Table 3 The therapeutic categories of chemical medicine in shortage in China, 2018–2021
No. | Therapeutic category | Number of drugs | Frequency in the provincial shortage lists | Proportion* (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cardiovascular system | 42 | 254 | 17.0% |
2 | Nervous system | 53 | 204 | 13.6% |
3 | Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents | 31 | 181 | 12.1% |
4 | Blood and blood forming organs | 42 | 159 | 10.6% |
5 | Alimentary tract and metabolism | 42 | 128 | 8.6% |
6 | Anti-infectives for systemic use | 47 | 111 | 7.4% |
7 | Various | 21 | 105 | 7.0% |
8 | Genito urinary system and sex hormones | 24 | 84 | 5.6% |
9 | Systematic hormonal preparations, sex hormones and insulins | 14 | 77 | 5.1% |
10 | Respiratory system | 18 | 76 | 5.1% |
11 | Dermatologicals | 18 | 39 | 2.6% |
12 | Musculo-skeletal system | 7 | 36 | 2.4% |
13 | Sensory organs | 18 | 30 | 2.0% |
14 | Antiparasitic products, insecticides and repellents | 7 | 12 | 0.8% |