China policies to promote local production of pharmaceutical products and protect public health

Overview

From the WHO standpoint, the single most important aspect of China’s current policy with respect to the pharmaceutical sector is its close linkage to the objective of universal health care (UHC). UHC is a key priority for the China Government, which has committed to providing access to medicines for its people. Pharmaceuticals account for a substantial part of the current China health care budget. To achieve and sustain UHC, pharmaceutical supply must be undertaken in a way that is affordable, notwithstanding the fairly substantial financial resources of China. China has a population of approximately 1.4 billion people, and it is a population that is rapidly aging. This will increase demand for pharmaceuticals, and place increasing burden on the health care budget and system as a whole.