Improving access to medicines: lessons from 10 years of drug reforms in China, 2009–2020
China initiated its healthcare reform in 2009 to provide accessible and affordable healthcare to all. We summarised China’s drug reforms between 2009 and 2020 using the WHO framework. China has initiated comprehensive drug policies to address different issues, including: (1) issuing or amending majo...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2022-11-01
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| Series: | BMJ Global Health |
| Online Access: | https://gh.bmj.com/content/7/11/e009916.full |
| _version_ | 1811223809062076416 |
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| author | Elias Mossialos Wen Chen Hongli Jiang Wenhui Mao |
| author_facet | Elias Mossialos Wen Chen Hongli Jiang Wenhui Mao |
| author_sort | Elias Mossialos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | China initiated its healthcare reform in 2009 to provide accessible and affordable healthcare to all. We summarised China’s drug reforms between 2009 and 2020 using the WHO framework. China has initiated comprehensive drug policies to address different issues, including: (1) issuing or amending major regulations with changes in institutional settings; (2) implementing the marketing authorisation holder system and bioequivalence assessment to improve the quality of drugs; (3) leveraging accelerated market approval and insurance listing to encourage needs-driven innovation and improve the access to new drugs; (4) introducing compulsory licensing to address major public health threats when needed; (5) scaling up the National Essential Medicine Policy and introducing pharmacoeconomic evaluation in National Reimbursable Drug List to promote rational use of medicine and evidence-based selection; (6) applying differentiated pricing strategies and scaling up zero mark-up policies to form a new financing mechanism; (7) adapting bulk procurement and placing strict regulations on the supply chain management to ensure supply and reduce the cost; (8) empowering pharmacists to improve the rational use of medicine; and (9) using procurement and supply chain digital platforms to inform decision and improve efficiency. China’s drug reform has adopted a phased and systemic approach that mobilises multiple policy levers including governance, regulation and financing. Despite the progress, emerging challenges in implementation, coordination and capacity need to be addressed. Cross-cutting lessons from China’s drug reforms include aligning the drug reform with the overall health reforms, adapting a systemic approach that mobilised policy levers and stakeholders and informing policy decision by conducting pilot studies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T08:39:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-631e4bb334784bb092ea629be0aa2352 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2059-7908 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T08:39:30Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Global Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-631e4bb334784bb092ea629be0aa23522022-12-22T03:39:56ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Global Health2059-79082022-11-0171110.1136/bmjgh-2022-009916Improving access to medicines: lessons from 10 years of drug reforms in China, 2009–2020Elias Mossialos0Wen Chen1Hongli Jiang2Wenhui Mao3Department of Health Policy, London School of Economics, London, UKDepartment of Health Economics, Fudan University School of Public Health, Shanghai, ChinaDepartment of Health Economics, Fudan University School of Public Health, Shanghai, ChinaDepartment of Health Economics, Fudan University School of Public Health, Shanghai, ChinaChina initiated its healthcare reform in 2009 to provide accessible and affordable healthcare to all. We summarised China’s drug reforms between 2009 and 2020 using the WHO framework. China has initiated comprehensive drug policies to address different issues, including: (1) issuing or amending major regulations with changes in institutional settings; (2) implementing the marketing authorisation holder system and bioequivalence assessment to improve the quality of drugs; (3) leveraging accelerated market approval and insurance listing to encourage needs-driven innovation and improve the access to new drugs; (4) introducing compulsory licensing to address major public health threats when needed; (5) scaling up the National Essential Medicine Policy and introducing pharmacoeconomic evaluation in National Reimbursable Drug List to promote rational use of medicine and evidence-based selection; (6) applying differentiated pricing strategies and scaling up zero mark-up policies to form a new financing mechanism; (7) adapting bulk procurement and placing strict regulations on the supply chain management to ensure supply and reduce the cost; (8) empowering pharmacists to improve the rational use of medicine; and (9) using procurement and supply chain digital platforms to inform decision and improve efficiency. China’s drug reform has adopted a phased and systemic approach that mobilises multiple policy levers including governance, regulation and financing. Despite the progress, emerging challenges in implementation, coordination and capacity need to be addressed. Cross-cutting lessons from China’s drug reforms include aligning the drug reform with the overall health reforms, adapting a systemic approach that mobilised policy levers and stakeholders and informing policy decision by conducting pilot studies.https://gh.bmj.com/content/7/11/e009916.full |
| spellingShingle | Elias Mossialos Wen Chen Hongli Jiang Wenhui Mao Improving access to medicines: lessons from 10 years of drug reforms in China, 2009–2020 BMJ Global Health |
| title | Improving access to medicines: lessons from 10 years of drug reforms in China, 2009–2020 |
| title_full | Improving access to medicines: lessons from 10 years of drug reforms in China, 2009–2020 |
| title_fullStr | Improving access to medicines: lessons from 10 years of drug reforms in China, 2009–2020 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improving access to medicines: lessons from 10 years of drug reforms in China, 2009–2020 |
| title_short | Improving access to medicines: lessons from 10 years of drug reforms in China, 2009–2020 |
| title_sort | improving access to medicines lessons from 10 years of drug reforms in china 2009 2020 |
| url | https://gh.bmj.com/content/7/11/e009916.full |
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