Pricing mechanism for drug firms in pipeline

BEIJING - China is likely to establish a unified pricing mechanism this year to control the prices of some pharmaceutical products included on the essential drugs list (EDL), according to a member of a drug reform commission.

Experts said the move would benefit the large domestic pharmaceutical companies and help improve the quality and safety of the nation's drugs.

Song Dacai, director of the medicine pricing section of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) was quoted in the First Financial Daily as saying that EDL medicines with sufficient supply and stable market prices would be selected for the first batch of drugs to be incorporated into the new pricing system.