The Health Insurance Department under the Ministry of Health in Vietnam has announced that it is working with relevant units to complete a draft Circular issuing an updated list of chemical drugs, biological products, radioactive drugs and other medicines eligible for health insurance coverage.
Under the draft, the existing medicines list will be reviewed, revised and supplemented, reported local Vietnam news.
Certain conditions and reimbursement rates will also be adjusted, while drugs that are no longer in circulation or fail to meet safety and efficacy standards may be removed. The update will also prioritise expanding the range of medicines available at commune health stations.
The Circular is expected to add 84 new chemical and biological drugs. Of these, 30 are cancer treatments, representing 35.7% of the newly proposed additions.
According to the head of the Health Insurance Department, this category accounts for the highest number of proposed inclusions and mainly consists of innovative therapies such as targeted treatments, monoclonal antibodies and immunotherapy drugs, which typically come with high treatment costs.
In addition, 24 new medicines for chronic conditions — including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory illnesses, mental health disorders and urinary diseases — are expected to be added, accounting for 29% of the total new inclusions.
At present, the list of cancer and immunomodulatory drugs covered by health insurance comprises 81 medicines.