01,21,2026 72 views
Centralized procurement of high-value medical consumables not only effectively reduces the medical burden on patients and enables more patients to afford high-quality medical consumables, but also further promotes the healthy development of the medical industry. Through centralized quantity based procurement, hospitals can purchase high-quality consumables at more reasonable prices, reduce intermediate costs, and improve the efficiency of fund utilization. In addition, it will also help regulate the order of the medical market and create a fair and transparent market environment.
On January 13th, the sixth batch of high-value medical consumables centralized procurement (referred to as "centralized procurement") organized by the state was selected during the bidding process in Tianjin.This centralized procurement includes 12 types of medical consumables in two categories: drug coated balloons and urinary interventions. A total of 496 products from 227 companies were tendered, and 440 products from 202 companies were selected.
Drug coated balloons improve vascular stenosis by dilating blood vessels and releasing drugs. According to the location of the blood vessels, they can be divided into coronary balloons and peripheral vascular balloons. This time, they will be included in the centralized collection and effectively cooperate with the previously collected cardiac stents and peripheral vascular stents. 42 products from 32 companies bidding for drug coated balloons were all selected, achieving a high degree of compatibility with clinical use while reducing the cost burden on the public.
Urinary intervention consumables are used for stone removal surgery in patients with kidney stones and ureteral stones. Different surgical plans require different types of consumables, which involves complex products. Previously, it was a "blank area" for centralized procurement. 454 products from 195 companies bid for urinary intervention consumables, and 398 products from 170 companies were selected. In addition, manufacturers of drug scoring balloons and pressure measuring flexible endoscope catheters with special functions have been selected, which can effectively meet the needs of clinical special scenarios.
This centralized procurement implements the deployment requirements of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on optimizing centralized procurement policies, reflecting the principles of "stabilizing clinical conditions, ensuring quality, combating internal competition, and preventing encirclement".
One is group competition to ensure the continuity of clinical use. Clearly define each type of product based on the demand of medical institutions and whether it can be supplied for national group bidding, ensuring that products with high clinical recognition and strong supply capacity are selected for stable clinical use.
The second is to fully consider the functional differences of special products. Adapting to the characteristics of "micro innovation" in the consumables field, for differentiated products with certain functional innovations, a price comparison coefficient is formed based on clinical value to reasonably reflect price differences and enrich clinical use.
The third is to optimize the selection rules and take a clear stance against internal competition. Not simply selecting the lowest price to calculate the price difference, when the lowest price is too low, 65% of the shortlisted average price is used as the benchmark for price difference control. Among the 20 competing groups in this centralized procurement, 8 groups triggered this rule, which played an important role in preventing individual companies from quoting too low and overall lowering the prices of products in the same group.
After the announcement of the selection results, they will be officially released in the near future, and it is expected to be implemented around May 2026.
Source: National Healthcare Security Administration
