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New Graft Probes Cast Shadow Over China's Drug Pricing, Reimbursement Systems

'Constant Improvement' Needed

 
• By Brian Yang

While new legislation has pushed prescription drug pricing high up the political agenda for US lawmakers, the issue has also come into the spotlight again for Chinese regulators, which have just launched new investigations into two officials. While the two countries are taking drastically different routes to tackling pricing, the developments show compliance risks remain high in China.

Chinese currency RMB
CHINA TOUTS 50% DRUG PRICE CUTS BUT MECHANISM NEEDS CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, EXPERTS SAY • Source: Shutterstock

Drug prices are top of policymakers’ minds in the US, where Senate Democrats have just passed legislation authorizing Medicare price negotiation, amid opposition from Republicans and the pharma industry. The bill is particularly significant given attempts by the previous and current administrations to reign in soaring drug prices, and a legal pathway is now finally in sight.

Unlike the US, China is tackling the issue of drug prices through two approaches - one is centralized tenders, or Jicai, which target off-patent products, and the other is national drug price negotiation, or Guotan, which can be applied

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