Affordable drugs must be guaranteed

A VARIETY OF AFFORDABLE MEDICINES are either in short supply or not in production due to small profits. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Monday:

Many countries are locked in a battle against a shortage of pharmaceutical drugs, which is due to the lack of supply or monopolies. China, too, faces such problems, particularly an insufficient supply of affordable lifesaving drugs.

The reform on managing medicine prices grants pharmaceutical companies the right to fix the prices of most medicines, including lifesaving ones. Since pharmaceutical companies now have a bigger say in how much they charge customers, the move is expected to improve the production of medicines.