The National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) has revealed the results of the 2022 National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) update. The finalized NRDL now includes a total of 2,967 drug varieties, comprising 1,586 western medicines, 1,381 Chinese patent drugs, and 892 traditional Chinese medicines in ready-to-use forms. Among western drugs, there were 83 new entrants and 80 renewals for existing listings.
Competitive Bidding for Non-Exclusive Products
For the first time, the update adopted competitive bidding for non-exclusive products. A total of 17 non-exclusive drugs entered the list via this method, with the lowest priced bid setting the reimbursement benchmark price. Products may be marketed above this price, but patients are required to pay any excess over the reimbursement benchmark.
Implementation and Pricing
All provincial, autonomous region, and municipal drug centralized procurement bodies are required to adopt the new drug list and make products available for online procurement by the end of February 2023. For manufacturers of non-exclusive products that participated in the competitive bidding, online procurement prices must not exceed their quoted bid prices.
Negotiations and Success Rates
A total of 147 drugs participated in on-site negotiations and competitive bidding, with 121 winners and an overall success rate of 82.3%. The 108 new entrants (including traditional Chinese medicines) were required to make an average price cut of 60.1%, similar to last year’s NRDL update. The new listings cover 23 disease groups, including 56 chronic disease drugs (hypertension, diabetes, mental illness), 23 oncology drugs, 17 anti-infection drugs, and 7 rare disease drugs. Among these are 22 pediatric formulations, 2 COVID-19 drugs, and 2 national essential drugs. A total of 24 domestically developed innovative drugs entered negotiations, with 20 successes.
Renewals and Manufacturer Highlights
Two drugs renewed existing NRDL listings for a third time, the first occurrence of this: Novartis’s Afinitor (everolimus) and Kanghong Pharma’s Lumitin (conbercept). Novartis topped the rankings with 1 new entrant and 13 renewals, while Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine had the largest number of new entrants at 5, alongside 3 renewals.-Fineline Info & Tech
| Manufacturer | New Entrants | Renewals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novartis | 1 | 13 | 14 |
| Hengrui Medicine | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| AstraZeneca | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Pfizer | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Takeda | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Roche | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| MSD | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Hansoh Pharma | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| BeiGene | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| J&J | 1 | 2 | 3 |
