China's "group buying" bid opening held in Shanghai

Thirty-two types of medicine won the bid for centralized procurement on Friday in Shanghai, making them available to patients at public hospitals across the country at a lower price starting in April.

This year's average bid price is 53 percent lower than the lowest price in 2018. The final bidding results will be released after Jan. 20.

Chinese authorities released a list of 33 drugs for centralized procurement in large quantities by public healthcare institutions amid their steady efforts to reform the drug procurement system and make medicines more affordable to patients.

Among the 33 drugs are those for treating major chronic diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as tumors and rare diseases, according to centralized procurement documents released by a national office in charge of the matter.