Measures announced to encourage development of innovative drugs

China's healthcare security authority on Tuesday announced a series of measures to encourage novel drug development, including the creation of a commercial insurance catalog for innovative medicines that patients could be reimbursed for.

Jointly released by National Medical Insurance Administration (NHSA) and National Health Commission, the list features highly innovative drugs plus those with significant clinical value or substantial benefits to patients, which are not covered by the national basic medical insurance scheme.

"This year, the National Healthcare Security Administration has guided Guangxi in utilizing the China-ASEAN medical procurement platform to actively promote the entry of domestically produced drugs and medical consumables into ASEAN countries. Meanwhile, it has innovatively established a convenient channel for purchasing drugs both domestically and internationally. Going forward, the NHSA will support more regions with favorable geographical locations to build platforms for trading innovative drugs," said Wang Xiaoning, director of the department of pharmaceutical pricing, bidding and procurement at NHSA.

"Several measures have also been proposed to encourage commercial insurance to increase investment in innovative drugs. We will also support innovative drug enterprises to take advantage of the strengths of Hong Kong and Macao to promote Chinese innovative drugs to the world. To support the overseas sales of homegrown innovative drugs, the administration plans to align with international practices and implement confidential pricing negotiations on a voluntary basis for pharmaceutical companies, particularly for drugs listed in the commercial catalog. We will explore a more rigorous price confidentiality mechanism," he continued.

Measures announced to encourage development of innovative drugs

The Eleventh Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) concluded on Friday at the UN headquarters in New York City, without reaching a consensus on a final document.

The Eleventh Review Conference was held from April 27 to May 22.

The president of the conference Do Hung Viet, Vietnam's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said that four drafts of the outcome document had been circulated during the meeting, but delegates ultimately failed to reach a consensus.

He urged parties to take steps to lower nuclear risks and push for an update of the NPT's mechanisms.

In a statement released on Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries to take proactive steps to de-escalate tensions, lower nuclear risks, and eventually remove the threat posed by nuclear weapons.

The NPT was signed in 1968 and entered into force in 1970. Review conferences take place every five years, with the 12th session set to convene in New York in 2031.

UN nuclear nonproliferation review conference closes with no deal