Business News Agency August 10 hearing less than six months, the National Development and Reform Commission on drug pricing alone again.

Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission issued a notice deciding to reduce the maximum retail prices of some hormones, endocrine and nervous system drugs, etc., starting from September 1, involving a total of 82 varieties and more than 400 dosage forms.

Yang Changshun, a drug marketing expert, said that in this price adjustment, the individually priced drugs involved have a very good price maintenance policy. Unlike ordinary drugs, the actual sales price and the maximum retail price are not much different. Therefore, this reduction can be considered as a real price reduction.

Guo Fanli, a research fellow in the pharmaceutical industry at China Investment Advisors Co., Ltd., said that compared with past drug price adjustments, the average 14% decline can be described as a "soft knife." Due to the low price cuts, it can only be said to cause a certain impact on foreign pharmaceutical companies, further narrowing the price gap between ordinary drugs and individually priced drugs, and promoting fair competition in the market.

Foreign drug price adjustment "protagonist"

Since 1998, the price cut is the 28th administrative revision of the drug prices by the National Development and Reform Commission, and this is the second time this year. The price-cutting drugs are mainly hormones, endocrine and nervous system drugs. In response to this price cut, the person in charge of the National Development and Reform Commission explained that the use of such drugs has a wide range of uses and a long period, and reducing the price can effectively reduce the burden on patients.

Song Dacai, director of the Department of Medical Price of the Department of Price of the National Development and Reform Commission, gave an example, saying that people with diabetes need to use drugs for life. The price adjustment has lowered the maximum retail price limit for recombinant human insulin injection by 11%, equivalent to a direct reduction in expenditure for each patient of 300 yuan per year. Left and right; epilepsy patients also need long-term medication, this time the price adjustment will be commonly used valproate lower the maximum retail price of 10%, equivalent to each patient can directly reduce the annual expenditure of about 240 yuan.

Unlike in the past, foreign drugs became the protagonist in the two price cuts this year. In March this year, the National Development and Reform Commission issued a notice to adjust the price of medicines in 162 varieties and nearly 1300 formulations. The price cuts were mainly based on antibiotics and circulatory system drugs for the treatment of infections and cardiovascular diseases. Due to the majority of foreign drugs in the above categories of drugs, the move appears to be an “opportunity” for foreign drugs.

According to the official website of the National Development and Reform Commission, there are 96 dosage forms for the individually priced drugs involved in this price adjustment. According to the “Daily Economic News” statistics, only 17 of them are domestic pharmaceuticals, accounting for less than 18% of the total. The domestic listed company Shuanghe Pharmaceutical, Taiji Group Liling Pharmaceutical, Livzon Group Livzon Pharmaceutical Factory, Jiangsu Changzhou Qianhong Biochemical Pharmaceuticals have two or three individually priced drugs.

More than 80% of the remaining drugs are foreign-funded or joint-venture drug companies. "Obviously, the NDRC once again reduced the price of some drugs. Foreign drugs are still the protagonist," Guo Fanli told reporters.

Smaller decline has little effect on pharmaceutical companies

Yang Changshun, a drug marketing expert, said that, unlike ordinary drugs, individually priced drugs have a very good price maintenance policy, and their actual sales price is not much different from the maximum retail price. At the same time, due to separate pricing, foreign drugs are more competitive in the competition of similar drugs and generally occupy a larger market share. Therefore, the price cuts can be considered as real price cuts, and the people’s medical expenses will be correspondingly reduced. cut back.

In response to this price cut, the China National Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment in Drug Development and Development Industry Committee (RDPAC) responded to the “Daily Economic News” that in recent years, the manpower, raw materials, and hydropower costs of pharmaceutical companies have increased year by year, and the entire industry in 2010 The profits realized by nearly 5,000 enterprises are only about 100 billion yuan, which is still less than the profit realized by a large-scale central enterprise. At the same time, the implementation of the new version of GMP also requires companies to further increase their investment in quality. Continuously lowering the price of drugs will bring greater difficulties to the promotion of China's pharmaceutical industry from imitation to innovation, and it may also increase the potential of drug safety for patients. risk.

“Reducing drug prices alone does not completely solve the problem of expensive medical services. Only by continuously deepening the reform of the medical system and making the operation of the entire system more scientific and efficient can we fundamentally solve the problem,” said RDPAC at the end of the e-mail.

Unlike the ambiguous opposition of RDPAC, many people in the industry believe that the 14% decline is too gentle.

Yang Changshun said that although the price reduction is real, the decline is not significant, and foreign pharmaceutical companies have generally had little impact. Guo Fanli also believes that the average rate of decline of 14% can be described as a "soft knife". This only further reduces the spread between ordinary drugs and individually priced drugs and promotes fair competition in the market.

Guo Fanli also stated that price cuts are not necessarily a bad thing for foreign pharmaceutical companies, because foreign pharmaceutical companies can enter the medical markets of third- and fourth-tier cities that have never been entered before, and use "amount premium" to eliminate drug price cuts. Its adverse effects.