China’s new drug insurance: lifeline for patients or squeeze on big pharmaceutical firms?

China's new commercial insurance formulary for innovative drugs aims to make costly medicines like Leqembi and Kisunla more accessible and affordable for patients, including 17 million Alzheimer's sufferers. The scheme offers an alternative to the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL), allowing drug makers to enter China's vast market without deep price cuts. However, insurers may face financial challenges, and major state-owned enterprise insurers are advised not to participate in the pilot programme.