketing authorization holders for new molecules added to the 2022 NRDL are required to log details of the drug’s information via the SMPA website.
Regional Implementation
Separately, regions such as Sichuan, Guangdong, and Inner Mongolia have also begun implementing online procurement according to the adjusted NRDL edition. This move aims to streamline the procurement process and ensure that new drugs are accessible to patients more quickly.
NRDL Update Details
The 2022 NRDL update included 111 first-time listings, while a total of 147 drugs took part in the negotiation and direct price bidding processes. Out of these, 121 drugs successfully gained listings, achieving an 82.3% success rate. Winning bids were required to accept an average 60.1% price cut in return for access to the market.
Addressing Slow Uptake
The expansion of the NRDL in terms of the volume of drugs has led to a slow uptake in hospitals. To address this issue, the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) put forward a series of measures when publishing the latest NRDL. These measures include direct online procurement, guiding local improvements in the “dual channel” management mechanism, and ramping up monitoring of use and payment statuses for NRDL-listed products, especially those listed via negotiations.
Policy Support and Implementation
The National Health Commission also released policies in tandem, seeking to remove hurdles for national negotiation drugs in terms of hospital assessment indicators. Relevant departments have worked together to promote the smooth implementation of nationally negotiated drugs. This includes guiding local governments to strengthen agreement management, reasonably adjust the annual total medical insurance amounts of medical institutions, implement the main responsibility for rational drug use, and establish a linkage mechanism between hospital drug stocking and the adjustment of the NRDL.-Fineline Info & Tech
