There is growing anger among doctors and the Chinese population about low-quality pharmaceuticals. According to Nikkei Asia, Shanghai surgeon Zheng Minhua was the first to point out problems with Chinese-made pharmaceuticals in an interview with Chinese media. Zheng and other doctors complain that cheap Chinese medicines are sometimes of such poor quality that they do not work.
Since the introduction of the centralized procurement system for medicines (Volume-Based Procurement, VBP), the quality of Chinese pharmaceuticals has declined. In an attempt to reduce the cost of medical care, the party introduced a bidding process in 2018, where the suppliers of the cheapest product are awarded the contract. Many foreign pharmaceutical companies have since withdrawn from China. Their products are barely available in Chinese hospitals. According to the New York Times, this has halved the prices of many drugs and saved Beijing 50 billion US dollars in the first five years.