Table 1.

Overall price differences for all drugs and for drugs in various subcategories (2009–2010)

Category		N	Price (in Chinese yuan)			Price chang (%)
			2009	2010	p-value
Category(1)	Western medicines	7897	4.5	2.1	<0.01	−41.6
	TCMs	3091	10.8	8.1	<0.01	−24.3
Category(2)	NEDs	7768	5.0	2.6	<0.01	−35.3
	PEDs	3220	9.0	5.5	<0.01	−32.9
Region	Shandong	7897	3.5	1.9	<0.01	−40.0
	Zhejiang	3091	7.4	4.1	<0.01	−33.6
	Anhui	7768	5.0	2.2	<0.01	−37.0
	Ningxia	3220	2.6	2.4	<0.01	−4.8
Total		10988	5.7	3.0	<0.01	−34.4

Note: United States dollar = 6.8 Chinese yuan.

p value refers to nonparametric test for statistical difference of prices between the two periods.

TCMs, traditional Chinese medicines; NEDs, national essential drugs; PEDs, provincial essential drugs.