The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) on June 18 held a Pharmaceutical Benefit and Reimbursement Scheme (PBRS) Joint Committee meeting. With joint efforts by medical, pharmaceutical, beneficiary and patient group representatives, the PBRS Joint Committee agreed to add several new drugs and treatments under National Health Insurance (NHI) reimbursement for conditions including hemophilia B, noninfectious pediatric uveitis and hyperactivity disorder.
The PBRS Joint Committee meeting decided to include drugs containing the active ingredient eftrenonacog alfa and albutrepenonacog alfa under NHI reimbursement, which is expected to vastly reduce the frequency of umbilical vein injections and costs of treatments for hemophilia B patients. Within the next five years, an estimated 57 to 148 hemophilia B patients are expected to benefit from the change, while also bringing annual savings between NT$5 million and NT$16.5 million for the NHI system.
The PBRS Joint Committee also agreed to expand the indications of biologics containing the active ingredient adalimumab that is covered by NHI reimbursement to include noninfectious pediatric uveitis, an autoimmune disease. Typically, noninfectious pediatric uveitis patients are prescribed ophthalmic corticosteroids as a first-line treatment, with methotrexate (MTX) designated as a second-line treatment and drugs containing adalimumab reserved for those who do not respond well to MTX. An estimated 130 patients facing risks of severe visual impairment are expected to benefit from the expanded indications for biologics containing adalimumab.
The NHIA in recent years has been working hard on how best to distribute Taiwan’s finite medical resources and hopes that the NHI resources are being allocated towards the most effective treatments and will continue to collaborate with the PBRS Joint Committee, including experts, health care providers, beneficiaries, patient groups and pharmaceutical manufacturers, to maximize the value of reimbursement spending.
[2020-07-08 / National Health Insurance Administration]
