The National Health Insurance Administration announced that beginning March, the reimbursement criteria for a HBV antiviral drug will be expanded to include wider patient groups, including those who are not organ transplant recipients, those who are not taking interferons, as well as those with liver fibrosis higher than stage F3. The decision is expected to benefit 3,880 patients and cost the National Health Insurance an additional NT$247 million each year. Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Deputy Superintendent Chien Rong-nan said that studies show that once medication is stopped, the first two groups of patients mentioned above are susceptible to accelerated disease progression resulting in severe conditions including liver infections and liver failure. Access to preventative HBV drugs could mean life or death for some patients. At the same time, the NHIA’s decision to ease liver fibrosis thresholds for reimbursed HBV antiviral drugs reflect recent advancements in the way liver fibrosis is diagnosed and categorized and the government’s aim to help delay the onset of liver fibrosis.

Deputy Superintendent Chien said that among Taiwanese males above the age of 36, 12 to 15 percent are HBV carriers, with around 60 to 70 percent being people who have been infected with HBV but are no longer an active carrier of the virus. However, the latter group of Taiwanese males are susceptible to becoming active carriers once they stop their medication and are also at risk of serious conditions including liver failure, liver infections and even death. In particular, patients on chemotherapy, post organ transplant anti-rejection drugs as well as patients with rheumatologic and immunological conditions who are on regular regimens of immunologic injectables, are facing elevated mortality risks. Although preventative HBV antiviral drugs greatly reduce risks, the NHI in the past has only provided reimbursement for preventative drugs for those planning to undergo chemotherapy. In consideration of advice voiced by stakeholders, the NHI’s decision to expand the reimbursement criteria is expected to help more HBV patients.

[2021-3-3/United Daily News]