Two Innovative Drugs from Nanjing Jiangbei New Area Included in China's First Commercial Health Insurance Drug List

Source: Yangtze Evening News

Recently, the National Healthcare Security Administration released the "National Basic Medical Insurance, Maternity Insurance, and Work-related Injury Insurance Drug Catalog (2025)" (National Medical Insurance Drug Catalog) and the "Commercial Health Insurance Innovative Drug Catalog (2025)" (Commercial Insurance Innovative Drug Catalog). Notably, Enzesu® (Suvizumab for Injection) from Simcere, and Paishuning® (Ceralasib Capsules) from IMPACT Therapeutics, both located in the Nanjing Biopharmaceutical Valley of Jiangbei New Area in Nanjing, were included in the National Medical Insurance Drug Catalog for the first time. Additionally, Fukechu® (Equecabtagene Autoleucel Injection) from IASO Bio and Zanbijia® (Lurbinectedin for Injection) from Nanjing Luye successfully entered the Commercial Insurance Innovative Drug Catalog. It is worth noting that the two drugs selected for the inaugural national commercial insurance catalog, which are from Jiangbei New Area, stand out.

Benefiting People's Livelihood: Two Innovative Drugs

Advance into the National Medical Insurance Catalog

Endostar® is the first vascular-targeted therapeutic drug approved in China for the full population of platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer. It was approved for marketing by the National Medical Products Administration on June 30, 2025, for use in combination with chemotherapy to treat recurrent ovarian cancer, fallopian tube cancer, or primary peritoneal cancer that has failed platinum-based treatment. Produced at the antibody facility of Simcere Zaiming located in the Nanjing Biopharmaceutical Valley in Jiangbei New Area, the production capacity and supply chain layout have been completed. Relying on the company’s marketing network covering over 2,000 hospitals across China, rapid access to the drug can be ensured.

Suvucitamab is a recombinant humanized anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody that precisely blocks the VEGF pathway through differentiated molecular epitope design. Preclinical studies have shown that its inhibitory capability on the binding of VEGF to its receptor is stronger than that of similar monoclonal antibodies, demonstrating more significant anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor effects in models.

Based on its outstanding clinical data, the "NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines for Ovarian Cancer – China Edition" published by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network in November 2025 has listed Suvizumab as the first-line treatment option for platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer. It has also received Class I or strong recommendations from multiple authoritative guidelines in China, establishing itself as the new standard in this field of treatment.

Senaparib, a novel and highly effective PARP1/2 inhibitor independently developed by IMPACT Therapeutics, features a unique molecular structure that grants it high activity both in vitro and in vivo, along with high target selectivity and a broad safety window. Results from its Phase III registrational study, the FLAMES Study, indicate that maintenance therapy with senaparib significantly extends the median progression-free survival (mPFS) in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Notably, patients benefit from senaparib treatment regardless of whether they have breast cancer susceptibility gene (BRCA) mutations. Additionally, senaparib demonstrates good tolerability and manageable safety. The study data were published in the prestigious international medical journal *Nature Medicine* in May 2024.

In January 2025, Senaparib received approval from the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for marketing in China. It is indicated for maintenance treatment in adult patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer, fallopian tube cancer, or primary peritoneal cancer who have achieved complete or partial response to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Just 72 hours after successfully obtaining its drug registration certificate, Senaparib was prescribed for the first time nationwide in China, rapidly transforming innovative achievements into clinical value accessible to patients.

The inclusion of these two drugs directly addresses the urgent needs of ovarian cancer patients. Through the leverage of national medical insurance payments, the financial burden on patients will be significantly reduced, enhancing their hope for life.

Leading the Frontiers: Cutting-edge Therapy Selected

First Edition of the Commercial Insurance Innovative Drug Directory

The first-ever list of innovative drugs covered by commercial insurance, introduced this year, includes 19 drugs. Two innovative drugs from companies in the Jiangbei New Area have made the list.

The launch of the Commercial Insurance Innovative Drug List not only addresses the current pain point of "difficulty surviving outside of basic medical insurance" for innovative drugs, but also establishes a multi-layered payment system in the long term, where "basic medical insurance covers the essentials, and commercial insurance supports innovation."

On June 30, 2023, the injection of Idecabtagene Vicleucel (Focuxin®) was approved for marketing by the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). It is used to treat adult patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/RMM) who have progressed after at least three prior lines of therapy (including at least one proteasome inhibitor and one immunomodulatory agent).

Idecabtagene Vicleucel Injection is China's first CAR-T drug independently developed and fully produced in-house. Since the approval and market launch of Focusa®, it has not only achieved regulatory progress in multiple countries and regions due to its significant efficacy and safety, but also attracted patients from over a dozen countries and regions worldwide to come to China for treatment with this therapy.

Zanbega® (Lurbinectedin for Injection) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic small cell lung cancer (SCLC) whose disease has progressed during or after platinum-based chemotherapy.

No new drugs have been available for second-line treatment of SCLC for a long time, and there has been no significant breakthrough in efficacy for more than two decades. Zanbex® achieves a breakthrough in its mechanism of action: as an RNA polymerase II inhibitor, it not only directly kills tumor cells but also remodels the immune microenvironment and enhances anti-tumor immune responses, breaking the limitations of traditional chemotherapy and filling the long-standing treatment gap where no new drugs were available. Currently, Zanbex® has been listed as a Level I recommendation for second-line treatment of extensive-stage SCLC in the "CSCO Small Cell Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines (2025 Edition)" and has been recommended by authoritative international guidelines such as NCCN and ESMO, becoming the new standard for second-line treatment of SCLC.

The establishment of the Commercial Insurance Innovative Drug List precisely addresses the pain point of innovative drugs struggling to survive outside the basic medical insurance system. It complements the basic medical insurance, jointly forming a multi-level health security system that combines "basic protection" with "innovative protection," providing crucial market access and value recognition channels for source innovations like those from the Medicine Valley.

Reporters Jiang Xiaobei, Yangzi Evening News/Ziniu News Reporter Liu Liyuan

Proofread by Hu Yanlu