Pfizer, Innovent GLP-1 drugs added to China national insurance for diabetes
PFE•GLP-1 drugs from Pfizer and Innovent Biologics will be added to China's national health insurance scheme from January 1 for patients with type 2 diabetes. Inclusion can make drugs more widely available, though higher sales volumes often come with lower prices.
1. Insurance coverage begins
China's National Healthcare Security Administration said Pfizer's ecnoglutide and Innovent's mazdutide will join the state-run health insurance scheme from January 1 for patients with type 2 diabetes. GLP-1 drugs from Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Guangzhou Innogen are already included.
2. Market access and pricing
China has the world's highest number of adults with diabetes, according to an estimate by the International Diabetes Federation. Inclusion in the national reimbursement list makes drugs more widely available, though an increase in sales volume often comes with lower prices.
3. Other additions
The list will also include two Eli Lilly drugs for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, as well as a CAR-T therapy from JW Therapeutics. The therapy, which engineers patients' immune cells to recognise and kill cancer cells, was the first CAR-T treatment included in the reimbursement list.
