Health agency to tackle drug shortage

Treatment for hyperthyroidism gets harder to find as profits shrink

The top health authority vowed to introduce a solution to the shortage of drugs for patients who suffer from hyperthyroidism in China.

In early 2013, Chinese patients with hyperthyroidism began reporting problems in procuring their medication, widely known as Tapazole.

China currently has about 10 million sufferers of an overactive thyroid, according to a recent epidemiology study by the Chinese Medical Association. Without treatment, the condition can lead to serious heart and bone problems.

"Cheap and effective drugs such as Tapazole have been disappearing from the market. We are working on a new mechanism to balance the economic interests of pharmaceuticals and the public demand for affordable and effective drugs," said Mao Qun'an, spokesman for the National Health and Family Planning Commission, at a news conference on Tuesday.

China initiated healthcare reform in 2009 to improve public access to affordable, quality medical care and introduce a list of essential drugs for the country, Mao said.

While pricing for listed drugs including Tapazole is strictly controlled under the system, it has led to one major side effect: narrow profit margins for drug producers, who then give up producing certain drugs, said Ma Jin, a professor at the public health department of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.