On the chessboard of macroeconomic governance, price governance is a crucial component. Recently, the Opinions on Improving the Price Governance Mechanism issued by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council have had a profound impact on the pharmaceutical and medical fields. This document is not only a policy guide, but also a compass for industry development. Today, let's delve into the core points related to the pharmaceutical and medical fields in this document, and see how it will shape the future of healthcare.

① Market-led Pricing: Differentiated Strategy of Innovation and Imitation

It is clearly stated in the document that except for narcotic drugs and psychotropic drugs of category I, the prices of other drugs are mainly formed by market competition. The core of this policy is to make the drug price reflect its value and cost more reasonably through the market mechanism.

- Innovative drugs: For innovative drugs, the document emphasizes the determination of payment standards through pharmacoeconomic evaluation and medical insurance negotiation. This means that innovative drug companies need to pay more attention to the clinical value and cost-effectiveness of drugs in order to obtain the support of medical insurance. This not only helps to encourage enterprises to increase investment in research and development, but also enables patients to use new drugs faster.

- Generic drugs: For generic drugs, the document proposes to focus on price selection in quantity procurement and curb low-level redundant construction. The implementation of quantity procurement has reduced the price of generic drugs to a certain extent and improved the concentration of the market. In the future, generic drug companies need to work hard on quality and cost control to stand out in the fierce market competition.

The document proposes to negotiate the pricing of patented drugs and exclusive drugs, allow independent quotation for short-selling drugs, and establish a price linkage mechanism to dynamically adjust the online price to reflect the cost and market changes. This classified management method not only ensures the reasonable profits of innovative drugs and exclusive drugs, but also ensures the stable supply of short drugs.

The document emphasizes promoting the "two-vote system", reducing the circulation of drugs, and cracking down on "money laundering through tickets" and inflated prices. This measure will effectively reduce the price increase of drugs in circulation and reduce the burden of patients. At the same time, the establishment of a pharmaceutical distribution pattern with large enterprises as the main body and small and medium-sized enterprises as the supplement will enhance the guarantee ability of pharmaceutical distribution.

The document proposes to strictly investigate commercial bribery and sales with money, and implement the credit evaluation system of pharmaceutical prices. This means that pharmaceutical companies need to pay more attention to compliance management, and any violation will be severely punished. At the same time, strengthening the application of drug traceability code and realizing the whole chain supervision will effectively guarantee the quality and safety of drugs.

The document proposes to implement payment by disease (DIP/DRG) to realize payment for treatment results. The innovation of this payment method will encourage medical institutions to improve the treatment effect and reduce unnecessary medical expenses. At the same time, explore the direct settlement between medical insurance fund and pharmaceutical enterprises, and shorten the payment period to less than 30 days, which will greatly ease the financial pressure of pharmaceutical enterprises.

The document requires that 80% of the country's overall planning areas realize the immediate settlement of medical insurance funds by the end of 2025, and the disbursement period will be reduced to 20 working days. Pilot areas such as Hebei and Anhui have achieved T+1 day settlement. This measure will significantly improve the efficiency of the use of medical insurance funds and reduce the financial pressure of medical institutions.

The document proposes to dynamically adjust the price of medical services according to cost changes, quality and safety and people's affordability. This means that the price of medical services will be more scientific and reasonable, which can not only ensure the normal operation of medical institutions, but also reduce the burden on patients.

The document supports standardizing the price of "Internet+medical health" services and promoting the cross-regional flow of high-quality resources. This measure will promote the innovation and development of medical services and enable patients to obtain medical services more conveniently.

The document emphasizes promoting graded diagnosis and treatment through price leverage and optimizing the allocation of medical resources. This means that the linkage of medical care, medical insurance and medicine will be closer, forming a policy synergy and promoting the high-quality development of the medical industry.

The document proposes to reduce the cost of medical consumables through centralized procurement and medical insurance negotiations, and gradually adjust the price of medical services to make room. This will effectively reduce the burden of patients' medication and improve the accessibility and affordability of medical services.

Market-oriented, through classified management, dynamic adjustment, payment reform and strengthening supervision, we will promote the rationalization of drug prices and improve the efficiency of medical services. It not only solves the problems of many circulation links, long repayment period and insufficient innovation incentives, but also forms a medical price governance mechanism with effective market, moderate regulation and scientific supervision. With the continuous release of policy dividends, the medical industry in China is undergoing a transformation from "scale expansion" to "value innovation". At this historic turning point, whoever can seize the opportunity of change will occupy the commanding heights in the next decade.