The Hospital Authority will expand the scope of the Drug Formulary so more patients can pay for special drugs at standard fees and charges.

In a measure outlined in this year’s Budget, the Government will provide an additional recurrent subvention of $400 million for the move, with a view to include more drugs for patients.

Announcing the details today, the authority said there will be 19 categories of drugs which will be subsidised.

Patients used to pay for these expensive drugs at their own expense.

Under the new measures, qualified patients can buy these drugs at standard fees and charges in public hospitals and clinics.

Patients with various psychiatric and chronic diseases can benefit from the initiative.

Speaking at a press conference today, Hospital Authority Drug Formulary Committee Chairman Dr Wilson Lao said: “Normally, we will judge according to the safety of the drug first of all, and then the efficacy and thirdly the cost effectiveness of the drug.

“We will consider the reference from the international guidelines and also the information from the use of the drugs in real clinical practice, as well as the wish from the patient groups as well.”

The new measure will be launched from April and the authority expects more than 50,000 patients will benefit from it.