China's national medical insurance catalog contains over 230 anticancer drugs

BEIJING, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- More than 230 anticancer drugs feature in China's national medical insurance catalog, covering over 20 common types of cancer, including lung, breast and stomach cancers, according to the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA).

The NHSA has been accelerating the inclusion of new and effective drugs in the catalog, with some new anticancer drugs added to the catalog less than a year after approval, continuously ensuring treatment for patients.

An analysis by the China Anti-Cancer Association, based on 2023 medical records, reveals that the five-year survival rate for cancer patients in China had risen from 33.3 percent a decade earlier to 43.7 percent by the end of 2023.

In addition to drugs that directly treat cancer, the national medical insurance catalog also covers other essential supportive medications, the NHSA said.