China's Volume-Based Procurement Reshapes Pharmaceutical Market Dynamics
Bulk drug purchasing policy pressures multinationals while creating opportunities for biotech and private healthcare sectors
Quick Look
- China's volume-based procurement policy, which mandates bulk drug purchases for public hospitals, is intensifying price competition for multinational pharmaceutical companies while creating more profitable channels for domestic biotech firms in the private market.
- Analysts note potential benefits for internet healthcare platforms, pharmacies, and private hospital services.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
China introduced volume-based procurement (VBP) in 2018 to reduce drug costs in public hospitals through bulk purchasing. The policy has expanded to cover more drug categories and creates significant pricing pressure on pharmaceutical companies.
Under volume-based procurement, the government buys drugs in bulk for public hospitals, putting multinational companies under intense price and competitive pressure. The policy allows biotech companies to charge higher prices in the private market, including at private hospitals and retail pharmacies, and online. "This provides more profitable channels to innovative drugmakers, and potentially benefits internet healthcare players, pharmacies and private healthcare services, such as Alibaba Health, Yifeng and Hygeia," John Yung, head of Asia healthcare research at Citigroup, wrote in a research report released on April 16.
Open Questions
- How much market share have multinationals lost to domestic generics under VBP?
- What is the specific pricing differential between public and private market channels?
- How are multinational companies responding to this competitive pressure?
