Prices of cancer drugs have been lowered, foreign-funded hospitals have settled here, and multiple health experiences have been introduced to ordinary Chinese households…As China's pharmaceutical industry continues to open to the outside world at a faster pace, the launch of new and effective drugs that benefit the people is accelerating. More foreign and multinational pharmaceutical companies have settled in China, sharing the huge dividends brought by China's greater opening-up.

Experts pointed out that as China opens wider to the outside world in the field of medicine, it will not only meet Chinese people's growing needs for medical services, but also encourage domestic enterprises to meet international standards and learn from international experience, so as to boost the high-quality development of the medical industry and meet the people's needs for a better life.

Zero tariff on anti-cancer drugs expedites the expansion of imported drugs

A small tablet has always pulled at patients' heartstrings, also witnessed China's opening up to the outside world.

In the past, facing the high price of life-saving drugs, patients tend to cannot afford to wait and cannot afford to use, and cross-border online shopping and online shopping Now, with the implementation of the new zero-tariff policy on cancer drugs and the acceleration of the approval of imported drugs, the upstream and downstream obstacles have been removed, and anti-cancer drug issue is being solved at a faster space.

--Expanding drug imports, helping more patients with severe diseases get access to drugs

Imposing zero tariff on anti-cancer drugs is the key to expanding the import of drugs. After conducting a survey, the reporter found that when Bevacizumab was included the medical insurance reimbursement, it still costs about RMB 10,000 for a course of injection, totaling RMB 170,000-180,000 a year. If zero tariff policy is implemented, it is expected to save patients nearly RMB 7,000 a year in drug costs.

--Expanding drug imports is the achievement the drug watchdog made in expediting the review and approval

Li Jinju, head of pharmaceutical registration department under China's National Drug Administration, said that China approved 19 anti-cancer drugs for import in 2017, up 280% from 2014. The average time for approving clinical trials of imported anti-cancer drugs was 114 days, 129 days shorter. The average time to approve imported anti-cancer drugs on the market was 111 days, 309 days shorter.

Imposing zero tariff on anti-cancer drugs is just the first step. In the future, China will continue to release the benefits of imported drugs. The Health Insurance Department under the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has started negotiations on anti-cancer drugs that have not been included in the medical insurance, and is making a working plan now.

Dozens of foreign-funded institutions take root in China, a pattern of diversified medical services takes shape

"There has been a lot of good news lately, for example, the evaluation, review and approval of drugs urgently needed in clinical practices was accelerated, the State Council delegated some power to review and approve the import of medical devices to Hainan Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, and zero tariff policy on ant-cancer drugs was implemented. These moves will help change the situation where the launch of imported drugs on China's market was five to eight years later than that in Europe and the United States, and will also help foreign hospitals provide high-quality medical services for patients." Speaking of the opening up of China's medical industry, Roberta Lipson, founder and CEO of the United Family Healthcare, a Sino-American joint cooperation medical institutions, was deeply impressed.

Roberta Lipson first came to China in 1979 and the United Family Healthcare was founded in 1997. Benefiting from China's reform and opening up, the United Family Healthcare has set up hospitals and clinics in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou over the past 20 years, serving an average of more than 2,000 people every day.

"20 years ago, 99% people who came to the United Family Healthcare for medical treatment were foreigners, almost none of them Chinese. Now 60% are Chinese, which reflects both rising consumption levels of Chinese people and policy openness", Roberta Lipson said.

The rapid changes in China's medical services are also attracting foreign doctors. "China's opening up is excellent and it doesn't bother foreign doctors." A Canadian otolaryngologist from Shanghai Lanhai Medical Center said that he decided to bring his experience of foreign medical services to China as the management level of medical services in China is improving and the medical needs of the public is growing.

With the rapid opening of China's medical market, more and more foreign medical institutions are entering China or cooperating with local medical institutions.

According to statistics of the National Health Commission, as of January this year, China has a total of 60 Sino-foreign joint venture and cooperative medical institutions which are mainly distributed in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jiangsu, etc. And foreign investors are mainly from such countries and regions as the United States, Japan and South Korea, and Singapore.

The heads of relevant departments under the National Health Commission pointed out that these medical institutions under joint venture and cooperative have introduced international advanced management and service mode, from which domestic medical institutions can learn.

New era embraces new opportunities, modern medical market opening system accelerates construction

As socialism with Chinese characteristics enters a new era, the pharmaceutical industry has also entered a stage of rapid development characterized by greater openness and industrial upgrading. The whole industry chain of medical and health services is taking shape, and the opening system of modern medicine market is being built at an accelerated pace--Policy dividends have been released. In Beijing, the Opinions of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality on Opening Wider to the Outside World and Improving the Utilization of Foreign Capital were issued and implemented, and restrictions on foreign investment in key areas such as health and medical services were further eased.

A lot of pharmaceutical multinationals settle in China. Pharmaceutical industry giants such as America-based Eli Lilly have set up R&D centers in China, and the demand from China's market has become the primary research field of multinational pharmaceutical companies.

Foreign capital flocks into China. Roche Group invested RMB 863 million to build an innovation center in Shanghai's Zhangjiang High-tech Park and Guahao, an Internet healthcare company, received 500 million U.S. dollars in financing led by the American International Assurance. It can be seen that foreign investors are generally optimistic about the development prospects of China's pharmaceutical market. Diversified business modules such as mobile medical care, wearable devices and long-term health tracking are benefiting more people.

From the implementation of supporting policies to industrial transformation and upgrading, one direction has always been clear -- the door of China's medical market will not be closed, but will only open wider. Cai Jiangnan, head of the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) said with the supporting policies for medical care introduced by the central and local governments, the shortage of high-quality medical care, and the gradual increase of people's incomes, the settlement of foreign medical institutions and the implementation of high-end medical services will be accelerated. (End)