【正确答案】 Tumor has now become the biggest killer among the deadly diseases in China. According to the latest analysis report on the incidence and death of China's malignant tumors released by National Cancer Center, an average of 7 people were diagnosed with cancer and 4 died per minute in 2014. However, the knotty problem now is that it is difficult for cancer patients to obtain the latest anti-cancer drugs at home, and seeking drugs outside of China is costly.
It is widely believed that the introduction of zero-tariff policy on anti-cancer drugs is conductive to reducing the prices of imported anti-cancer medications. Shi Lichen, a medical marketing specialist, concludes that the prospect of price reduction is not yet clear even if the trans-national enterprises can enjoy a zero-tariff policy. "Zero-tariff policy does not necessarily mean price reduction." Shi suggested that a reasonable price should be offered by the drug companies before they are entitled to the zero-tariff treatment.
In fact, the import tariff rate is not the direct cause of the high cost of anti-cancer drugs in China. According to the latest tariff rate policy by the Ministry of Finance in 2017, the Most-Favored-Nation tariff rate of imported drugs in China is 2%—4%. In addition, the 2017 Tariff Adjustment Program, implemented in January 2017, has adjusted the import tariff of some raw materials to zero. However, even though the policy can help to reduce the production costs of enterprises, there is currently still uncertainty as to whether the prices will be greatly reduced or not.