OBJECTIVES: Many drug policies were implemented during 2009-2011 in China in order to lower the health cost burden from drug over-consumption and over-pricing. The effects of these polices have been intensively debated at the turn of 2012 in the mainstream media, albeit in the absence of comprehensive official statistics. The aim of this research is to assess the outcome of the drug policy reform during 2009-2011, based on the available publications.  METHODS: Drug policies issued 2009-2011 by central government were identified and grouped into mutually exclusive categories, based on their main targets. All relevant news reports published in mainstream Chinese digital news portals from December 2011 to March 2012 were gathered and analysed by health policy trained analyst familiar with Chinese health policy issues. The effects of each policy category were disentangled into Price, Volume and Quality; and where an effect was identifiable, by comparing to the intent of the policy, it was qualified by 3 sets of parameters: Direct-or-Indirect Effect, Desired-or-Undesired Effect and Decreasing-or-Increasing Effect.  RESULTS: The identified 10 policies were grouped into 5 main categories: Essential Drug Listing & Price Control (3), Essential Drug Usage Promotion (2), Reimbursed Drug Listing & Price Control (2), Hospital Drug Price Controls (2), and Prescribing-Dispensing Separation (1). The majority (4/5) of the policy categories were targeted directly at lowering drug prices, and did achieve certain Direct-Desired-Decreasing effects on Price. Three of these four policy categories, however, also had indirect-undesired effects, mainly manifested as encouraging over-prescribing or lowering drug quality. The other policy aimed at promoting rational pharmaceutical prescribing failed to make tangible impact at national level.  CONCLUSIONS: The drug policies implemented during 2009-2011 achieved limited success and new approaches towards reform will be needed to obtain better results.