China’s latest National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL), set to take effect on January 1, 2026, is reshaping competitive dynamics across oncology, rare disease, and chronic metabolic care, as a wave of domestic and multinational companies secured new listings or renewed coverage for some of their highest-priority medicines. The update coincides with the release of the country’s first Commercial Health Insurance Innovative Drug Catalog, a complementary mechanism for high-cost or emerging therapies that fall outside basic medical insurance. Together, the dual lists signal a structural acceleration in China’s multi-tier insurance model and continue a multi-year pivot toward increasing affordability and access for breakthrough treatments.
The newly updated NRDL added 114 medicines, including 50 innovative drugs, while removing 29 older products viewed as clinically redundant or superseded by superior alternatives. According to Xinhua’s detailed summary, the catalog now comprises 3,253 total medicines, combining 1,857 Western drugs and 1,396 traditional Chinese medicines. Many of the new additions fill longstanding gaps in coverage for severe diseases, including breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, lymphoma, and diabetes. Policymakers emphasized that the expanded catalog reflects deliberate efforts to absorb life-saving therapies that were previously too expensive for basic insurance despite their clinical urgency.
Against that backdrop, several leading oncology developers have emerged as prominent winners in this year’s cycle. HUTCHMED secured renewed reimbursement for three cornerstone therapies, Elunate (fruquintinib), Orpathys (savolitinib), and Sulanda (surufatinib), while winning a new listing for Tazverik (tazemetostat) on the inaugural commercial insurance catalog. Notably, Elunate also received expanded NRDL coverage for endometrial cancer with pMMR tumors when used in combination with Tyvyt, reinforcing its dual-indication commercial momentum. Orpathys and Sulanda retained their respective positions in MET-driven NSCLC and neuroendocrine tumors. The addition of Tazverik gives HUTCHMED a foothold in the premium-priced commercial tier for EZH2-mutant follicular lymphoma.
Innovent Biologics, meanwhile, delivered the broadest set of wins with seven innovative therapies added in a single cycle, including new indications for its PD-1 inhibitor Tyvyt and first-time listings for a portfolio that spans IGF-1R inhibition, KRAS and ROS1 targeting, and next-generation EGFR and BTK inhibitors. The company’s additions Sycume, Limertinib, Dupert, Dovbleron, Retsevmo, and Jaypirca cover lung cancer, thyroid eye disease, KRAS G12C–mutant NSCLC, ROS1-positive tumors, and mantle cell lymphoma, signaling significant diversification beyond its core PD-1 franchise. Innovent emphasized that the seven inclusions expand access across oncology, autoimmune, and cardiovascular–metabolic diseases and align with its strategy of broadening affordability for high-need populations.
Several additional oncology players also secured important placements. CStone Pharmaceuticals confirmed NRDL inclusion for Gavreto (pralsetinib), strengthening accessibility for patients with RET fusion-positive cancers and expanding the drug’s footprint beyond the United States, Hong Kong, and Taiwan into China’s national insurance ecosystem. The inclusion marks a meaningful milestone for CStone as it continues to scale its commercial presence in Greater China. Simcere Pharmaceutical earned NRDL listings for both Enzeshu, a next-generation anti-VEGF antibody, and Endostar, the world’s only approved endostatin therapy, reinforcing its role in lung cancer management and improving affordability for key oncology segments. Genor Biopharma gained NRDL inclusion for Lerociclib (GB491), which the company expects will significantly accelerate market penetration by easing the financial burden for eligible patients.
Outside oncology, Daehwa Pharmaceutical achieved a significant access milestone with the listing of Liporaxel, its oral paclitaxel formulation designed to replace intravenous administration in gastric cancer. With a newly negotiated reimbursed price of 1,208 yuan per vial, Liporaxel’s inclusion is expected to accelerate prescription volume, improve convenience, and expand reach in advanced and metastatic gastric cancer care. The company is partnering with Haihe Biopharma and 3SBio to expand distribution and strengthen its long-term presence in China’s anticancer market.
In metabolic disease, Eli Lilly secured one of the most high-profile NRDL placements with Mounjaro (tirzepatide) for type 2 diabetes. The National Healthcare Security Administration confirmed that the GLP-1/GIP dual agonist will join state insurance coverage from January 1, enabling broad population-level access in a country with 1.4 billion people. Analysts note that while the listing will bring significant volume expansion, it will likely be offset by the price reductions typically required to secure NRDL entry.
Zai Lab also reported successful NRDL renewals for Vyvgart, Nuzyra, and Zejula, maintaining coverage across generalized myasthenia gravis, community-acquired pneumonia, acute bacterial skin infections, and ovarian cancer. The renewals preserve Zai Lab’s six-product NRDL portfolio and reflect continued recognition of the clinical value of its flagship immunology, anti-infective, and oncology therapies.
These company-level outcomes are unfolding within a broader policy transformation. The NRDL and the new commercial catalog were finalized after a five-day negotiation period in November that produced price cuts ranging from 15 percent to 50 percent across selected drugs. CAR-T therapies and Alzheimer’s treatments featured prominently as firms weighed the trade-off between wide NRDL access and the premium but narrower coverage of the commercial list. Both catalogs were unveiled on December 7 at an NHSA conference in Guangzhou, with a national explanation session scheduled in Beijing two days later.
As Xinhua reported, China approved 69 innovative drugs in 2025 and completed more than 100 outbound licensing deals exceeding $100 billion in value during the first ten months of the year, reinforcing the country’s role as a global innovation and commercial hub. Executives from companies including Lilly China praised the NRDL system’s ability to expand access while incentivizing investment in early-stage R&D. Industry observers expect the twin reimbursement lists to reshape commercial strategies beginning in 2026, with companies increasingly designing launch and pricing plans around a two-track ecosystem that rewards both broad affordability and premium innovation.
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