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OBJECTIVE:To provide theoretic support for medicine affordability evaluation in China by studying medicine af-fordability evaluation methods. METHODS:Through introducing the concept and evaluation methods of affordability,the evalua-tion steps of“catastrophic expenditure”and“medicine affordability”in medicine affordability evaluation methods were interpreted systematically. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS:The catastrophic expenditure and impoverishing effect methods can measure med-icine affordability,but they both have limitations. Catastrophic expenditure evaluation method cannot measure the consequences of a catastrophic expenditure to the family,and ignore the reduction of family income after the occurrence of diseases. Impoverishing effect evaluation method cannot pay attention to originally poor population. These two evaluation methods complement each other, and can more objectively reflect the ability of patients bearing medical expenses,which can provide scientific references for poli-cies of enhancing medicine pricing and reimbursement system.
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OBJECTIVE:To provide reference for the establishment of a system of expired medicine recycling in China. METHODS:The experience of developed countries with respect to the system of expired medicine recycling was summed up,and the existing problems about the recycling of expired medicines in China were considered to make suggestions to the establishment of a system of medicine recycling in China. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS:Generally,the developed countries such as Britain, France,Germany and America treat expired medicines as hazardous wastes in the Environmental Protection Law,Waste Disposal Law and other laws,and have basically standardized the recycling of expired medicines. The projects of recycling expired medi-cines in those countries are usually funded by their governments or enterprises of manufacturing or selling medicines,where the medicines were recycled at designated places or on a regular basis or by post,executed by pharmacists and pharmacies,and then disposed on the basis of classification or burned and buried at dumps. However,currently there are no laws and regulations and spe-cial funds for medicine recycling in China,leading to people’s lacking of enthusiasm to recycle the expired medicines. It is suggest-ed that China should take such measures as soon as possible,including establishing and improving the laws and regulations of ex-pired medicine recycling,distinguishing the reasonably determination and disposition of different types of expired medicines,accel-erating the reform of the medical insurance payment system,giving full play to the pharmacist’s role of medication guidance,and fully increasing information transparency.
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Promoting equity and access to medicine is important to guarantee health equity. The international communities commonly guarantee equity and access to medicine through free pharmaceutical policy. In most coun-tries, free pharmaceutical policy covers patients who cannot afford, children under 5, pregnant women and elderly people. The free medicines include essential medicines, medicines for chronic and infectious diseases, vaccines, etc. Financing of free medicines comes from health insurance, direct government investment and international aid, and the medicine delivery mainly depends on the public medical institutions. Free pharmaceutical policy in China mainly refers to medicines for infectious diseases and vaccines, and the coverage is narrow. This paper argues that since China has been becoming one of the middle income countries, the amount of free medicines should be in-creased, especially for chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, etc. The equity and access to medicine in China should be further promoted by providing all essential medicines for free.
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Objective:To improve the centralized bidding procurement practice of essential medicine in China. Methods:By using literature review, comparative analysis and field investigation, implementation plans and regula-tions of the centralized bidding procurement of essential medicines in 30 provinces were collected and analyzed. Re-sults:There are differences in the operating organization, scope of implementation, purchasing cycle, bidding pro-curement mode, judgment criteria and other aspects among provinces. Conclusion: The progress of the implementa-tion of the centralized bidding procurement practice of essential medicine under the request of Document No. 56 of the State Council differed greatly among the provinces. The government should adhere to the centralized bidding procure-ment practice of essential medicine, give full play to the advantages of group purchasing, explore approaches of medi-cal insurance institutions participating in the centralized bidding procurement practice, and perfect the assessment of drug quality to assure the quality of essential medicine.