More than 230 anticancer drugs now feature in China's national medical insurance catalogue. These drugs are used to treat over 20 common types of cancer, including lung, breast and stomach cancers.
According to a news report by Xinhua, the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) has been accelerating the inclusion of new and effective drugs in the catalogue. The Administration has even added some new anticancer drugs to the catalogue in less than a year after approval, thus continuously ensuring treatment for patients.
A report by the NHSA published in March 2025 said that in 2024 the Administration had added additional 91 drugs to the catalogue of the medicines covered by medical insurance, taking the total number of medicines covered to 3,159 as in 2024.
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% a decade earlier to 43.7% by the end of 2023.
In addition to drugs that directly treat cancer, the national medical insurance catalogue also covers other essential supportive medications.
In June 2025 the NHSA had initiated consultations on the adjustment of the National Basic Medical Insurance Drug List and the launch of the first Commercial Health Insurance Innovative Drug List, a dual-catalogue system poised to change market access for innovative therapies.
The basic medical insurance catalogue continues to cover essential therapies, whereas the new commercial insurance catalogue targets high-value, high-cost innovative drugs that are currently excluded from public reimbursement.