The National Health Insurance administration on April 26 announced amendments to "National Health Insurance Fee Schedule and Reference List for Drugs" and “Regulations of Price Adjustment for National Health Insurance Reimbursed Drugs,” set to take effect on January 1, 2026, with key changes outlined in the following:

1. Preferential NHI reimbursement pricing will be given to domestically produced drugs that have been introduced to Taiwan within two years of initial introduction in the A10 countries; as well as new drugs those containing novel ingredients but have not yet obtained in Taiwan but have been approved in the A10 countries in the past five years.
2. Domestic manufacturers that have received two generic drug licenses for generics or biosimilars within five years of patent expiration of innovator drugs will be reimbursed at the same rates as the innovator drugs.
3. An additional 10 percent will be added to the NHI reimbursement pricing of drugs made with domestically sourced active pharmaceutical ingredients; or those whose safety have been vetted with domestic clinical trials and published papers in international medical journals; and the first candidate drug to submit a P4 declaration. A maximum 30 percent increase will be granted to drugs that meet all three criteria mentioned above.
4. Drug pricing adjustments will be waived for essential drugs made with locally sourced ingredients and have two or fewer substitutes.
5. The inclusion of new drugs on the National Health Insurance fee schedule will be accelerated through promoting parallel review process and proactive drug listing mechanisms, as well as streamlining documentation requirements on applications.

Taiwan Pharmaceutical Manufacture's Association, Taiwan Pharmaceutical Manufacture and Development Association, and Taiwan Generic Pharmaceutical Association on April 28 jointly said that imported drugs currently account for over 70 percent of the National Health Insurance's total drug expenditures. They said that the implementation of the new regulations will help bolster the resilience of Taiwan's pharmaceutical supply chain, promote the government's policy on supporting the advancement of the domestic pharmaceuticals industry, and ensure both fair drug pricing and stable drug supply.

[2025-4-16/United Daily News]