sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
An investigation into the irrational price increases of imported original drugs: shortages within hospitals and price hikes outside; prices soaring from tens to thousands of yuan.
July 8, 2026, 07:09,
Over the past year, the domestic pharmaceutical market has seen several instances of abnormal price increases for imported original drugs. For example, the price of tacrolimus eye drops rose from over 700 yuan to over 1,000 yuan; the price of the antibiotic Cialis increased from around 30-40 yuan per box to nearly 2,000 yuan at its peak; and the price of Cetirizine, used to treat autoimmune diseases, also doubled. These price increases have led to a series of widely concerned issues, including increased drug costs, difficulties in obtaining medications, and patient anxiety regarding medication use.
An investigation by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporters revealed that the abnormal price fluctuations of some original drugs are due to multiple factors. These include multinational pharmaceutical companies adjusting their domestic market supply strategies in line with their global footprint, intermediaries hoarding supplies by taking advantage of information asymmetry to drive up prices through shortages and monopolistic practices, and the combined effects of factors such as the purchasing psychology of patients with essential needs and policy guidance, all of which have contributed to the irrational price increases of some drugs.
The prices of some imported original drugs have risen irrationally.
A review of imported original drugs that have experienced abnormal price increases over the past year reveals various underlying reasons: some have withdrawn from the Chinese market but there are currently no domestically produced generic versions available, while others are original drugs for the treatment of chronic diseases, whose prices have fluctuated due to short-term supply shortages.
—Some original drugs have no generic versions approved for marketing in the country.
more...zhttps://finance.sina.com.cn/jjxw/2026-07-08/doc-inifzwqk8101468.shtml
July 8, 2026, 07:09,
Over the past year, the domestic pharmaceutical market has seen several instances of abnormal price increases for imported original drugs. For example, the price of tacrolimus eye drops rose from over 700 yuan to over 1,000 yuan; the price of the antibiotic Cialis increased from around 30-40 yuan per box to nearly 2,000 yuan at its peak; and the price of Cetirizine, used to treat autoimmune diseases, also doubled. These price increases have led to a series of widely concerned issues, including increased drug costs, difficulties in obtaining medications, and patient anxiety regarding medication use.
An investigation by Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporters revealed that the abnormal price fluctuations of some original drugs are due to multiple factors. These include multinational pharmaceutical companies adjusting their domestic market supply strategies in line with their global footprint, intermediaries hoarding supplies by taking advantage of information asymmetry to drive up prices through shortages and monopolistic practices, and the combined effects of factors such as the purchasing psychology of patients with essential needs and policy guidance, all of which have contributed to the irrational price increases of some drugs.
The prices of some imported original drugs have risen irrationally.
A review of imported original drugs that have experienced abnormal price increases over the past year reveals various underlying reasons: some have withdrawn from the Chinese market but there are currently no domestically produced generic versions available, while others are original drugs for the treatment of chronic diseases, whose prices have fluctuated due to short-term supply shortages.
—Some original drugs have no generic versions approved for marketing in the country.
more...zhttps://finance.sina.com.cn/jjxw/2026-07-08/doc-inifzwqk8101468.shtml