1. The first day of the 2026 National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) negotiations kicked off, with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) enterprises such as China Resources Sanjiu, Guangyuyuan, and Kangyuan Pharmaceutical taking the lead;
2. In the afternoon session, Hengrui Pharma, Pfizer, and Novo-Nordisk A/S took over, marking the start of intensive negotiations for chronic disease medications;
3. The overall atmosphere was relatively relaxed, with corporate representatives unable to hide their satisfaction, as mechanisms such as "pre-communication" have further advanced the timeline for medical insurance access.
The annual national medical insurance catalog negotiations have once again entered the stage of on-site bargaining.
Today, the price negotiations for the 2026 National Basic Medical Insurance Drug List and the price consultations for the Commercial Health Insurance Innovative Drug List officially commenced at the Great Hall of the People Conference Center in Beijing.
Cailianshe reporters observed on site that, unlike in previous years when TCM companies typically appeared in the latter half of the NRDL negotiations, several TCM companies entered the venue early on the morning of the first day this year,$China Resources Sanjiu Medical & Pharmaceutical (000999.SZ)$、$GuangYuYuan Chinese Herbal Medicine (600771.SH)$、$Jiangsu Kanion Pharmaceutical (600557.SH)$and others all made appearances, with multiple classic TCM formulas facing the "major test" of medical insurance access.
The afternoon session gathered$HENGRUI PHARMA (01276.HK)$、$SUNSHINE PHARMA (06887.HK)$、$Pfizer (PFE.US)$、 $Novo-Nordisk A/S (NVO.US)$、$INNOVENT BIO (01801.HK)$More than twenty domestic and foreign enterprises, some bringing new GLP-1 drugs and new Alzheimer's treatments, began negotiations this afternoon.
Industry insiders expect that the on-site bidding for the current round of National Reimbursement Drug List adjustments and the price consultations for the Commercial Health Insurance Innovative Drug List will last for four to five days.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) companies entered the market early, creating a relaxed overall atmosphere.
Around 7:00 AM, crowds had already gathered outside the Great Hall of the People Conference Center in Beijing. Corporate representatives dressed in formal attire arrived early, queuing up in succession while waiting to enter the venue.
For many corporate representatives, this annual medical insurance negotiation serves not only as a test of their products' clinical value but also as a direct on-site bargaining process that will significantly impact subsequent market volume.
"We are from Shandong Province. The negotiation for the products we submitted this time is relatively straightforward and can be completed this morning, with no need for further on-site visits," a corporate representative told Cailian Press.
Cailian Press reporters noted that many familiar faces were present at the venue. During the on-site declaration period for the 12th round of national centralized drug procurement with volume-based purchasing, some corporate representatives had just appeared in Shanghai, and they have now traveled to Beijing to participate in the negotiations for the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL). For these companies, the recent period has involved continuous travel.
Around 8:00 AM, on-site staff verified participants batch by batch according to the list and guided corporate representatives into the venue in sequence.
Cailianshe reporters on site noted that the morning session featured a dense lineup of companies, with TCM firms accounting for a significant proportion.$China Resources Sanjiu Medical & Pharmaceutical (000999.SZ)$、$GuangYuYuan Chinese Herbal Medicine (600771.SH)$、$Jiangsu Kanion Pharmaceutical (600557.SH)$、$Tasly Pharmaceutical Group (600535.SH)$, representatives from Qidu Pharmaceutical and other companies appeared successively.
In addition,$Zai Lab (ZLAB.US)$、$North China Pharmaceutical (600812.SH)$、$EVEREST MED (01952.HK)$, Qilu Pharmaceutical,$CMS (00867.HK)$、$Joincare Pharmaceutical Group Industry (600380.SH)$and other enterprises also participated in the morning negotiation session.
Based on the products that have passed the formal review, several TCM varieties have entered the negotiation venue on the first day of this year's national talks. Among them, Guangyuyuan's Banxia Xiexin Tang Granules, Tasly's Zaoren Ningxin Dripping Pills, and Kangyuan Pharmaceutical's Shenpu Granules have all passed the formal review.
It is worth noting that some companies are involved with multiple product varieties this time.
A review by Cailian Press found that Qidu Pharmaceutical is involved with compound glucose/electrolyte irrigation solution for cranial surgery, low-calcium peritoneal dialysis fluid series, and Qingjin Huatan Tang Granules; Jiangxi Yaodu Zhangshu Pharmaceutical is involved with Erdong Tang Granules and Qingfei Tang Granules; China Resources Sanjiu is involved with Taohua Chengqi Tang Granules, Banxia Baizhu Tianma Tang Granules, and Dajianzhong Tang Paste; and Kangyuan Pharmaceutical is involved with Xiebai San Granules and Shenpu Granules.
In addition to TCM varieties, some innovative drugs also made their appearance in the morning session. For example, Nanjing KeChuang Pharmaceutical is involved with vonoprazan acetate concentrate for injection, and North China Pharmaceutical is involved with omitecimab injection, among other products.
In recent years, as companies continue to lay out strategies for innovative TCM drugs, TCM formula granules, and products related to classic prescriptions, an increasing number of TCM enterprises are participating in the competition for inclusion in the National Reimbursement Drug List.
Based on the on-site arrangements on the first day of this year and the pacing of previous national reimbursement negotiations, it appears that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) enterprises have advanced the schedule for their on-site negotiation sessions.
At around 8:55 a.m., the first batch of enterprises completed their negotiations relatively quickly and began to exit the venue one after another.
Cailianshe reporters observed that representatives from three companies, including China Resources Sanjiu, left in haste after completing their negotiations and did not stay to respond to media inquiries regarding the negotiation outcomes. The relevant personnel departed the site promptly once their waiting vehicles arrived. However, some corporate representatives displayed noticeable emotional changes upon exiting the venue.
"It was quite tense; I was even sweating," remarked one corporate representative casually to a Cailianshe reporter just after stepping out of the venue. Another representative, upon exiting, directly flashed a "V" sign to the crowd waiting outside, unable to hide their joy, before boarding a waiting vehicle to leave.
Notably, at around 12:00 p.m., although some corporate negotiation representatives left the venue later, they burst into laughter as soon as they stepped out the door, suggesting that despite prolonged negotiations, they ultimately achieved fairly satisfactory results. Sources at the scene indicated that these representatives were from Everest Medicines. In this year's initial review list for national reimbursement negotiations, Everest Medicines is seeking inclusion for two major new products—arginine erlotinib tablets and injectable eravacycline hydrochloride—while its budesonide enteric-coated capsules are up for renewal within the catalog.
Around 1:00 p.m., corporate representatives once again gathered outside the National People's Congress Conference Center in Beijing, with queues reforming outside the venue after a brief lull during the lunch break.
A Cailianshe reporter observed on site that$HENGRUI PHARMA (01276.HK)$、$Guangdong Hec Technology Holding (600673.SH)$、$Pfizer (PFE.US)$、$Novo-Nordisk A/S (NVO.US)$, Boehringer Ingelheim,$INNOVENT BIO (01801.HK)$、$SIMCERE PHARMA (02096.HK)$、$CSPC PHARMA (01093.HK)$、$Zhejiang Jingxin Pharmaceutical (002020.SZ)$、$Tonghua Golden-Horse Pharmaceutical Industry Co,Ltd (000766.SZ)$and other companies' negotiation representatives arrived successively and entered the venue one by one after identity verification.
According to incomplete statistics by Cailianshe reporters, approximately 20 companies participated in negotiation sessions during the afternoon.
Unlike the morning session, where traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) companies led with classic formulations, companies entering in the afternoon focused more on therapeutic areas related to chronic disease medications.
Among them,$SUNSHINE PHARMA (06887.HK)$Involving olugliflozin,$Pfizer (PFE.US)$Involving the new dual-indication drug for weight loss and diabetes, enoglucotide injection,$Tonghua Golden-Horse Pharmaceutical Industry Co,Ltd (000766.SZ)$and the Class 1 innovative Alzheimer's drug, anviacridine succinate tablets, have all passed the preliminary review.
601 medical insurance items passed the formal review, with "pre-communication" advancing the layout of national negotiations.
The National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) previously disclosed that a total of 664 generic drug names were submitted for the 2026 Basic Medical Insurance Catalog adjustment. Ultimately, 601 passed the formal review, comprising 368 drugs outside the current catalog and 233 within it. For the Commercial Health Insurance Innovative Drug Catalog, 62 generic drug names were submitted, with 58 passing formal review, including 57 outside the current catalog and 1 within it.
On July 31, the NHSA notified companies of the interim results from expert reviews. Some drugs advanced to stages such as 'proposed new additions via negotiation,' 'proposed new additions via bidding,' and 'proposed price consultations.' However, details such as the expert review pass rate were not publicly disclosed.
With the commencement of on-site operations today, this round of national reimbursement negotiations has officially entered the stage of on-site negotiation and consultation.
Judging from the preliminary review list,$Sichuan Biokin Pharmaceutical (688506.SH)$、$CARSGEN-B (02171.HK)$、$BeOne Medicines Ltd. (688235.SH)$、$Sunshine Guojian Pharmaceutical (688336.SH)$、$Chongqing Genrix Biopharmaceutical (688443.SH)$Several other leading domestic innovative pharmaceutical companies have also filed applications, with blockbuster products unveiled in hot sectors such as ADCs, bispecific antibodies, CAR-T, autoimmune diseases, and GLP-1.
A company representative told CLS Finance reporters on-site, "We have a newly approved drug and participated in the previous pre-communication meetings."
As stated by the company representative, the most distinct institutional feature of this year's national reimbursement negotiations is the comprehensive advancement of access milestones, quietly ushering in the era of "negotiating medical insurance coverage before market launch."
In February 2026, the NHSA issued the "Interim Measures for Pre-communication on Reference Drugs." By late March, the first batch received pre-communication materials for 31 Class 1 innovative drugs submitted by 27 companies. A second batch of 28 drugs subsequently completed assessment. In total, 59 innovative drugs established their pricing "anchors" prior to formal negotiations.
Meanwhile, the pre-submission mechanism introduced for the first time this year allows innovative drugs that have completed technical review but not yet received formal approval to participate in the submission process in advance. This has continuously advanced the timeline for companies to plan for national medical insurance inclusion, shifting the point of entry for medical insurance coverage earlier toward the approval and even the R&D stages.
An industry insider told a reporter from Cailian Press: "The implementation of the pre-communication method for reference drugs in this year's national price negotiations essentially constitutes an institutional correction to the temporal mismatch between regulatory review/approval and medical insurance inclusion. It enables companies to have clear expectations regarding pricing logic before entering the negotiation room, thereby reducing the unpredictability of on-site bargaining and making it easier for innovative drugs with genuine clinical value to achieve reasonable pricing."
Furthermore, according to the 2026 national price negotiation framework, companies may simultaneously apply for inclusion in both the National Basic Medical Insurance Drug List and the Commercial Insurance Innovative Drug List, or apply for the commercial insurance list separately. For products applying simultaneously, negotiations for basic medical insurance coverage will take place first; if unsuccessful, negotiations for commercial insurance coverage will follow. Innovative drugs with high clinical value that temporarily exceed the scope of "basic coverage" still have the opportunity to be included in the commercial insurance drug list.
Moreover, Huang Xinyu, Director of the Department of Pharmaceutical Services Management at the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA), previously stated clearly at a briefing on the national price negotiation work plan that high-value innovative drugs are encouraged to prioritize applications for the commercial insurance drug list during their initial market launch phase, noting that "as long as they are included in the commercial insurance list, there is always the possibility of transitioning to the basic medical insurance list."
This also implies that innovative drugs with high clinical value but which temporarily exceed the positioning of "basic coverage" can gradually transition through a pathway of "commercial insurance first, followed by basic medical insurance," thereby expanding payment options for innovative drugs.
The on-site negotiations and bidding for the current round of National Medical Insurance Drug List adjustments, along with price consultations for the Commercial Insurance Innovative Drug List, are expected to last four to five days. The new version of the directory is anticipated to be announced by the end of November and will officially take effect on January 1 of the following year. Reporters from Cailian Press will continue to provide live coverage from the national price negotiation site.
Editor/melody