China's National Health Commission is planning to create a national adjuvant drug list combined with regulatory guidelines to curb their use, according to a notice by the regulator.

Adjuvant drugs are treatments applied to initial therapies as supplements. The state regulator will outline a national adjuvant drug list after provincial governments submit their lists of the top 20 best sold adjuvant drugs in their regions. The provincial regulators are asked to submit their lists by Dec. 31.

Provincial governments will also come up with their own list of adjuvant drugs within 10 workdays after the state regulator unveils the national list.

The state health regulator also plans to amend the national list more than once every year.

The state regulator said in the notice that tightening regulations on the use of adjuvant drugs is necessary to curb growing medical expenses at public hospitals.