China Widens Drug Insurance Coverage, Boosting Pharma Stocks
- Central government adds 339 drugs to list covered by insurance
- Coverage by the public insurance system can help boost sales
This article is for subscribers only.
China expanded the list of medicines covered nationwide by government insurance for the first time since 2009, a move that sent the shares of local drugmakers soaring.
The central government decided to add 339 drugs to a list of medicines covered by the country’s basic medical insurance, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said in a statement on Thursday. The updated list represents a 15 percent increase from a previous version released in 2009, the ministry said.