Over the past 7 years, national centralized drug procurement has covered 435 drug varieties, effectively safeguarding people's livelihoods. The rules for the 11th round, released on September 20, establish a "supply-demand bridge" through multi-dimensional adjustments to balance medication security and industry development. Key points are as follows:

I. Stabilizing Clinical Practice: Precise Supply-Demand Matching

Volume Declaration Features: Over 46,000 medical institutions participated in volume declaration, with nearly 80% specifying required brands. Jiang Changsong, Assistant Director of the National Healthcare Security Research Institute at Capital Medical University, noted that this will enhance the alignment between drug supply and clinical needs, and ensure the continuity of clinical medication.

Procurement Volume Rules: 80% of the declared volume is set as the contracted procurement volume for conventional varieties; for special varieties such as glucocorticoids and antibacterial drugs, the proportion is reduced to 60%-70%.

Innovative Mechanisms: A "revival" channel is added for unselected enterprises—enterprises with high demand for their drugs can be supplementary selected if they accept the winning price; price restrictions on child-friendly small-dose formulations are relaxed to encourage supply and improve medication safety and convenience.

II. Ensuring Quality: Fortifying Access Thresholds

Qualification Upgrading: Bidding enterprises must have over 2 years of production experience in similar dosage forms, and their production lines must comply with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) without violations in the past 2 years. Zheng Yi, Director of the National Joint Procurement Office, stated that this aims to comprehensively assess enterprises' quality control capabilities.

Winning Priority: When quotations are the same, enterprises with larger declared volumes or no major production changes are prioritized for selection.

III. Preventing Collusion: Breaking Interest Alliances

Affiliation Identification: Enterprises with close ties in equity, management, etc., are deemed as one entity for bidding.

Severe Punishment Mechanism: Enterprises involved in collusive bidding are included in the "violation list" and subject to the strictest penalties in accordance with the medical price and procurement credit evaluation system.

Incentive Measures: An innovative "leniency for first disclosure" mechanism is introduced—enterprises that first provide clues or voluntarily admit to collusion can be dealt with leniently in accordance with laws and regulations.

IV. Discouraging Involution: Regulating Competitive Order

Price Control: If the lowest quotation is 50% below the average winning price, 50% of the average winning price is used as the "anchor" for price difference control; "floor prices" are set for low-priced varieties; enterprises must commit that quotations are not below costs, and those with excessively low quotations must explain the rationality.

Winning Expectations: The qualification rate remains stable at around 60%, and the actual winning rate will further increase with the addition of the revival rule.

Professor Lu Yun from the International School of Pharmaceutical Business at China Pharmaceutical University pointed out that the rule adjustments fully incorporate opinions from all parties, with the goal of enabling patients to access high-quality and affordable drugs. Centralized procurement is becoming increasingly open and transparent, and through scientific design, it will promote the return of drug prices to their intrinsic value.

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The source of this article：news.PharmNet.com.cn