Health officials are pushing a new initiative aimed at allaying
one of the nation's most vexing public concerns: excessive
medication costs.
The government wants to catalogue some 300 to 400 basic drugs to
be produced and distributed under government control and
supervision, Minister of Health, Gao Qiang told a ministry workshop
in Beijing Tuesday.
"Securing ample and consistent supply of these listed drugs at
an affordable price, the system recommended by the World Health
Organization, would substantially alleviate the economic strain of
drugs on people," Gao said.
His remarks came after the State Food and Drug Administration
(SFDA) named the first batch of 10 pharmaceutical manufacturers
designated to supply 18 kinds of medicines included in a guided
basic medication list issued by the nation's top drug watchdog last
year.
The move, SFDA said, would help lay the foundations to establish
the long anticipated national basic medicine system.
Designated manufacturers of basic prescription drugs would be
aided by "favorable tax and financial policies", to produce cheaper
drugs, SFDA said.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has capped
the cost of hundreds of drugs to control the soaring prices. But
drug companies have used loopholes enabling them to charge inflated
prices by simply changing drug names and packaging, Gao said.
Medicines have been big business for hospitals, with some drugs
sold up to 10 times the manufacturing price.
The Chinese government used to pay subsidies to hospitals
according to the number of patients they received.
Later, instead of getting subsidies, hospitals were allowed to
raise medicine prices by 15 percent to make a profit.
However, that resulted in soaring drug prices and doctors
sometimes reportedly sold medicine which was either unnecessary for
the patient or expensive.
(China Daily February 15, 2007)