China plans to subsidise more drugs
The Chinese government is intending to increase spending on health care with a view to raising the average life expectancy for Chinese citizens to 74.5 years by the end of 2015.

According to Bloomberg, as part of these plans to increase life expectancy, China intends to increase the number of essential drugs on the current list from 307 up to 800 including 500 western products and as many as 300 traditional Chinese medicines.

Source: Bloomberg

Patients do not feel the impact of UK drug shortages
According to Pharmacy Minister Earl Howe the impact of medicines shortages in the UK is not affecting patients. He told Ministers of Parliament at the All-Party Pharmacy Group (APPG) inquiry on 26 March 2012 that there is ‘no hard evidence’ of patient harm from drug shortages and claimed that government supply chain measures are working ‘very smoothly’.

Source: Chemist & Druggist

Fewer FDA inspections
Drug manufacturers in the US could be subjected to fewer inspections by FDA under a draft Senate bill that would jettison the 1938 Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act’s requirement that domestic manufacturing facilities be inspected at least once every two years.

Source: FDANews

China plans further cuts to drug spending
In an attempt to make medical care more affordable for China’s ageing population and widen coverage of state-paid health insurance the Chinese government has vowed to extend drug-price cuts.

The government wants to broaden the use of the new procurement method, which led to price reductions of at least 30% on medicines on its essential drugs list during 2011. The plan will be supported by a tendering system that encourages drug makers to compete on price and quality for state contracts.

Source: Bloomberg