China to Issue State Basic Drugs Catalogue    

China's State Council promulgated on April 7th the 2009-2011 Application Program for Health-care Reforms. The program showed that the Chinese government will officially set up a state basic drugs catalogue in the year, accompanying a selection and modification management regulation to renew the catalogue on a regular term.  
   The program required all drug stores and medical organizations shall prepare on stock and sell the drugs listed in the state basic drugs catalogue to be issued, in line with related regulation and meeting the requirements of patients. The prices of drugs in the catalogue will be set by the government, affordable for personnel.
   According to the Chinese Pharmaceutical Enterprises Association, China started to set up the basic drugs catalogue and renew it every two years. Without a matched application regulation, the current catalogue covering too many drugs has never played a role in fact.
    The program will benefit the large scale pharmaceutical manufacturers and promote the merge in the industry.
    An official of the National Development and Reform Commission stated that in order to support the reform of medical and health-care system, the governments will invest RMB850 billion, RMb331.8 billion by the central government. On April 15th the central government spent RMB19.8 billion in rural medical construction.