Yesterday, the National Healthcare Security Administration issued a notice on the preliminary review of drugs and related information for the adjustment of the 2024 National Basic Medical Insurance, Work Injury Insurance, and Maternity Insurance drug catalogs (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"). The Announcement clearly states that the bureau has organized a preliminary formal review of the drug application materials for the 2024 adjustment of the medical insurance drug catalog. From 9:00 am on July 1, 2024 to 5:00 pm on July 14, 2024, a total of 626 enterprise declaration information were received, involving 574 drugs (generic names, the same below). After review, 440 drugs have passed the preliminary formal examination. Compared to 2023, the number of declared drugs has increased. It is understood that formal examination is a review of whether the declared drugs meet the conditions for adjusting the national medical insurance drug catalog and the completeness of drug information in the current year. According to the work arrangement, formal review mainly consists of four steps: initial review, publication of initial review results, re review, and announcement of re review results. The content of this announcement is the preliminary review result of this year. The relevant person in charge of the National Medical Insurance Administration stated that the adjustment of the national medical insurance drug catalog will implement an enterprise declaration system. According to the work plan for the adjustment of the national medical insurance drug catalog in the current year, the declaration conditions and requirements will be determined according to the procedures, and each declaration subject will voluntarily declare. Conducting a formal review of drug application materials can ensure that the declared drugs meet the application requirements, and also review the completeness and standardization of the application materials. According to work needs, the authenticity of some materials can be verified with relevant parties, which is conducive to ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the information provided to experts in the subsequent stage. So, does preliminary formal review mean that the drugs have been included in the national medical insurance drug catalog? The person in charge clarified that the drug passing the preliminary formal review only represents that it meets the application conditions and has the qualification to participate in the catalog adjustment, and does not mean that it has entered the national medical insurance drug catalog. Formal review does not mean inclusion in the national medical insurance drug catalog, and subsequent processes such as expert evaluation and negotiation bidding need to be carried out according to procedures. A reporter from Beijing Youth Daily noticed that some drugs that are currently relatively expensive in the market and clearly exceed the scope of basic medical insurance coverage have also passed the preliminary formal examination. In response, the relevant person in charge stated that these drugs have passed the preliminary formal examination, only indicating that they meet the application requirements and have obtained the qualification to enter the next stage. Whether it can ultimately be included in the national medical insurance drug catalog still requires strict evaluation procedures. Exclusive drugs need to be negotiated, while non exclusive drugs need to be tendered. Only after successful negotiation or bidding can they be finally included in the catalog. We have always firmly grasped the functional positioning of 'basic medical insurance', adhered to doing our best and acting within our capabilities, and truthfully determined the scope of protection; adhered to stability and sustainability, taking the medical insurance fund and the affordability of insured people as the basis for catalog adjustment work, significantly reducing the price of exclusive drugs through admission negotiations and other means; always focused on the balance between the basic medical needs of the masses and clinical technology progress, improving accessibility and maintaining fairness. "Next, the National Medical Insurance Administration will further verify relevant information based on the feedback received during the public announcement period, determine the final list of drugs that have passed the formal review, and publish it to the society. Subsequently, follow-up work such as expert review and negotiation bidding will be carried out. (New Society)