Development and Reform Commission regulates drug prices: Formulation packaging can be changed, no price change in disguise

The NDRC's measures to monitor drug prices are increasing. Yesterday (December 1st), the National Development and Reform Commission issued the "Drug Spreads Comparison Rules" (hereinafter referred to as the "Rules") to further standardize the prices of medicines.

According to the reporter of the "Daily Economic News", the formal implementation of the "Rules" will further enhance the scientific and transparent pricing of the government, regulate the behavior of drug prices, and prevent companies from changing the formulation package, and will use the disguised price increase. Important role. In addition, according to the schedule announced earlier, on December 1st, the NDRC will also carry out an ex-factory price survey on the drugs within its pricing range.

Aimed at inhibiting the price change of drug companies

"Daily Economic News" reporter was informed that the NDRC's policy of adjusting drug prices is being introduced intensively. A few days ago, the National Development and Reform Commission also issued the "Measures for Examining the Prices of Pharmaceutical Products (Trial)".

The National Development and Reform Commission stated that pharmaceutical dosage forms, specifications, and packaging materials and forms have been continuously refurbished. Some enterprises have shied away from price controls by changing their dosage forms, specifications, or packaging, thus increasing the burden on social medicine.

In response to the above phenomenon, the "Rules" clearly stipulates the principles and methods for verifying the maximum retail prices for different formulations, specifications or packages of the same drug: First, the price of different formulations and specifications of the same drug should be based on the representative product. The specified differential parity relationship is approved, in which representative products are selected according to the principle of typical clinical use, reasonable price, and cost and supply and demand conditions. Second, drugs of the same active ingredient may not be formulated on the grounds of different names, different packaging materials, etc. Price, to prevent companies from changing the name disguised price increases; third is to provide a comparative relationship between the commonly used clinical formulations, to prevent companies from changing the dosage form irrational price increases; Fourth is to specify the different content, the amount of packaging, the number of packages between the parity Relationships prevent companies from unreasonably increasing prices by changing specifications and packaging.

The National Development and Reform Commission stated that the formulation of the "Rules" has been tried out for several years, and it clearly specifies the principles and methods for verifying the highest retail prices for different formulations, specifications or packages of the same drug. The formal implementation of the "Rules" will further enhance the scientific nature and transparency of government pricing. It will also play an important role in regulating the behavior of drug prices and restraining companies from changing the formulation package and increasing the price in disguised form.

According to Li Ling, a professor at the China Economic Research Center of the National Development Research Institute of Peking University, in recent years, the NDRC has reduced the maximum retail price of some drugs up to 28 times. On the other hand, “the price of drugs has fallen frequently, but the people have never felt any obvious feelings”.

The China Investment Advisors’ report on the pharmaceutical industry stated that the three-year journey of the new medical reform is nearing the end and that the target of the new medical reform has still not been completely resolved and the competent authorities are taking measures to speed up the search for ways to ease the “excessive drug prices”.

Payment methods need further reform

As early as November, the National Development and Reform Commission, the State Food and Drug Administration and other ministries and commissions have carried out the rectification of the drug safety order in 29 provinces and cities.

Professor Gu Zheng, a professor of Peking University School of Government and a professor of new medical reforms, told the reporter of “Daily Economic News” that at present, there are certain problems in the control measures for drug additions by the relevant departments, and in the face of the “only 15% increase” option, the majority Hospitals will choose to use more expensive drugs, in order to increase the hospital's income. “To quickly reduce drug prices is very simple, that is, to notify all hospitals of the provincial price of the bid - this is the final price of the winning price - the hospital can purchase and increase their own prices, but are not allowed to break through the "ceiling." So that the hospital Certainly will pick cheap drugs because the cheaper they earn, the more they will earn."

Li Ling said that lowering drug prices does not mean lowering drug charges, and the underlying causes of unreasonable drug use remain unchanged. The real burden on the people is high drug costs. It is not only reflected in the “price” and is reflected in the “quantity”. The deep-seated reason for “irrational use of medicine” still lies in the profit-seeking mechanism of hospitals and doctors. It is always the doctor who decides “demand” for patients.

To this, Li Ling stated that some doctors are motivated by economic interests. The “prescription right” in the hands of the doctor directly points to the patient’s pocket rather than the patient's health. The patient cannot distinguish between rational use of drugs and excessive use of drugs, and therefore can only be passive. accept.

"To solve the problem of high drug prices, the reform of payment methods is the fundamental solution," said Gu Wei.