NEFECON(R) Included in National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL)

Views: 4131

HONG KONG, Nov 29, 2024 – (ACN Newswire) – On November 28, the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security announced the “National Reimbursement Drug List (2024)” (NRDL), which will officially take effect on January 1, 2025. NEFECON(R), the first etiological treatment for IgA nephropathy developed by Everest Medicines, was successfully included in the NRDL. This milestone signifies a breakthrough in advancing the standardization of IgAN treatment and improving accessibility and affordability, offering hope for millions of IgAN patients in China. NEFECON(R) has been prescribed in mainland China since May this year and has been approved in Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, South Korea and in Singapore under the trade name Nefegan(R).

NEFECON(R) is the first ever treatment for IgAN to receive full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the first non-oncology therapeutic to receive breakthrough therapy designation in China by the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), underscoring its globally leading position and exceptional clinical value. Recently, at the 2024 American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Annual Meeting, data from the open-label extension (OLE) phase of the NefIgArd Phase 3 trial demonstrated that patients undergoing a second course of NEFECON(R) treatment experienced similar benefits in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) preservation and proteinuria reduction as observed after the initial treatment, with good tolerance. These findings further validate the feasibility and efficacy of long-term treatment strategies, aligning with recommendations from the “KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for The Management Of Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy (IgAN) And Immunoglobulin A Vasculitis (IgAV)”, highlighting NEFECON(R)’s innovation and clinical value in IgAN treatment. NEFECON(R) was also listed as the only treatment proven to reduce the levels of pathogenic forms of IgA and IgA immune complexes.

IgAN is highly prevalent in Asia and is one of the main causes of kidney failure in young adults in China. Statistics show that with approximately 5 million IgAN patients in China and over 100,000 newly diagnosed patients annually, there is a significant unmet clinical demand. Since NEFECON(R)’s first prescription was issued in Mainland China in May 2024, the product has demonstrated strong market performance. According to Everest Medicines’ interim report, NEFECON(R) achieved RMB1.673 billion in sales within its first month, reflecting widespread recognition of its therapeutic benefits and the significant demand for innovative therapies among Chinese patients.

With NEFECON(R)’s successful inclusion in … Read More