One of President Lai's administrative targets is to reduce the cancer mortality rate by one-third by 2030. The Health Taiwan Committee held its second meeting on November 28. During the meeting, Mr. Chou Jih-Haw, the MOHW Deputy Minister, outlined the strategies to strengthen cancer prevention and treatment. He emphasized that the first step is to evaluate gaps between Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage of major cancer drugs—such as those for lung cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer—and international treatment guidelines. The New Cancer Drug Fund will then be used to address these gaps by prioritizing drugs with strong clinical evidence that were previously excluded from NHI coverage due to their significant financial impact.
President Lai announced the appointment of three new committee members: Mr. Huang Jin-Shun (President of the Federation of Taiwan Pharmacists Associations), Mr. Ko Fu-Yang (former President of the National Union of Chinese Medical Doctors’ Association), and Ms. Liao Mei-Nan (President of the Taiwan Nurses Association). The meeting focused on strategies to strengthen cancer prevention and treatment, as well as ways to enhance the public's mental health resilience.
According to Ms. Kuo Ya-Hui, spokesperson for the Office of the President, President Lai instructed the Committee to enhance cancer screening methods, align NHI-reimbursed treatments with international standards, and prioritize reimbursement for effective new drugs supported by Phase III clinical trial results. He also directed the MOHW to expand the scope of NHI-reimbursed genetic testing.
Mr. Chou Jih-Haw noted that approximately 120,000 new cancer cases are confirmed each year, and about 53,000 people die from cancer annually. He outlined a three-pronged approach to improving cancer treatment, which includes enhancing early cancer screening, prioritizing genetic testing and precision medicine, and establishing a NT$10 billion cancer drug fund.
According to Mr. Chou, the government will accelerate efforts to align cancer treatments in Taiwan with international practices. The first step is to evaluate gaps between NHI-reimbursed drugs and services and international guidelines. The MOHW will then invite experts to formulate recommendations, considering Health Technology Assessment (HTA) results, cost-benefit evaluations, and the U.S. NCCN treatment guidelines. These recommendations will be submitted to the NHI Drug Dispensing Items and Fee Schedule Joint Establishment Meeting for review and approval. Priority for reimbursement will be given to drugs with strong clinical evidence that were previously excluded from NHI coverage due to significant financial impact.
Mr. Chou emphasized that the New Cancer Drug Fund will be utilized to align NHI reimbursements more closely with international treatment guidelines. New cancer drugs with strong clinical evidence, as well as licensed drugs with potential treatment benefits but uncertain cost-effectiveness, will have the opportunity to be covered by the Fund.
President Lai also noted that some committee members proposed establishing a national-level stem cell bank, emphasizing the significance of regenerative medicine. Additionally, the committee will consider extending the interval between hospital accreditations from four years to six years.
【2024-11-29/ Liberty Times】
