The NHIA announced on the 5th that the second-line target therapies for liver cancer are now available under the NHI for whom the first-line target therapies have failed. The NHIA estimates that over 1,000 patients a year will benefit from this policy, which took effect from June 1st. According to the NHIA’s data, about 64,000 patients received liver cancer treatments in 2018.
Dr Lee Po-Chang, Director General of the NHIA, said in an interview that doctors will firstly prescribe surgeries or local treatments, such as electrotherapy, embolism, and injection, which are less harmful to patients. If all have failed, doctors will then resort to target therapies.
According to current regulations, the NHI-reimbursed first-line target therapies are available for late stage liver cancer patients for whom surgeries are not feasible and 3 courses of local treatments in 6 months have not been effective.
However, some medical societies reckon that the condition of 3 courses of local treatments in 6 months is too stringent for both patients and healthcare providers. After discussion, the NHIA decided to relax the regulation by extending the treatment period from 6 months to 12 months.
However, the first-line target therapies are not 100% effective. The failure rate is about 30-50%. The NHIA’s decision to reimburse the second-line target therapies gives those patients a new option and hope. The new policy started from June 1st.
Dr Lee expressed that the relaxation of the reimbursement condition for the first-line target therapies will cost the NHI NT$54 million and benefit 800 patients annually. The reimbursement of second-line target therapies will benefit 1000-1400 patients with a price tag of N$400-650 million a year.
【2019-06-05 / CNA】
