Xinhua News Agency Client Chongqing, March 17 (Gu Xun, Bu Xianle, Wang Qiong) On March 16, a spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patient was successfully injected at the Army Specialty Medical Center (Daping Hospital) of the Army Medical University. The precision targeted therapy drug Nosinagen Sodium. He is the first adult patient in Chongqing to benefit from the inclusion of this “high-priced drug” with a price of nearly 700,000 yuan per injection into the medical insurance catalog. The Army Specialty Medical Center (Daping Hospital) is one of the first designated hospitals in Chongqing to have the right to use the drug.
12-year-old sick in a wheelchair for 3 years
The first patient in Chongqing who was treated with Nosinagen Sodium Injection was 18-year-old, and began to develop symptoms at the age of 12. The symptoms of bilateral lower limb weakness and muscle atrophy were diagnosed as spinal muscular atrophy by genetic diagnosis in 2018. Because there was no drug to cure at that time, in the following 3 years, his lower limbs gradually lost the ability to move, and his upper limbs also began to show symptoms of difficulty in lifting.
(The picture shows the first patient in Chongqing to receive Nosinagen Sodium Injection. Provided by Army Special Medical Center)
After the patient had been in a wheelchair for 3 years, the good news was that the “high-priced drug” was included in the medical insurance. After admission, the neurology treatment team of the Army Special Medical Center (Daping Hospital) fully evaluated the patient, and then successfully completed the treatment of lumbar puncture and intrathecal injection of nosinagen sodium.
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare autosomal recessive neuromuscular disorder caused by deletion or mutation of survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene Atrophy and weakness, followed by loss of swallowing and respiratory function.
Lower price of “high-priced drug” to benefit more patients
Nosinagen sodium is the world’s first approved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy in children and adults It is also the first imported drug approved for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy in my country. When it entered the Chinese market in 2019, the price of the drug was nearly 700,000 yuan per injection, and the expensive treatment cost had discouraged many patients.
In December 2021, the National Medical Insurance Administration announced that 74 new drugs will be included in the medical insurance, and the widely concerned “high-priced life-saving drug” Nosinason Sodium Injection is among them. After 8 rounds of “soul bargaining” negotiations, the drug was directly “cut” to 33,000 yuan per injection and entered the new version of the medical insurance drug list.
(The picture shows the patient being treated with Noxinarsen Sodium Injection. Provided by Army Specialty Medical Center)
“After being included in the medical insurance, the reimbursement ratio of Nosinagen Sodium Injection is large, coupled with the careful treatment of professional medical staff in the hospital, it is undoubtedly a good news for patients with spinal muscular atrophy.” Army Special Medical Center (Daping Hospital) Neurological Chen Yang, deputy chief physician of the Department of Internal Medicine, said. It is reported that a number of spinal muscular atrophy patients have contacted the hospital and are ready to receive Noxinagen Sodium Injection for treatment.
Source: Xinhua News Agency