China announces new round of centralized procurement for medical consumables

China's latest round of centralized procurement of medical consumables will cover artificial intraocular lens and products related to sports medicine, authorities said on Thursday.

Medical consumables related to sports medicine include repair sutures, soft tissue or bone reconstruction materials, and fixation pins and planes, according to a notice released by the national office in charge of centralized bulk buying.

The notice added that 3D-printed products can also enroll in this round of procurement on a voluntary basis.

China has so far launched three rounds of bulk procurement of medical consumables targeting coronary stents, artificial joints and orthopedic spine consumables respectively.

The most recent round announced in September of last year saw an average price cut of 84 percent for orthopedic spine consumables. It is expected that patients can save about 26 billion yuan ($3.6 billion) annually.