VELCADE® Added to the Reimbursement List for Drugs Treating Major Illnesses in Hunan Province

(June 20, 2016, Changsha) Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. announced that VELCADE® for the treatment of MM and MCL was added to the reimbursement list in the Hunan Province and is now reimbursed in five provinces/cities in China. VELCADE®’s two indications, for use in treating multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma, are covered by the medical insurance reimbursement program.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a type of blood cancer effecting white blood cells (known as plasma). The average of diagnosis of MM is in people over the age of 59. Its incidence is higher than that of acute leukemia in China, making MM China’s second most common type of blood cancer . 

Low awareness of the disease leads to delays in treatment and poor prognosis, and nearly two-thirds of patients receive their diagnosis when MM has already reached an advanced stage.
 
Hematologists recommend that patients presenting with any symptoms of multiple myeloma, including bone pain, anemia, renal insufficiency, hypercalcemia and recurrent infections, should visit a hematology clinic for the earliest possible detection and effective control of the disease.

Mantle Cell lymphoma (MCL) is a rare type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma affecting the b-cells. Median age at MCL diagnosis is 60 years, with men most often affected by this cancer.  Malignant B cells can also accumulate within the other lymphatic tissues, such as peripheral blood, bone marrow, lymph nodes and spleen.  

The recent release by the Human Resources and Social Security Administration and the Health and Family Planning Commission of Hunan Province of the Payment Management of Special Drugs for Major Illnesses Medical Insurance Program in Hunan Province (pilot edition) added 16 kinds of treatments including Bortezomib for Injection for major and critical diseases demonstrating clinical need and definite efficacy to the reimbursement list for drugs treating major illnesses. 

All insured persons who have joined either the basic insurance and major illness assistance program for urban workers or the basic health insurance for unemployed urban and rural residents are eligible to apply for reimbursement for expenditures falling under the specified limited scope of special drugs.

It was reported that, beginning on January 1, 2016, patients with MM and MCL who use VELCADE® (Bortezomib for Injection) will be reimbursed without a minimum payment with one year medical insurance billing. For urban workers, reimbursement of medical expenses is covered by the medical assistance fee for major illnesses, whereas unemployed urban residents and rural residents will receive reimbursement through the major illnesses medical insurance fund. 

For costs under 60,000 RMB, 70% will be reimbursed for urban workers, and 60% of the costs will be reimbursed for unemployed urban residents and rural residents. For costs between 60,000 and 120,000 RMB, 60% of the costs will be reimbursed for urban workers and 50% for unemployed urban residents and rural residents. Costs over 120,000 RMB will not be reimbursed. Actual reimbursement amounts will be added into annual maximum payment limits. 

Tens of thousands patients living with these life-threatening diseases have benefited from treatment with VELCADE® since it was first approved in China in 2005.


For more information, please visit:
Notice: 16 drugs have been incorporated into the reimbursement list for drugs treating major illnesses in Hunan Province
http://www.hunan.gov.cn/2015xxgk/fz/zfwj/szfzcbm_19689/srlzyhshbzt_19756...
Notice：The Payment Management of Special Drugs for Major Illnesses Medical Insurance Program in Hunan Province (pilot edition) http://www.hunan.gov.cn/2015xxgk/fz/zfwj/szfzcbm_19689/srlzyhshbzt_19756...