Is Deflazacort already included in medical insurance?

Deflazacort is an oral corticosteroid drug used to treat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). It has long been approved in Europe and the United States for the long-term management of patients 2 years old and above. Its role is not to cure, but to prolong the patient's quality of life and motor independence by improving muscle strength and delaying motor function decline. In recent years, with the increasing global attention to rare diseases, the medical insurance coverage of deflazacort has gradually become a matter of great concern to clinical and patient families.

In the United States,Deflazacort was approved by the FDA as early as 2017 and has been included in some commercial insurance and Medicaid payment coverage. However, the price issue has caused great controversy. In the European market, due to policy support for rare disease drugs, it is partially or fully covered by the medical insurance systems of some countries, thus reducing the financial burden of long-term drug use on patients. In contrast, China's situation is relatively lagging behind. At present, the original drug of Deflazacort has not been officially launched in China, nor has it been included in the national medical insurance directory. This means that there is no unified price standard and medical insurance payment policy in China. If patients need to use drugs, they often rely on overseas drug purchase channels. Price fluctuations and the lack of stable supply increase the financial pressure on families.

As China has paid more attention to the approval of rare disease drugs in recent years, the State Food and Drug Administration has gradually accelerated the review of new drugs, and the establishment of the rare disease catalog has also created policy conditions for related drugs to enter medical insurance. Especially in the context of rising social attention to Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the possibility of deflazacort entering the domestic market and medical insurance catalog in the future is increasing. Once original drugs or generic drugs are approved in China, the negotiation of medical insurance policies will become the most anticipated aspect for patients.

Reference: https://www.drugs.com/mtm/deflazacort.html