"Miller Repair" 7 Years Long Run Into The National Health Insurance Innovation Drug Research And Development Policy Dividends

Song Wenhui photo

After years of hard work, Miller, with the title of "medicine king", was finally included in the national health insurance directory of China in 2019.

A few days ago, the National Health Insurance Bureau held a news conference in Beijing to formally announce the results of the medical insurance adjustment in 2019. What attracted the most attention was the attribution of the 128 varieties involved in price negotiations. In the end, 70 new varieties were listed in the medical insurance category B, and Miller was also among them.

With the final determination of the medical insurance price, the price of Miller has fallen by more than 83% after the entry of health insurance. Taking account of the average reimbursement ratio between the medical insurance directory B and 70%-90%, the patients can only use the world's "medicine king" if they can only afford less than 5% of the original cost.

Recently, China's general manager of Europe, Mr Alice, told the twenty-first Century economic news reporter that China has a large population base and a large number of people with overall immune related diseases. It is hoped that more patients will be able to reduce the burden of medication by repairing Miller into new health insurance. "Ai Bo Wei is also committed to the repair of Miller more indications to China, so that Miller can solve more practical problems of patients."

Patients, health insurance and enterprises "win win win"

Xiu Miller has the title of "medicine king". It is the world's first approved anti human tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF- alpha) monoclonal antibody. Since 2012, Miller has been ranked the top of the world's prescription drug sales, more than second sales doubled. Currently, the indications for Miller's approval in China include rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, and multiple joint juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Miller has entered the Chinese market for 7 years, but has not entered the national health insurance directory.

However, in the treatment of moderate and severe psoriasis, Miller is also a first-line medication because of its definite efficacy in treating autoimmune diseases. Since 2015, Miller has begun to enter local health insurance. In January 1, 2015, Qingdao included 26 special drugs, including Miller, in the list of serious illness medical insurance, while in December 1, 2015, Shenzhen would fix Miller into major diseases supplementary medical insurance. At the end of 2016, Chengdu announced that 26 special drugs, such as Miller, were put into the list of medicines for serious diseases. In early 2018, Zhejiang's serious illness insurance will also include Miller.

According to incomplete statistics, before entering the national health insurance directory, Miller has entered the list of health insurance in 8 provinces and municipalities.

But there are still huge demands that have not been met, and the price problem has been a huge obstacle.

This time, the National Health Insurance Bureau has played a "strategic buyer" role, and the prices of new drugs and renewals have dropped dramatically. Many world-wide "aristocratic drugs" have opened the "civilian price", and most imported drugs have given the lowest price in the world.

For the sharp reduction in prices, Xiong Xianjun, director of the medical service management division of the state health insurance bureau, told the twenty-first Century economic news reporter that this is a win-win situation for enterprises, medical insurance funds and patients. "Although the enterprises have substantially reduced prices, the Chinese market is huge, and enterprises can exchange prices at different prices."

It is also based on the fact that Miller has substantially reduced its price for medical insurance.

Like wind and damp diseases, Ceng Xiaofeng, director of the rheumatology branch of the Chinese Medical Association and director of the Department of Rheumatology and immunology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, introduced to the twenty-first Century economic news reporter at a new drug marketing conference. There are more than 200 million patients with various rheumatic diseases in China. Among them, more than 5 million of rheumatoid arthritis patients, nearly 4 million of ankylosing spondylitis, and 1 million patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. According to the data of Dermatology and Venerology branch of Chinese Medical Association, 6 million 500 thousand of psoriasis patients in China.

At the scene of the health insurance negotiations, Liu Hongliang, a Jilin negotiating group who is responsible for repairing Miller negotiations, and deputy director of the Jilin provincial social medical insurance administration, told the twenty-first Century economic news reporter what he saw: he followed the leadership of the national health insurance agency to the rural areas of Jilin several days before joining the negotiations, and saw a poor household suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis and unable to treat the family.

"It is my wish to include this patient's urgent needs in medical insurance. The final outcome of the negotiations is also in line with expectations. Liu Hongliang said. After repairing Miller into the national health insurance system, patients with related diseases in all parts of the country will be expected to use better medicines. While he gains economic benefits and gains social benefits, AI Bo Wei is actually a good thing to kill two birds with one stone.

Research and development of innovative drugs in Enterprises

Judging from the outcome of the negotiations, the structure of the medical insurance catalogue has also been significantly improved and the support capability has been significantly improved. A batch of drugs with high approval, new listing and high clinical value can be transferred into the catalogue, and the ability of cancer, rare diseases, chronic diseases and children's medication support has been significantly improved.

In twenty-first Century, the economic news reporter learned from AI Bai Wei that fifth indications for repairing Miller in China: the moderate and severe Crohn's disease will be approved, and the treatment pedigree of Miller will expand to the gastrointestinal tract. Miller's treatment of non infectious intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis and full uveitis has been included in the second batch of new clinical drugs urgently needed in China.

In the global market, there are 17 indications that Miller has been approved for treatment. To repair Miller, there will be great room for development in the future Chinese market, and access to medical insurance will be very helpful for the promotion of the market in the future.

Xiong Xianjun told reporters on twenty-first Century economic report that he hoped that patients could use cheap and high-quality drugs, and the state encouraged the development of innovative drugs. "The fundamental purpose of encouraging drug innovation is to enable more life-saving drugs to enter health insurance and enhance our country's ability to guarantee drugs in major diseases and important areas."

From the results of this medical insurance negotiation, we can see that medical insurance negotiations have great support for innovative drugs. At least 18 of the 70 new drugs that were included in the health insurance were approved by the public after 2018. Health insurance can quickly recognize the innovative behavior of enterprises, which greatly encouraged enterprises to continue to invest in R & D.

Albus has devoted himself to developing more diseases from the field of immunology and cancer. In its R & D pipeline, there are not only a variety of immunotherapy drugs for psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, but also drugs for the treatment of refractory diseases such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia and Parkinson's disease. In the future, these varieties are likely to be introduced into China as the time is ripe. Pharmaceutical companies including AI Bo Wei said they are looking forward to China's market environment that encourages innovative drugs.

In fact, innovation has also brought huge rewards to enterprises including AI Bo Wei. According to the third quarter earnings report recently released, the first three quarterly earnings of AI Bo Wei in the 2019 fiscal year were $24 billion 562 million, up 0.47% over the same period last year. AI Bo Wei said that two new immunotherapy RINVOQ and SKYRIZI have recently achieved satisfactory results.