No tariffs on imported cancer drugs good for patients and pharma firms

PREMIER LI KEQIANG stressed that China will lower tariffs on imported cancer drugs to zero during a visit to a foreign pharmaceutical company in Shanghai on Tuesday. Beijing News comments:

Li's pledge to eliminate import taxes on cancer drugs and significantly lower those on other medicines is good news for patients in China and may give a boost to global pharmaceutical companies.

It is estimated that more than 2 million people die of cancer each year in China, about a quarter of the global total, and the sales of anti-cancer medicines in China exceed 120 billion yuan ($19.12 billion) a year, half of which is generated by imported medicines.