Due to financial constraints, there is typically a long wait for cancer patients to access new drugs. Patient groups urged the NHIA to follow the UK NHS and set up a “cancer drugs fund” so as to increase the accessibility of new cancer drugs. In the meantime, the NHIA has introduced a temporary reimbursement scheme. Under this scheme, a new drug for cholangiocarcinoma has been made available under the NHI from May 1st, and another new drug for MET exon14 mutations in non-small cell lung cancer and neuroblastoma will be covered by the NHI later this year.
The temporary reimbursement scheme aims to accelerate the reimbursement of new cancer drugs which have a potential for treatment but still lack a high-degree of clinical certainty and come with a significant price tag. The NHIA provides a temporary reimbursement for 2 years while collecting the real world evidence and clinical data to justify the clinical effectiveness of the new drugs. Those with favourable results will remain in the NHI benefit scheme, while others will have their reimbursement stopped. The NHIA hopes this scheme will ensure wise utilization of NHI resources.
Dr Shih Chung-Ling, the Director General of the NHIA, and several healthcare officials visited the UK before attending the WHA. They had meetings with the NICE and the NHS to discuss various issues concerning the operation of the Innovative Medicines Fund (IMF), the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF), health technology assessment (HTA), financial control mechanisms, and more.
Dr Shih expressed that the UK NHS is also facing financial challenges arising from expensive new drugs and new technologies with uncertain effectiveness. In 2011, the UK government allocated a special budget to establish the Cancer Drugs Fund, aimed at expediting patients’ access to new drugs. Additionally, the NHS has implemented a buffering mechanism to observe and evaluate products with uncertain effectiveness or excessive costs for a duration of two years before reaching a final decision on reimbursement.
According to Dr Shih, the CDF’s biggest challenge is the financial impact. It requires an annual budget of NT$13-14 billion. The CDF needs to consider how to control the finance, implement an exit mechanism, prevent budget deficit, evaluate the utilization of resources, etc.
Dr Shih pointed out that the cooperation agreement signed with NICE focuses on HTA personnel training the technical communications. Through in-depth cooperation with NICE, the MOHW is looking forward to receiving first-hand information on HTA trends, evaluation processed and methods, and the application of RWD.
The NHIA has established a temporary reimbursement scheme. However, the establishment of a dedicated fund or a special budget for cancer drugs still requires communication with all stakeholders. The primary focus is on maximizing the utilization of NHI resources.
【2023-05-28 / United Daily】
