Policy Makers Mull Cutting Prices of Drugs for Rare Diseases

(Beijing) – A delegate of the country's top political advisory body is asking the government to lower the price of medicines for rare diseases affecting a small part of the population.

According to her research, 78 percent of families with a member affected by a rare illness paid over 90 percent of the medical bills themselves, Ding Jie, vice president of Beijing University First Hospital, said. And 67 percent of families gave up treatment because of the high cost of healthcare.