THE National Development And Reform Commission has slashed the maximum retail prices of more than 400 anti-infection medicines, the People's Daily reported Monday.

The price ceilings for these medicines have been cut by an average of 30 percent, with 56 percent being the largest cut. The price reductions were the biggest in recent years, according to the report.

This would mean patients throughout the country would save 3.5 billion yuan (US$420 million), the report said.

The medicines in the price-cut list were the most widely used, a commission spokesman said.

The current price ceilings were set in 2001 and were now outdated due to various factors including falling prices of raw materials, increasing competition in the pharmaceutical industry, the development of technologies as well as China's entry to the WTO.

The country had taken a few effective measures to reduce medicine prices for the public, particularly for rural residents, the spokesman said. The commission was considering an overhaul of the system used to determine drug prices, he said.

 
Editor: Wings