Analysis of the current situation and countermeasures of pediatric drug procurement in China under the background of centralized drug procurement / 中国药房

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE To analyze the current situation of pediatric drug use under centralized drug procurement， and to provide reference for the subsequent design of pediatric drug centralized procurement rules. METHODS The comparative analysis method was used to analyze the problems in the centralized procurement， clinical use and supply of pediatric drugs from the aspects of centralized procurement selection results and actual use of pediatric drugs， price difference and online prices of pediatric drugs. The solutions were put forward to optimize the centralized procurement and pricing rules of pediatric drugs. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS The demands for pediatric drugs in China were increasing， but the supply of marketed pediatric drugs was insufficient （including insufficient coverage of disease fields， insufficient varieties， insufficient suitable dosage forms for children， insufficient specifications for children， etc.）， and the development of pediatric drugs was relatively difficult. After merging the dosage forms of centralized procurement according to the medical insurance list， some suitable dosage forms and specifications for children couldn’t be selected， resulting in a shortage of clinical pediatric medication. Relevant enterprises’ enthusiasm for developing and producing pediatric drugs and participating in online competitions had decreased. There was also the problem of underpricing of pediatric drugs under the drug price difference ratio rule. It is recommended that when conducting centralized drug procurement， special drugs for children should be grouped separately for centralized procurement based on attributes and the population covered by the indications. The specifications of suitable pediatric drugs that were not selected are converted into the agreed purchase quantity of medical institutions in a certain proportion. It is necessary to further optimize the pricing rules for pediatric specialized drugs， ensure a certain profit margin for such drugs， increase the willingness of production enterprises to research， develop and supply drugs， and thus ensure the use and supply of pediatric drugs.