General Office of the State Council issued the "Several Opinions on Improving the Drug Pricing Mechanism."

Recently, the State Council issued the "Several Opinions on Improving the Drug Pricing Mechanism" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"), emphasizing the decisive role of the market in resource allocation, better government intervention, effective service in the construction of a unified national drug market, establishment of a market-oriented drug pricing mechanism, support for the high-quality development of the pharmaceutical industry, and ensuring the public's access to high-quality and affordable drugs. According to the different stages after a drug is launched, the "Opinions" propose measures such as optimizing the pricing mechanism for innovative drugs and new drugs, guiding drug pricing through medical insurance payment standards, establishing a centralized quantity procurement pricing mechanism for drugs, and improving the management of drug listing prices to refine the key aspects of drug pricing policies. In terms of different distribution channels for drugs, the "Opinions" specify measures such as leveraging the professional role of medical institutions, guiding pharmacies to reasonably set drug retail prices, utilizing the online drug store price discovery function, and encouraging all types of entities to participate in price formation. In different fields of drugs, the "Opinions" emphasize promoting diversified payment methods for innovative drugs, strengthening the supply and stability of shortage drugs, enhancing the management of anesthesia drugs and psychiatric drugs prices, regulating the pricing behavior of drug raw materials, and guiding the prices of key drugs to remain at a reasonable level. The "Opinions" require strengthening drug price governance, implementing drug price risk warning, establishing a drug price risk disposal system, preventing the impact of irrational bidding on supply, cracking down on illegal behaviors such as forced price increases in the production and operation of drugs and raw materials, enhancing comprehensive audit supervision in the pharmaceutical field, and establishing a drug value assessment system for medical insurance to guide drug prices to operate within a reasonable range. (End) This article is reproduced from Xinhua News Agency. Editor: Chen Wenfang.