The reason why drugs are cheap in Hong Kong is not just tariffs

Recently, many mainlanders began to buy drugs in Hong Kong due to price and other factors, the people's Daily reported The boss of a large drugstore in the west of Hong Kong told reporters that the daily sales volume was 100000 Hong Kong dollars, of which about half were mainlanders Take Herceptin, a drug for breast cancer, for example It costs 25000 yuan in the mainland, while some pharmacies in Hong Kong offer only 18500 Hong Kong dollars (about 14800 yuan) Although Herceptin is not a common drug, it is surprising that the price difference of the same drug is as high as 10000 yuan Such a huge price "scissors difference" can not bring psychological impact to the public Why are medicines cheaper in Hong Kong than in the mainland? An important factor is that Hong Kong is a free port with zero tariff According to the provisions of the measures for the administration of drug import, a small amount of drugs for personal use carried by entry-exit persons shall be limited to self use and reasonable quantity, and shall be subject to customs supervision Generally speaking, there is no tariff to buy self use drugs from Hong Kong If Herceptin does have to pay the tariff, I'm afraid it won't be more than ten thousand yuan However, the "scissors gap" in drug prices between Hong Kong and the mainland is so huge that it is obvious that it is not only the tariff issue, but also the reasons beyond the tariff that deserve more investigation The false high price of drugs in the mainland is related to the system of "medical care with drugs" In recent years, since the start of the reform of medical system, some places have increased the cost of medicine However, as a whole, medical institutions are still not completely free from the dependence on the system of "medicine for medical care" In addition, the high cost of public relations and bribery in the mainland pharmaceutical industry is also an important reason Recently, multinational pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline have been deeply involved in bribery, while the media also reported that the conference cost of domestic pharmaceutical companies is also huge This has almost become a hidden rule in the industry These public relations costs and bribery costs will eventually be passed on to patients In addition, it is related to the domestic drug pricing system According to reports, the pricing of imported drugs is generally divided into three categories: one is based on market independent pricing; the other is based on independent pricing, including original research drugs, patent drugs and exclusive varieties, enjoying the independent pricing right of the national development and Reform Commission, and Herceptin belongs to this category; the other is based on the highest retail price limit, which is generally included in the medical insurance catalog, the same as the domestic drug pricing method Shanghai Roche Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., the manufacturer of Herceptin, said that the sales price of Herceptin in the mainland was approved by the national development and Reform Commission So, is the price of Herceptin so high that there is a monopoly factor? As an anti-monopoly review organ, the national development and Reform Commission, on the one hand, controls the pricing power of some drugs, which may lead to ethical conflicts This is not conducive to the monopoly investigation of the pharmaceutical industry Obviously, the pricing of drugs should fully consider the special use of drugs, the burden of people's livelihood and the prices of similar drugs in other countries or regions with the same level of development and income If the government can't exercise this right well, it should simplify administration and delegate power to the market From the price comparison software on the Internet to the "Three Goods comparison companies" in this reality, people now have more developed means of obtaining information, and they can see more clearly the reality of the virtual high drug prices in the mainland The price "scissors gap" between drugs in Hong Kong and the mainland is a mirror, even if it is a special case To reduce drug prices and people's livelihood, we need to continue to deepen the reform of the medical system, rationalize the pricing mechanism of the medical industry in the mainland, and crack down on industry corruption Of course, the tariff of some life-saving and life-saving drugs should also be reduced if possible.