During a meeting with the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee on October 19, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lai Hui-yuan asked Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan whether the Cancer Drug Fund (CDF) will reach a scale of NT$10 billion in 2024, or if there are any other alternative arrangements being planned.

In response, Minister Hsueh said that the Ministry of Health and Welfare is planning to fund the CDF through the National Health Insurance (NHI) global budget, comprising more than NT$2 billion for the provisional and temporary reimbursement of new drugs, as well as more than NT$3 billion for new drugs and medical technologies, amounting to more than NT$6 billion in funding for the CDF. However, Minister Hsueh noted that the CDF will be launched after the 2024 global budget is finalized as prior negotiations have not been able to result in.

As for further easing the reimbursement criteria for new drugs, Minister Hsueh said that the approval process should be based on scientific evidence, while noting that the provisional and temporary reimbursement of new drugs has been used to improve cancer patient access.

[2023-10-19/Central News Agency (CNA)]