Core Viewpoint - The announcement from the Hebei Provincial Medical Supplies Procurement Center indicates that several companies are being rated as "generally" untrustworthy due to inadequate delivery services for selected products in the national centralized procurement process [1][2][3] Group 1: Companies Involved - Companies listed for potential untrustworthiness include Suzhou Terui Pharmaceutical, Sihuan Pharmaceutical, Lijun Group, Jiangxi Yongfeng Kande Pharmaceutical, Guangdong Saifeng Pharmaceutical, Beijing Fule Technology, and Beijing Beilu Pharmaceutical [1][2] - Lijun Group's voriconazole injection was selected in the eighth batch of national procurement at a price of 29.19 yuan per unit, down from a previous market price of 700-800 yuan, representing a price drop of over 90% [1] - Beilu Pharmaceutical's iopamidol injection was selected in the seventh batch of national procurement at a price of 91.3 yuan per unit, being the only contrast agent selected in that batch [1] Group 2: Regulatory Framework - The Hebei Provincial Medical Security Bureau established a credit evaluation system for drug pricing and procurement in late 2020, categorizing untrustworthy behavior into four levels: "general," "moderate," "serious," and "particularly serious" [3] - The "general" untrustworthiness rating applies to companies that fail to fulfill procurement or delivery contracts without valid reasons and do not notify procurement agencies in advance, provided it does not severely impact clinical treatment [3] - Once a company is rated as untrustworthy, the provincial procurement center will implement measures such as written warnings, risk notifications on procurement platforms, and restrictions on procurement qualifications [3] Group 3: Broader Industry Context - The issue of supply shortages is not limited to medical institutions; designated pharmacies in Hebei also face significant shortages, with 422 drugs reported as unavailable [4] - Other regions, including Liaoning, Hainan, and Guangzhou, have also reported issues with selected companies failing to deliver drugs on time since the implementation of centralized procurement policies [4] - As of May 31, 2023, 443 drug varieties had not established timely delivery relationships post-procurement, with nearly 70% of the identified varieties having a delivery rate of 0% [4] Group 4: Future Developments - By the end of 2024, 612 companies were rated as generally untrustworthy, 76 as moderately untrustworthy, 40 as seriously untrustworthy, and 7 as particularly seriously untrustworthy [5] - A new standard for credit evaluation will be implemented starting from the third quarter of 2025, simplifying the rating system from four levels to three: "untrustworthy," "seriously untrustworthy," and "particularly seriously untrustworthy" [6]