People with two types of cancers who need treatment costing millions of New Taiwan dollars are now covered by the National Health Insurance (NHI) system.
From Nov. 1, people with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), one of the most common types of childhood cancer, or relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are covered if they meet certain criteria, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) announced last month.
The therapy for people with these cancers takes T cells and modifies them with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) so that they can recognize and destroy cancer cells.
Photo: CNA
It costs about NT$8.19 million (US$253,537), said Huang Yu-wen (黃育文), director of the NHIA’s Medical Review and Pharmaceutical Benefits Division.
Given the cost, the NHIA has limited coverage to two types of cancer patients and a period of up to two years, but discussions are to be held to decide if the coverage should last longer, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said.
The Food and Drug Administration previously approved the use of CAR T cell therapy for all people with B-ALL aged 25 or under and for people with DLBCL whose cancers have relapsed or not responded to first or second-line treatments.
To be eligible for NHI coverage under the new program, people with B-ALL must be aged 25 or under, have leukemia that has not responded to other treatments, have relapsed after a bone marrow transplant or have had more than one relapse.
People with DLBCL are eligible for coverage if their cancer has recurred or not responded to treatments considered to be second-line or higher.
Huang Wei-han (黃威翰), deputy director of Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital’s Cell Therapy Center, said that 15 to 20 percent of young people with B-ALL have relapses, and only 30 to 50 percent of those who have relapses survive for five years.
About half of adult cases relapse, and only 10 percent of them survive for five years, he said.
Last year, a 10-year-old girl who had been battling B-ALL for more than four years became the first person in Taiwan to be successfully treated using CAR T cell therapy, Huang said.
Meanwhile, bone marrow transplants do not work for roughly half of all people with DLBCL, and those diagnosed with a cancer that has not responded to treatment or whose cancer has relapsed after a bone marrow transplant have only a 20 percent chance of surviving for two years, he said.
Huang Tai-chung (黃泰中), an attending hematology physician at National Taiwan University Hospital and secretary-general of the Hematology Society of Taiwan, said that 40 percent of people with DLBCL become completely cancer free after receiving CAR T cell treatment, while 13 percent are partially cured.
“Even if their cancer is only partially cured, it means a lot to the patients,” because it can help prepare them for the next stage of treatment, he said.
Sixty percent of people with B-ALL whose bone marrow transplants have failed can be completely cured with CAR T cell treatment, Huang Tai-chung said.
People can receive CAR T cell treatment at seven hospitals in Taiwan: National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University Cancer Center, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital and Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Shih said.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
RSS