Published on: 2026-07-10
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
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Beijing, July 10 /Xinhua/ — On Thursday, China released an updated version of the national list of essential medicines, which includes 794 drugs and serves as a guide for stocking and prescribing medications in medical institutions. The latest update was carried out eight years after the publication of the previous version of the document in 2018.
According to the State Health Commission /SHC/ of the People’s Republic of China, essential medicines are those drugs that meet the basic healthcare needs of the country, characterized by reliable supply, equal access, and relatively high economic efficiency.
According to preliminary estimates, the drugs included in the updated list account for 71 percent of the volume of use of stocked medicines in state medical institutions across the country, said a senior official of the GCZ, Gun Xianguan.
The new list will come into force on September 1, 2026. According to the State Administration of Medical Security of China, all medicines added during the current update of the aforementioned list belong to the category of drugs covered by medical insurance.
According to Hu Xing, the chief pharmacist of Beijing Hospital, 68 types of chemical and biological drugs were added to the list as part of this adjustment, with the main focus on diseases with high incidence rates and those commonly encountered in primary healthcare facilities, including diabetes and hypertension.
“This provides doctors with more options for choosing medications when treating patients and will meet patients’ needs for medications in various situations,” he added.
The new list has been supplemented with 31 medicinal products suitable for use in pediatric practice, of which 5 were specifically developed for pediatric use. Now, the updated list includes 317 drugs with clearly specified dosages and methods of administration for children, including 22 drugs intended exclusively for pediatric departments.
China published its first national list of essential medicines in 1982 and has updated it three times — in 2009, 2012, and 2018 — since the start of the new phase of reforms in medical and health systems in 2009. The current revision of the list is the fourth since 2009. -0-
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