Debut stem cell therapy pricing released in Hainan

The Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in Hainan province has released pricing for China's first batch of stem cell therapies officially classified as "medical technologies", marking a regulatory shift from traditional drug approval frameworks.

The approved treatments — targeting knee osteoarthritis, which will cost about 36,000 yuan ($4,926) per session, autologous lung cell transplantation (150,000 yuan), and ischemic heart disease (60,000 yuan) — represent a transformative step in expanding access to cutting-edge regenerative therapies while navigating an evolving regulatory landscape.

"The medical pilot zone in Hainan serves as a policy innovation testing ground, implementing breakthrough institutional arrangements," said Su Jing, secretary-general of the Center for Global Development and Health Communication Research at Tsinghua University. "The zone permits specific medical projects to conduct clinical applications without undergoing conventional approval processes from national drug regulatory authorities, effectively establishing a platform for medical innovations."