Centralized procurement of anticancer drugs at provincial level in China

A government-led centralized procurement pattern for purchasing medicines in medical institutions at province/municipality level has been established basically in China so far; however, control in procurement price and establishment of effective purchasing process are still to be promoted for the procurement system. The government has tried to use tax reduction as an opportunity to achieve a significant decline in sale price for end users of the drugs. The study examined the implementation of centralized procurement of anticancer drugs in medical institutions at province/municipality level across the country and analyzed disparities in procurement schemes among the provinces and municipalities to provide references and suggestions for perfecting the implementation of centralized procurement of anticancer drugs at provincial level.