2018年CRI Expert: zero tariff on imported cancer drugs to benefit Chinese patients

 

Chinese cancer patients will soon be able to purchase more imported anti-cancer drugs at a lower price.

Starting May 1st, imported anti-cancer drugs will be exempt¹ from tariffs².

Authorities also say the approval times to get foreign drugs into the Chinese market will be greatly shortened.

To that end, CRI's Liu Min spoke³ with to John Cai, Professor of Economics at the China-Europe International Business School.

Liu Min: Professor Cai, can you give us an insight on what kind of impact does zero-tariff policy on imported anti-cancer drugs would bring to the cancer patients in China?

John Cai: probably during the past ten years, we've already seen the changes on those cancer patients. Some patients who still want to seek for the new drugs, they'd go to the U.S., go to European countries, go to other foreign countries to try to get the new drugs. So this new policy will encourage the new cancer drugs to import into China, also where we will reduce the cost for the patients. I'm thinking that's really a good benefit for patients to receive the new cancer drugs as soon as possible.

Liu Min: can you brief us a little bit about the current situation of the anticancer drug market in China?

John Cai: the current situation in China, let's see…these new drugs mainly are produced by the multinational⁴ foreign companies. Very few Chinese companies are in the RND stage yet. So this new policy will help the multinational company to import drugs more smoothly⁵, more effectively to get these drugs delivered to the patients. But on the other side, we also need the social health insurance helps. Because all these new drugs(these cancer drugs) are quite expensive. Without the insurance help, there will be still quite a lot of patients who have financial difficulty to use drugs for quite a long time. It's very difficult.

Liu Min: we know that big pharmaceutical⁶ companies such as the New York-based Pfizer Inc. and the U.K.'s Glaxo Smith Kline are the biggest drug exporters to China. What kind of impact to those companies do you expect to see based on the easing of the taxes on medicines, and how about the impact on the Chinese drug makers⁷?

John Cai: that's a good question. For the multinational pharmaceutical companies, such as Pfizer and GSK, I'm thinking there will be a favorable impact for their drugs. Because after we reduce or eliminating the tariffs, the production costs of the drugs will be lower. So it will be more easily for those companies to import these drugs to Chinese market. On the other hand, some Chinese companies already started to do in the RND on these cancer drugs, so I'm thinking a more competitive environment between the Chinese companies and the international companies will be created. All in all, I think such competitive environment will bring benefit to the Chinese patients.

Liu Min: do you think the Chinese drug makers would feel a lot of pressure to speed up their research and the production of the new drugs in order to compete with the expensive imported drugs?

John Cai: based on my understanding, the amount of tariffs reduced or even eliminated is only a small part of the total cost of these drugs. Because the price of the foreign made cancer drugs is still quite high. So relatively⁸ the Chinese company produced drugs cost much cheaper than the foreign drugs. So to some extent, eliminating tariffs will partially⁹ help the foreign companies. But still I think the Chinese companies still have a pretty high cost advantage even that.

1 exempt   

adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者

参考例句：

• These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
• He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。

2 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

5 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

6 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

7 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

9 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。