Hospital Authority expands subsidy for blood cancer drugs
發佈日期: 2026-05-06 23:25
TVB News
The Hospital Authority has expanded subsidies for specialised blood cancer medication.
An expensive oral targeted drug has been newly added to the government's designated drug category.
Eligible patients using the drug will see their annual medication cost slashed from more than 250,000 dollars to about 240 dollars.
Patients afflicted by acute lymphoblastic leukaemia or chronic myeloid leukaemia generally require targeted drug therapy as part of their treatment.
Since April, the Hospital Authority has reclassified Dasatinib from a self-financed drug to a designated subsidised medication.
Patients before had to shoulder around 250 to 500,000 dollars annually for the drug.
Now, they cost just 240 dollars.
The move is expected to benefit more than 400 patients.
The Hospital Authority anticipates around 50 million dollars in additional expenditure annually.
HA's Chief Pharmacist William Chui says Dasatinib is a second-generation blood cancer treatment drug.
It works faster with stronger efficacy than the previous generation with similar side effects.
It's also taken once a day, compared with one to two doses daily for the older medication.
Separately, the Hospital Authority has added 11 new drugs to its drug formulary since January 1st, including four targeted therapies for different types of cancer.
Among them, two newly listed drugs fall under the safety net funding category.
They include Glofitamab for treating lymphoma and Momelotinib for treating myelofibrosis.
More than 150 patients are expected to benefit.
Meanwhile, on New Year's Day this year, new medical charges took effect alongside relaxed eligibility requirements for medical fee assistance under the Samaritan Fund.
The number of approved cases involving non-Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients rose by about 15 percent in the first three months of this year.
