China's health program to support financial burden on patients

A new round of China's bulk buy program for drugs will include 385 products from 234 companies in an effort to further reduce the financial burden of patients, according to the National Healthcare Security Administration.

The bulk buy program sees drug manufacturers cutting prices of generic drugs for large-volume contracts with public hospitals. The latest bidding was held in Shanghai on Thursday.

According to preliminary bidding results released on Friday, a total of 62 types of medicines have won bids, covering a number of fields including high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, infectious illnesses and mental health.

Among selected medications is a type of doxorubicin injection that is used to treat breast cancer. Compared with regular doxorubicin products, the injection has proved to cause fewer side effects.

China has so far launched ten rounds of centralized procurement programs for drugs since 2018, involving 435 types of medicines, according to the administration.

It is estimated that the move has saved the nation's medical insurance funds nearly 500 billion yuan ($68.6 billion).