White list to facilitate import of orphan drugs in Beijing

At a press conference on Friday, the government in Beijing announced plans for a whitelist to speed up the import of orphan drugs approved abroad but not yet registered in China. The whitelist includes medical institutions, urgently needed orphan drugs and import companies and is intended to shorten waiting times for patients.

Medical institutions can submit drug applications within the whitelist. Import companies benefit from a shortened approval period and warehouses in the Beijing Tianzhu Comprehensive Bonded Zone ensure a stable supply of drugs.

“There is a shift taking place: instead of patients waiting for medicine, medicine is now waiting for patients,” said Cao Wei, head of Beijing's municipal medical device administration.

Du Bin, deputy director of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said: “We have already applied for more than 50 urgently needed orphan drugs to the Beijing Municipal Medical Products Administration.”

Vosoritide, a much-needed drug for achondroplasia in children, was previously imported through temporary applications, causing delays. Ni Xin of Beijing Children's Hospital explained: “Thanks to previous facilitation measures in Beijing, it now takes about 30 working days for the hospital to access the drug, and the whitelisting will further speed up the process.”

According to the bonded zone, the first group of companies will soon be ready and placed on the whitelist, the administration said.

Liu Boqian contributed to this story.