Pricing Authorities Cuts Medicine PricesChina has decided to cut the retail prices for some medicine by an average of 30 percent as of July 10, according to a news release issued Wednesday by the State Development Planning Commission (SDPC).The price cuts cover nine categories of 57 specifications, including interferon and some other antibiotics, SDPC said in the release. "New prices will save consumers 800 million yuan of medical fees annually," a SDPC official said, adding that the effort will also facilitate the government-initiated medical care reform in cities. The official attributed the price cuts mainly to lowered prices of raw-material-based medicines, lowered costs due to production expansion, and fierce market competition. The SDPC also will take more steps to narrow the space for kickbacks in medicine sales. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |