Financing, Pricing, and Utilization of Pharmaceuticals in China : The Road to Reform
This paper examines the financing, pricing, and utilization of pharmaceuticals in China the pharmaceutical system as it has evolved, and some changes that would improve it in the context of the national health reform process. The present paper buil...
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| Format: | Policy Note |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC
2017
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/933311468216270181/Main-report http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27598 |
| Summary: | This paper examines the financing,
pricing, and utilization of pharmaceuticals in China the
pharmaceutical system as it has evolved, and some changes
that would improve it in the context of the national health
reform process. The present paper builds upon earlier
critical reviews and other papers published in the series
china health policy notes. The paper is divided into four
parts. The first section provides an overview of the Chinese
pharmaceutical market: how the sector has grown;
China's position in the global market; and size,
composition, and trends in the domestic market. The second
section examines the evolution and status of China's
system of essential medicines, an area emphasized in the
government's health reform plan announced in April
2009. It shows how the use of essential medicines has
evolved over the two decades since the idea was formally
adopted, and discusses why practice has fallen far short of
the ideal. The third section looks at the issue that
dominates today's debate: managing high pharmaceutical
costs. It reviews the components of drug pricing,
underscoring the argument that there is considerable scope
for reducing prices. It looks at government attempts to
control drug prices, and suggests why they did not succeed.
Finally, the fourth section suggests measures to re-chart
the path to reform. |
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