Measures announced to encourage development of innovative drugs

China's healthcare security authority on Tuesday announced a series of measures to encourage novel drug development, including the creation of a commercial insurance catalog for innovative medicines that patients could be reimbursed for.

The list will feature highly innovative drugs and those with significant clinical value or that offer substantial patient benefits that are not covered by the nation's basic medical insurance. It will be recommended for reference and adoption by commercial health insurance programs, medical aid programs and other healthcare insurance plans, according to a notice jointly issued by the National Healthcare Security Administration and the National Health Commission.

Official data shows that China's basic medical insurance program covered 1.326 billion people last year, with cumulative spending reaching 2.97 trillion yuan ($414.6 billion).