Next-generation sequencing tests for precision cancer therapy might be covered by the National Health Insurance (NHI) from May, National Health Insurance Administration Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday.
About 830,000 people sought medical treatment for cancer in 2022, and the total NHI drug expense was about NT$39.2 billion (US$1.25 billion), of which 61.7 percent was spent on targeted therapy, Shih said while attending a conference on next-generation sequencing held by Taiwan Precision Medicine Society in Taipei.
The NHI covers 26 types of targeted therapy, aimed at 11 gene loci (fixed positions on a chromosome) and for the treatment of 10 types of cancer, he said.
Photo: CNA
Coverage for next-generation sequencing would mainly be for gene locus testing, he added.
The technology can examine multiple gene loci at once for 19 types of cancer, including non-small cell lung cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, ovarian cancer, fallopian tube cancer, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer of the liver), primary peritoneal cancer and prostate cancer.
The NHI plan would include three types of payment models: an independent payment for longer gene segments of the breast cancer 1 and breast cancer 2 genes, payment for a small set of fewer than 100 genes based on the most basic gene loci of each type of cancer, and payment for a large set of more than 100 gene loci, Shih said, adding that people can pay the difference in cost out of pocket according to their personal needs.
To be covered, the test results must be uploaded to the National Health Research Institutes’ database, he said.
Issues concerning the NHI-covered tests would be discussed in a specialists meeting on Feb. 6, and hopefully the policy can take effect in May or June, he said, adding that it is expected to cost about NT$600 million to NT$1 billion, and the budget might be expanded next year if possible.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS