More affordable drugs offered with healthcare reform: official

BEIJING - China's healthcare reform has offered more affordable drugs for patients, said a senior health official Wednesday.

Seventeen anti-cancer drugs were added to the medical insurance reimbursement list, with their prices cut by 56.7 percent on average, Xue Haining with the National Health Commission told a press briefing.

A new trial program on centralized medicine procurement and use launched in 11 pilot cities has cut the prices of 25 selected medicines by an average of 52 percent, according to Xue.

These measures have eased burdens on patients and helped regulate the medicine market, said Xue.