Investigation and analysis of the current status and challenges in importing rare disease drugs in China
- VernacularTitle:我国罕见病药品进口现状及挑战的调研分析
- Author:
Jingjing WU
1
,
2
;
Qinning SU
1
;
Xueyi TAO
1
;
Yufei YANG
1
,
2
;
Ningying MAO
1
Author Information
1. School of International Medicine Business，China Pharmaceutical University，Nanjing 211198，China
2. Research Center of National Drug Policy & Pharmaceutical Industry Economics，China Pharmaceutical University，Nanjing 211198，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
rare disease;
drug importation;
policy recommendations;
China
- From:
China Pharmacy
2025;36(17):2097-2101
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To analyze the current status and challenges in importing rare disease drugs in China， providing references for optimizing the import process and improving relevant policies. METHODS Questionnaires and interviews were conducted with stakeholders involved in rare disease drug importation， including government departments， multinational pharmaceutical enterprises， healthcare institutions， and patient organizations. This explored the current situation and challenges encountered by each party. Expert opinions were synthesized to propose improvement suggestions. RESULTS A questionnaire survey of representatives from 25 multinational pharmaceutical companies in the rare disease field revealed that these companies had a strong willingness to import rare disease drugs， with 58.33% of them practicing diverse import models. However， significant challenges hindered this process， including unclear regulations （54.17%）， complex approval procedures （45.83%）， and excessively long approval cycles （41.67%）， negatively impacting their motivation. Meanwhile， interviews with 13 experts from government departments， healthcare institutions， pharmaceutical enterprises， and patient organizations identified deficiencies in policy design， approval processes， sampling inspection costs， and communication efficiency with regulators. Additionally， the drug import model in special medical zones also required improvement. CONCLUSIONS The importation of rare disease drugs in China faces challenges such as incomplete policies， inflexible regulatory mechanisms， and insufficient communication channels. It is recommended to enhance the rare disease definition criteria， optimize import incentive policies， and refine regulatory models， so as to further optimize the import process of rare disease drugs and improve relevant policies.
