Buying low-priced drugs is no longer difficult. Compound Danshen tablets cost 5 yuan, Vitamin B2 tablets cost 3.8 yuan, Aspirin enteric coated tablets cost 3 yuan, Roxithromycin capsules cost 2.8 yuan, Ciprofloxacin hydrochloride capsules cost 1.5 yuan... In Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, 350 individual and chain pharmacies have low-priced drug counters under 20 yuan, of which 294 have low-priced drug counters under 5 yuan. Once, due to limited profit margins, these low-priced drugs bid farewell to pharmacy cabinets and faded out of the public eye. In response to the public's call, in September 2021, the Zhoushan Medical Insurance Bureau took the lead in exploring low-priced drug counters in designated retail pharmacies in Zhejiang. Combined with credit rating management of designated retail pharmacies, low-priced drug counters were set up in more than 100 medical insurance designated pharmacies. In early 2023, the Market Supervision Bureau, Municipal Health Commission, and Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau of Zhoushan City jointly issued a document to standardize the establishment of low-priced drug counters with unit prices below 5 yuan and 20 yuan in retail pharmacies and primary medical institutions throughout the city. With the introduction and implementation of relevant measures, low-priced drugs have returned to the market and are welcomed by citizens. Set up a dedicated counter for low-priced drugs and return to "Do you have Bingbo Powder? I have a slight ulcer in my mouth," a female customer asked at the Fengmao Caichang store in Zhoushan Liken Pharmacy New City. Yes, there are Pharmacy staff member Mr. Lin took out a bottle from the low-priced medicine counter and scanned it with a barcode scanner. "The original price is 2 yuan, and the membership price is 1.7 yuan," Mr. Xie said as he spoke. "Can you get me a box of irbesartan tablets?" "4.8 yuan, could you please come here and write an electronic prescription?" Mr. Lin responded. Mr. Xie, who lives nearby, suffers from hypertension and has been taking irbesartan tablets for many years. This medicine is cheap and easy to use. In the past, pharmacies often ran out of stock, and going to the hospital to buy it required registration, which was time-consuming and laborious. Now you can buy it at the pharmacy right in front of your house, which is quite convenient, "Mr. Xie said. Mr. Lin introduced that low-priced drugs are very popular among customers. "Ice boron powder, vitamin tablets, compound Danshen tablets, Niuhuang detoxification tablets, Banxia syrup, these classic and affordable drugs have good sales, and we replenish them once or twice a week." In the streets and alleys of Zhoushan, many pharmacies have set up special zones and counters for low-priced drugs, and have made eye-catching signs. In the New Town Future City Store of Zhoushan Liken Pharmacy, there are also low price medicine counters in the three areas of OTC, prescription drugs, and shade cabinets. There are more than 200 kinds of low price drugs below 20 yuan, covering daily drugs such as respiratory, heat clearing and detoxification, digestive, gastrointestinal, and hypertension diabetes, and most of them can be reimbursed by medical insurance. Some customers will proactively ask about low-priced drugs, and we will also recommend low-priced drugs based on their actual needs Ms. Liu, a staff member at the pharmacy, said that low-priced medicine counters can meet the household demand for common medicines such as colds, diarrhea, and minor trauma treatment. Since 2024, retail pharmacies in Zhoushan City have provided 7.2 million boxes of low-priced drugs, with sales of drugs under 20 yuan increasing by 7.5% year-on-year and sales of drugs under 5 yuan increasing by 5.76% year-on-year. How did low-priced drugs that established a procurement mechanism to facilitate procurement channels return to the market fade out in the first place? Xu Jianzhi, a staff member of the Drug Monitoring and Evaluation and Production (Circulation) Supervision and Management Department of Zhoushan Market Supervision Bureau, stated that the profit margin of commonly used low-priced drugs is limited. Some pharmacies, in pursuit of efficiency, may choose to reduce or stop their supply, or hide them in inconspicuous places. Some production enterprises have reduced or suspended production due to cost and other factors, further leading to market supply shortages. At the beginning of 2023, the Market Supervision Bureau, Municipal Health Commission, and Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau of Zhoushan City jointly issued a document to implement full coverage of low-priced drug counters in all retail pharmacies in the city. Both designated and non designated retail pharmacies in the city will be included in the promotion scope of low-priced drug counters and jointly managed. On the one hand, the Zhoushan organization has selected 122 low-priced drugs with high safety and good efficacy from the medical insurance catalog, and 97 low-priced drugs below 5 yuan from outside the medical insurance catalog. Retail pharmacies are required to set up prominent "low-priced drug counters below 5 yuan" signs to replenish drugs in a timely manner when they are out of stock; On the other hand, it is required that pharmacists in pharmacies and doctors in primary healthcare institutions such as township health centers (community health service centers) prioritize recommending low-priced and effective drugs to the public when prescribing medication. The smooth operation of the chain relies heavily on the procurement mechanism. The Market Supervision Bureau of Zhoushan City learned during a discussion with the heads of retail pharmacies in the city that retail pharmacies have fixed procurement channels and can usually only choose from the drugs provided by the other party. Among them, there are very few low-priced drugs with low profits. The Market Supervision Bureau of Zhoushan City mobilized six drug wholesale enterprises to establish a mechanism for purchasing low-priced drugs and smooth the channels for purchasing low-priced drugs. Retail pharmacies provide feedback on the demand for low-priced drugs to drug wholesale enterprises, who then place orders with pharmaceutical factories to gain control. Low price drug counters meet the daily needs of the public for purchasing drugs, promote the rational and efficient utilization of medical insurance resources, and enhance the coverage of medical insurance services in retail pharmacies Liang Wei, Director of the Medical Pricing and Tendering Procurement Department of Zhoushan Medical Insurance Bureau, said. At the Dinghai Renmin Road branch of Zhoushan People's Pharmacy, 68 year old Mr. Li bought two plates of Anka Huangmin capsules for a cold, "1.2 yuan per plate, which is very cost-effective." In multiple pharmacies, customers who come to buy low-priced drugs are mostly middle-aged and elderly people who are relatively familiar with the drug names and can quickly place orders without too much sales guidance. Personnel from multiple pharmacies in Zhoushan have stated that the varieties in low-priced medicine counters have high market recognition, and low-priced drugs can help pharmacies attract more customers, indirectly driving the sales of more products such as big health categories. The price is cheap, and I'm used to buying some commonly used medicines to prepare Mr. Li said, "However, low-priced drugs have disappeared for a period of time, and we will also pay attention to their quality when they come back." In response to this concern, the Zhoushan Market Supervision Bureau stated that low drug prices do not necessarily mean discounted quality. Some drugs belong to national centralized procurement varieties and are priced uniformly nationwide; Some classic old medicines have simple packaging, low cost, and already low selling prices. In addition, to prevent situations such as "low prices are not low", "low prices are out of stock", and "low prices are of poor quality", the market supervision, health and medical insurance departments of Zhoushan City have strengthened supervision and guidance on the supply, quality management, and medical insurance settlement of low-priced drugs through regular joint inspections and dynamic monitoring, and included the work of low-priced drug counters in the annual work plan and the annual assessment of retail pharmacy credit rating. Bao Yan, Director of the Drug Monitoring, Evaluation, and Production (Circulation) Supervision and Management Department of Zhoushan Market Supervision Bureau, said that all low-priced drug counters in Zhoushan City have achieved standardization in drug selection and procurement, drug quality control and monitoring, as well as standardization in counter setting management, personnel training, and other aspects. We will further promote the standardization and construction of low-priced drug counters, ensuring the quality of low-priced drugs and providing citizens with a better purchasing experience, "said Bao Yan. (New Society)