Over the course of 6 years and 6 rounds of adjustments to the medical insurance drug catalog, more than 700 new drugs have been added to the national medical insurance drug catalog. An increasing number of drugs for chronic diseases, rare diseases, and other conditions have been included, making it more affordable for patients to use them at the same time. The adjustment of the national medical insurance drug catalog this year has officially started. On the 11th, the National Healthcare Security Administration interpreted the relevant issues. The latest data from the National Healthcare Security Administration shows that since its establishment in 2018, more than 700 types of emergency and life-saving drugs, innovative drugs, etc. have entered the national healthcare drug catalog, including 446 newly added drugs through negotiations, most of which are newly launched and clinically valuable drugs in recent years. At present, the number of western medicines and traditional Chinese patent medicines and simple preparations in the national medical insurance drug list has increased to 3088. New and good drugs are constantly being included in medical insurance. In 2020, 17 new anti-cancer drugs including Trastuzumab and Lenvatinib were added; In 2021, an important new drug for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), sodium injection of Noshinasen, was added; The directory adjustment in 2023 covers 16 rare disease diseases, filling the gap in drug security for 10 diseases. Treatment drugs for diseases such as Gaucher's disease and myasthenia gravis are included in the directory... The level of drug security for tumors, chronic diseases, rare diseases, and other diseases is steadily improving. The speed of new drugs entering the catalog is constantly accelerating. The relevant person in charge of the National Medical Insurance Administration introduced that the time from the approval of new drugs to their inclusion in the list has been shortened from over 5 years to over 1 year now, and 80% of innovative drugs can enter the medical insurance drug list within two years after their listing. The prices of drugs in the catalog are becoming more reasonable. Negotiation bidding is a key link in the adjustment of the national medical insurance drug catalog. The medical insurance and enterprise sides repeatedly engage in a game around "price". In 2023, 143 drugs outside the catalog participated in negotiations or bidding, of which 121 drugs were successfully negotiated or bid, with an average price reduction of 61.7%. Some "high priced life-saving drugs" have been included in medical insurance after "soul bargaining", bringing hope to many families. In the 2021 adjustment of the medical insurance drug list, after negotiations, the price of sodium methoxam injection was reduced from 700000 yuan per injection to over 30000 yuan, and it was included in the medical insurance. Tumor treatment drugs continue to be updated. In the 2020 adjustment of the medical insurance drug catalog, 14 exclusive drugs from the 2018 special access negotiations for anti-cancer drugs were renewed or renegotiated according to the rules, with an average reduction of 14.95%. Among them, some first-line anti-cancer drugs saw a reduction of over 60%. By 2023, the number of tumor targeted drugs in the catalog has reached 74. The reduction of patients' medical burden is tangible. In 2022, 147 drugs outside the catalog participated in negotiations and bidding (including renewal negotiations for drugs within the original catalog), with an overall success rate of 82.3%. The average price reduction for newly approved drugs through negotiation and bidding is 60.1%. During the agreement period, 275 negotiation drugs were reimbursed to 180 million people. By negotiating price reductions and medical insurance reimbursements, we have reduced the burden on patients by over 210 billion yuan this year. Six rounds of adjustment, drugs are in and out. After multiple adjustments, the national medical insurance drug catalog has cumulatively removed 395 drugs with uncertain efficacy, easy abuse, clinical elimination, or imminent delisting. The relevant person in charge of the National Healthcare Security Administration introduced that this year's adjustment will pay more attention to the monitoring and management of drug supply guarantee, and improve the accessibility of medical insurance drugs. In terms of the scope of products to be transferred out, the regular catalog drugs that have not been supplied to designated medical insurance institutions for nearly 3 years, as well as the negotiated drugs that have not been guaranteed market supply according to the agreement, are listed as key considerations to strengthen supply guarantee management. This year's adjustment of the medical insurance drug catalog will be negotiated and the results announced in November. Looking forward to more good medicines entering medical insurance, effectively alleviating the worries of the people after seeking medical treatment. (New Society)