(Yicai Global) March 30 -- The latest round of China’s centralized bulk drug procurement program pushed down prices by an average of 56 percent, saving public health centers about CNY16.7 billion (USD2.4 billion) a year.

A total of 252 products, covering 39 drug categories, from about 175 firms won the tenders, according to data from the National Healthcare Security Administration, which was set up in 2018 to run China's drugs bulk-buying program.

Some 366 treatments from 251 drugmakers were included in the bidding process held yesterday in Lingshui Li Autonomous County, Hainan province, the NHSA said.

The winning drugs included anti-infective, anti-allergic, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease treatments, and some used for mental health disorders. Seven makers of dry suspension of oseltamivir phosphate, used to treat the influenza A virus, were among those who won, with their average prices cut by 83 percent.

Heparin-based products, which have a huge market, were included in the centralized bulk drug procurement program for the first time this year. They act as anticoagulants and are widely used in the treatment of myocardial infarction and in cardiovascular surgery and hemodialysis procedures.

Over eight rounds, the NHSA has widened its scope to 333 drug types, with average prices halved. As measured by the original cost of the medicines, the value of the last seven rounds accounted for 35 percent of the annual chemical and biological treatments bought by Chinese public healthcare centers.

The scope of drugs included in the program will continue to increase. By the end of 2023, the number of drugs bought through national and provincial healthcare authorities in each provincial-level region should reach 450, according to a document issued by the NHSA earlier this month.

By 2025, China plans to make the centralized bulk-buying program the main model healthcare institutions use to purchase drugs.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Martin Kadiev