Breakthrough in Access: Million-Dollar CAR-T Therapy Successfully Negotiated into China's Commercial Health Insurance Innovation Drug Directory

On the afternoon of November 2, 2025, at around 3 p.m., at the scene of the National Medical Insurance Catalogue live negotiations and commercial insurance innovative drug price consultations, Juventas CEO led the negotiation team out of the venue. Facing reporters' inquiries, she smiled and said, "We've reached an agreement!" Although the final result still needs to be officially announced by the National Healthcare Security Administration, this positive signal undoubtedly brings a historic turning point for the accessibility of the "astronomically priced" CAR-T gene-cell therapy drugs.

Notably, this year's adjustment to the medical insurance catalog has introduced the "dual-track system" reform for the first time — while continuing to optimize the national basic medical insurance catalog, it also initiates the selection and price negotiation of innovative drug lists for commercial health insurance. This institutional innovation has established a systematic access pathway for high-value innovative drugs that demonstrate significant clinical value but are temporarily unsuitable for the basic medical insurance framework due to their high costs.

CAR-T Gene Cell Therapy: A Breakthrough Yet Stymied by Cost

A turning point occurred in 2025, inAfter the first implementation of the "dual-track system" reform in the adjustment of the medical insurance catalogIncluding Juventas' Najiolumab Injection, IASO Biotherapeutics' Equecabtagene Autoleucel Injection, Fosun Kite's Axicabtagene Ciloleucel Injection, JW Therapeutics' Relmacabtagene Autoleucel Injection, and CARsgen Therapeutics' Zevorcabtagene Autoleucel Injection, five China-produced CAR-T drugs successfully passed the formal review for the commercial insurance innovative drug directory in September this year.

Among them, Juventas' Najiolumab Injection has been the first to report a "successful negotiation" in the commercial insurance catalog price consultation, marking a significant breakthrough for CAR-T therapy in payment. According to on-site reports, negotiations for the remaining four CAR-T drugs are also proceeding smoothly, with expectations that they will all be included in the 2025 Commercial Insurance Innovative Drug Catalog.

Industry experts pointed out that the "dual-track system" reform of the medical insurance catalog launched this year not only adheres to the inclusive principles of basic medical insurance—ensuring essential coverage, broad accessibility, and sustainability—but also reserves room for pharmaceutical innovation. Through commercial insurance catalogs, some high-value innovative drugs that are not yet included in the basic medical insurance reimbursement scope may achieve wider patient access via commercial insurance, effectively filling the coverage gaps of basic medical insurance.

As the negotiation results are about to be announced, high-priced innovative therapies represented by CAR-T drugs are ushering in a major transformation in the payment system. This will not only benefit more patients in urgent need of medication but also inject strong momentum into the continuous innovation of China's biopharmaceutical industry.

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