Price negotiations begin between Chinese officials, drugmakers

The latest round of price negotiations between Chinese officials and drugmakers aiming to have their products included on China's medical reimbursement list kicked off on Thursday, the National Healthcare Security Administration said.

Over 100 types of medications are involved in the talks, including therapies for COVID-19 as well as drugs for cancer and rare diseases, the administration said.

The national reimbursement list has been updated ever since the NHSA's establishment in 2018. The list currently contains 2,860 drugs.

As a result of price negotiations, drugs that have been added to the list have seen an average price cut of over 50 percent.