China recently added 900 kinds of medicine into the category with prices fixed by the government, said an official with the National Development and Reform Commission in Beijing Friday.

The move, observers said, could help government prevent overall medicine prices from going too high.

The category now includes 2,400 kinds of medicines. They cover OTC medicines, medicines for anesthesia, medicines for immunity and so on, said the official.

The government set a fixed price for a few of them, while for the majority, the government set a ceiling on the prices, and medicine producers could adjust the price according to market demand.

(Xinhua News Agency July 16, 2005)