Towards Sustainable Drug Supply in China: A Bibliometric Analysis of Drug Reform Policies

Shu Yan, Lizi Pan, Yan Lu, Juan Chen, Ting Zhang, Dongzi Xu and Zhaolian Ouyang ()
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Shu Yan: Institute of Medical Information & Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100020, China
Lizi Pan: Institute of Medical Information & Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100020, China
Yan Lu: Institute of Medical Information & Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100020, China
Juan Chen: Institute of Medical Information & Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100020, China
Ting Zhang: Institute of Medical Information & Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100020, China
Dongzi Xu: Institute of Medical Information & Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100020, China
Zhaolian Ouyang: Institute of Medical Information & Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100020, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 13, 1-20

Abstract: As China has undergone a new round of healthcare reforms since 2009, the drug sector has been subjected to a series of reform measures that aim to ensure a sustainable supply of drugs with controlled expenditures. This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of policy documents for the purpose of exploring the approaches within China’s drug reform. The analysis reveals that the National Health Commission (NHC) is the leading department of China’s drug reform, demonstrating that the core objective of drug reform is to ensure drug supply meets healthcare needs. The reform has evolved from its initial stage to the deepening and adjusting stage, with policy instruments becoming more interactive and involving greater numbers of implementers. Along with supply, drug quality and safety are the top concerns of the drug reform, followed by drug accessibility and affordability. Rational drug use is receiving greater attention in the deepening and adjusting stage. Environmental and demand-side instruments are being used more frequently in policies, while the utilization of supply-side instruments shows the opposite trend. Government departments at all levels play crucial roles in policy instrument implementation, with the significance of this function increasing. The participation of consumers in policy implementation is also rising. While medical institutions and enterprises are important implementers, their role is diminishing.

Keywords: drug reform; policy documents; bibliometric analysis; social network analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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