Gov't Forces Big Pharma to Swallow a Bitter Pill

(Beijing) – China's latest round of health care market controls could be a bitter pill for multinational pharmaceutical companies that now, after years of what some call easy profits, are adapting to a tougher business climate.

The National Health and Family Planning Commission is demanding that multinationals cut prices on five types of drugs used for treating major ailments including cancer. Negotiations between the two sides, which started late last year, could reduce prices for these drugs by more than half, the commission says.