Four departments issue document: Strengthen the safe and rational provision and use of innovative drugs

The National Health Commission, the National Healthcare Security Administration, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration today issued the "Notice on Further Improving the Safe and Rational Provision and Use of Innovative Drugs," setting out specific policy measures on key aspects of the safe and rational provision and use of innovative drugs, covering areas such as promoting rational provision, strengthening training and guidance, optimizing conditions of use, and improving management measures. First, medical institutions at Level II and above are required to optimize and improve the institutional mechanisms and workflows for introducing innovative drugs into hospitals, promptly convene meetings of the Pharmacy Administration and Therapeutics Committee, and, in accordance with their service capacity and clinical needs, promptly include innovative drugs in their institutional drug formularies. Provincial and municipal hospitals are encouraged to play a demonstrative and driving role level by level. Second, regular training on medication knowledge and medical insurance payment policies is required. Expert consensus on the clinical use of innovative drugs should be compiled and released promptly, and drugs with sufficient evidence-based medical evidence should be promptly incorporated into clinical diagnosis and treatment guidelines. Third, pharmaceutical service price items should be effectively implemented, support and safeguard measures further improved, and the policy environment for the use of innovative drugs optimized. Fourth, it is emphasized that no limits shall be imposed on the total number of drug varieties and specifications in medical institutions, and it is explicitly stipulated that relevant innovative drugs are not included in public medical institution performance monitoring indicators such as the growth rate of average outpatient drug costs per visit and the growth rate of average inpatient drug costs per stay.