Vice-premier stresses reforming procurement of drugs

BEIJING -- Vice-Premier Han Zheng on Thursday urged unswervingly deepening the reform on centralized procurement of drugs and medical consumables, noting the reform has played an important role in improving people's well-being and promoting the healthy development of the pharmaceutical industry.

Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when presiding over a symposium on the centralized procurement work.

He stressed efforts to consolidate and improve institutional achievements, and establish a more standardized system to promote the normalization and institutionalization of the national centralized procurement.

Scope of the procurement should be expanded at a faster speed, while selected products should be subject to enhanced full-life-cycle quality supervision, he said, noting that a "zero tolerance" approach should be adopted on quality problems.