On November 27,2024, Simcere Zaiming, an innovative oncology company and a subsidiary of Simcere Pharmaceutical Group (2096.HK) announce that, COSELA and Enlituo, two major products in the company’s innovative portfolio have been included in the latest 2024 National Medical Insurance Catalogue issued by the National Healthcare Security Administration of the People's Republic of China. This is the first time these products have been listed in the catalogue, a progress that will significantly enhance drug accessibility for Chinese patients. The enforcement of the catalogue will commence on January 1, 2025.
Chemotherapy ‘bulletproof vest’ reimbursable COSELA (trilaciclib hydrochloride for injection) is the first bone marrow protection drug for patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy. Designated as a “Breakthrough Therapy” by the US FDA in 2019, COSELA was introduced and marketed in China by Simcere Zaiming. Administered before chemotherapy, COSELA temporarily blocks bone marrow hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in the G1 phase, providing root-cause protection from chemotherapeutic agents, akin to a "bulletproof vest" for the bone marrow, thereby attenuating and synergizing chemotherapy. Since April 2024, COSELA has achieved pharmaceutical technical transfer to Hainan, China, establishing localized production.
Professor Cheng Ying of Jilin Cancer Hospital commented: "We are pleased to see this innovative drug enter national health insurance, significantly reducing the medical costs of bone marrow protection for the majority of small cell lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy."
Cetuximab β enters national medical insurance five months after launch Enlituo® (cetuximab β injection) is an epidermal growth factor monoclonal antibody independently developed in China and approved in June 2024 as a Class 2.4 modified biological new drug. It is indicated for wild-type RAS/BRAF metastatic colorectal cancer. This unique antibody is prepared using proprietary expression technology that produces glycosylation modifications closer to humans, thereby significantly reducing the risk of severe drug allergies and skin reactions caused by EGFR antibodies. The launch of Enlituo has provided a new option for Chinese clinics, which, for the past 20 years, had only cetuximab as the sole EGFR antibody for colorectal cancer treatment. In just five months after its launch, Enlituo is now covered by national medical insurance, enabling a wider population of Chinese colorectal cancer patients to have enhanced access to innovative biological drugs.
Professor Shi Yuankai from the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, stated: "This EGFR antibody drug, independently developed by a Chinese company, has demonstrated validated efficacy and safety. Its timely inclusion in national medical insurance will benefit a large group of colorectal cancer patients in China”.