Norman Ng, Director, Patient Advocacy and Public Affairs at Healthcare Thinkers, shared on LinkedIn:
“Support the Establishment of a “Green Channel” to Benefit Patients!
“The Chief Pharmacist’s Office of the Hospital Authority and the Drug Office of the Department of Health have been actively exploring ways to accelerate the drug registration process.
For certain cancer drugs or medications for rare diseases, especially in urgent-use scenarios, we are considering the establishment of a ‘green channel’ to expedite registration procedures. As everyone knows, Hong Kong receives a wide variety of drugs from the Mainland and overseas, but as the actual user of these medications, the Hospital Authority best understands the real needs of patients.
We hope the Drug Office will cooperate so that the drugs needed by the Hospital Authority can be approved more quickly – this is critically important for patients. We will conduct evaluations based on big data analysis, particularly focusing on innovative new drugs related to cancer and chronic diseases (such as the “three highs”: hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia).
In addition, we are referencing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s fast-track registration mechanism and conducting what we call ‘horizontal screening’ – actively monitoring whether the FDA has approved new drugs so we can assess their potential for early introduction into Hong Kong.
These new drugs often meet urgent clinical needs, and Hong Kong is no exception. Therefore, we will take proactive steps to bring suitable new drugs into the local market.
As for drug evaluation, I know many pharmaceutical companies are highly concerned. I believe the industry understands how we operate—this is not a ‘game,’ but a very serious matter. We emphasize ‘negotiation,’ not ‘price suppression.’ Negotiation is based on data, including patient demand and unmet medical needs – not simply driving prices down.
For example, there have been reports suggesting we suppress prices using Mainland NRDL ‘s price. In fact, since we implemented the accelerated drug inclusion mechanism, no drug has been successfully included in the Hospital Authority’s formulary using NRDL prices.
I must reiterate this point – so far, no drug evaluation has been successfully completed using NRDL prices. At most, the price was ‘close,’ and only one drug has reached that level.'”
More posts from Norman Ng.