1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 403: The article behind “Original Research Localization” (1)

Although the rural grassroots pharmacy chain project was an idea that Tugou came up with himself, Yang Mo still gave a lot of sincere suggestions on the top-level planning and design.

Without mentioning the others, there are two points that are very important:
1. In the field of Chinese patent medicine/raw materials, realize the interaction and organic integration of pharmaceutical factories and authentic medicinal materials GAP planting bases.

In fact, to put it bluntly, if the Chinese patent medicines produced by your pharmaceutical factory do not use authentic medicinal materials produced by GAP planting bases as raw materials, or if the Chinese patent medicines produced fail to pass the third-party quality inspection commissioned by the relevant Dahua company, then I'm sorry, your products will not be able to be sold on the counter of this grassroots chain pharmacy.

2. The original intention of establishing the grassroots chain drugstore project is to provide the vast rural grassroots masses with a channel to buy authentic and relatively effective medicines at a relatively low price.

Therefore, based on objective reality, grassroots chain pharmacy projects must adopt a product structure of traditional Chinese medicine + raw materials + Western medicine… It must be admitted that in some common rural diseases, especially in the treatment of hepatitis B and hepatitis C, which currently have a huge social impact, the clinical effect of Western medicine is significantly higher than that of traditional Chinese medicine, so Western medicine cannot be missing.

But also based on objective reality, this project can ensure that while ensuring good quality control for some raw materials and traditional Chinese medicines, the terminal price can be compressed to a level that far exceeds that of its peers; however, in the field of Western medicine, Dahua Company itself has no say

Therefore, in order to lower the terminal prices of some Western medicines, Yang Mo suggested taking a two-pronged approach.

On the one hand, for some Western medicines that have not yet been opened to China for patent authorization, a roundabout strategy of obtaining generic drugs from abroad will be adopted, which is what Zhuomali had suggested at the beginning, investing in building a factory in Laos to produce this type of generic drugs, and then "importing" them into the country.

On the other hand, for those Western medicines that have been opened to China for patent authorization, Dahua Company will actively connect with qualified pharmaceutical factories in Dezhou and Lanling cities and counties, and then gradually promote the "original research and localization" project after obtaining the support of local authorities.

The so-called "localization of original research" refers to foreign original research companies setting up production lines in China and then producing original research drugs.

However, the problem is very similar to that of common joint venture automobile factories. Since the raw materials, auxiliary materials, production lines, production management systems, quality management systems and original research may be inconsistent with those of foreign original factories, the quality of the same drug after the original research is localized is likely to be different from that of foreign original research drugs.

However, it is obvious that even if the "original research and localization" drugs are cheaper than imported drugs, it still exceeds the psychological bottom line of Yang Mo and Tugou, and does not conform to the original intention of the grassroots chain pharmacy project.

So it is obvious that the reason why Yang Mo is under the banner of "promoting the localization of original research projects" is actually to let some pharmaceutical companies, under the instructions of the competent authorities, complete the transfer verification and declaration, and then use this as a breakthrough to jointly reorganize a group of generic drug factories, and then continuously provide effective and low-priced generic drugs.

If you are familiar with the development history of related industries in the 1990s, you should know that this is a win-win-win strategy.

Low-income people can buy symptomatic drugs that may only be 1% or 5% effective, but the price is only 1/10 or even / of the imported original drugs;
Although it appears that a large piece of the market has been snatched away from original research pharmaceutical companies, the actual impact is not that great, based on the simple truth that "those who cannot afford it will eventually not be able to afford it, and those who can afford it will eventually come to buy it." Moreover, in addition to receiving policy subsidies from local authorities, they can also get a big share of the profits of newly established generic drug factories through a form of "separation-reorganization," which is simply making a fortune.

The benefits of local production and local sales have been mentioned before. Not only can local authorities see a sharp increase in GDP during this "one qi, three clears" process, but they can also provide a large number of jobs for local people through chain drug stores and reorganized generic drug factories.

As for Dahua Company, or more precisely, Yang Mo's side...

There is no need to say more about the benefits, right?

However, although this "one qi into three clears" operation method has many advantages, medicines are, after all, commodities with very high social sensitivity. Under the current domestic environment, there are even more issues involved behind generic drugs.

Therefore, as the mother-in-law of the local state-owned pharmaceutical company and a party that cannot be avoided in this plan, it is not as easy as outsiders think for the competent authorities of DZ City to make trade-offs.

That’s why we have this project hearing today.

However, Tugou underestimated the courage of the competent authorities of DZ City, and also underestimated the obsession of this old industrial city with industrial upgrading and transformation. Therefore, when she sat down in the conference room with trepidation, she was shocked to find that the other party did not question whether the method of "One Qi into Three Purities" was appropriate, nor did they inquire about the operating procedures and details. Instead, they paid great attention to whether the generic drugs could achieve the expected results after they were produced.

………………

"Manager Lu, the working group has consulted medical system staff and relevant clinical experts on the differences between generic drugs and original research drugs. Although they have different opinions on some aspects, the relatively unified opinion is... they believe that the actual effects of generic drugs are still different from those of original research drugs, and the gap is very large!"

"So, we invited Manager Lu here today. The first question we want you to answer is... As the designated person in charge of a rural grassroots chain of pharmacies, what do you think about the gap between generic drugs and original drugs?"

It was somewhat unexpected, but not too unexpected that the host of today's project hearing was Ye Tao.

This not only directly shows how much importance the DZ city authorities attach to this project, but also indirectly sends a certain signal.

Therefore, when Ye Tao jumped out at the first opportunity and used such tactful and flexible words as the opening question of the hearing, the others did not show any surprise on their faces.

If this project had not popped up at this delicate moment, and if the person sitting in front of you was not a classmate who had an extremely close relationship with someone, he would probably ask right away: "Why do you think the generic drugs produced by these pharmaceutical companies can cure diseases?"

But it was obvious that Tugou, who was used to being straightforward in the company, lacked experience in dealing with such implicit communication, so he just looked at Ye Tao stupidly: "Ah, ah? How do you see this gap?"

This topic was too broad, and she couldn't grasp the main point at once, and had no idea where to start.

Seeing this, Ye Tao smiled kindly, and then began his guidance in a very kind tone: "Some people say that original research drugs are the best. No matter how similar generic drugs are, they can never match them in terms of effect, let alone surpass them... The very serious reality at the moment is that the generic drugs that have appeared in China in recent years often do not even reach 60% to 70% of the effects of original research drugs."

"It can't even copy 80 points, let alone surpass the master after the apprenticeship... Since it has no long-term industrial value and strategic value, there is no need to provide strong support in this regard at all costs."

"Regarding this view...Manager Lu, what do you think?"

Even a fool would understand what Ye Tao meant after hearing such a pointed question.

Although Tugou is a bit rude sometimes, is she a fool?
Obviously not.

So she immediately retorted fiercely:

"Director Ye, original research drugs are the best, even so good that they cannot be surpassed?"

"The person who said this is probably not very familiar with the pharmaceutical industry... Even the original drug company itself would not and dare not say this!"

(Friends who know the business, please don’t rush to criticize, there will be relevant plot designs later in the text)

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became a little strange, and some people couldn't help but look at each other in surprise.

Although everyone knew the reason why Ye Tao asked this question at the beginning, in their opinion, the girl in front of them only needed to be a little humble, say something like "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step", and then express her determination with a positive attitude, so that they could go through procedural justice, and this link would be passed. But they didn't expect that this seemingly pretty girl would be so fierce.

What does "I'm afraid I'm not very familiar with the pharmaceutical industry" mean?
What does "even the original drug company itself doesn't dare to say this" mean?
This, this, this...

Are you having a brain seizure?
Ye Tao was also surprised by Lu Yingying's direct answer. After a brief moment of shock, he laughed with interest: "Oh? Manager Lu, can you tell us more about it and also give me some knowledge?"

Tugou, who didn't know, and didn't mind being used as a sword by the other party even if he knew, nodded without hesitation and said, "Everyone agrees that original research drugs are good, which is basically a fact; but why original research drugs are good, most people who don't know much about the pharmaceutical industry can't explain it."

“Let me put it this way…the original research and development process is about innovation.”

"A big advantage of innovation is that I am the standard and I don't need to refer to others...so the method, prescription, process and even dosage form I develop will be the standard for this drug in the future."

"So the truth that goes against the perception of outsiders is that... to a certain extent, the development of original drugs in the pharmaceutical sector is not more difficult than that of generic drugs, because they have more room to develop."

“But please note that originality does not mean it is the best!”

“Most drugs have a lot of room for improvement after they are launched on the market…One of the important reasons why people have the impression that the effects of original research drugs can never be surpassed is that the imported original research drugs that are allowed to enter our country have often undergone several or even dozens of improvements and iterations…You can think of them as the top students among original research drugs. As top students, their performance in all aspects is naturally much better.”

“But in fact, most newly developed original drugs still have many shortcomings and room for improvement;”

"For example, changing the formula to form a compound with other drugs is a common application in the treatment of tuberculosis and AIDS.

"For example, the active ingredient can be changed to remove the ineffective configuration of the racemate and only retain the effective one... For example, amlodipine (Pfizer's Norvasc), the most common drug for hypertension, has undergone several optimization and improvements during a long clinical process. After removing the ineffective right-handed configuration, it was launched as levoamlodipine, which doubled the antihypertensive effect and had fewer side effects."

"Another example is changing the specifications, reducing the dosage, and increasing patient compliance... For example, the 250mg prostate cancer drug abiraterone is large in size, and it is difficult to swallow four tablets at a time, so it is developed into a 4mg tablet, and two tablets are taken at a time."

"In addition, there are also changes in the route of administration, dosage form, additional indication research, and dosing regimen, etc...."

"In a word, most of the imported original drugs that you can see or hear about in China are star products that have gone through countless improvements."

"It would be extremely unfair to simply compare all generic drugs with these star products that have undergone countless improvements without setting the same standard!"

"Let me give you a very intuitive example... All leaders know that one of the original intentions of our grassroots rural chain drugstore project is to provide affordable medicines to villagers suffering from hepatitis C as much as possible... Hepatitis C is a new viral hepatitis that has emerged in recent years. In this area of ​​treatment, the only relatively effective treatment drug is the common interferon that is imitated and improved in my country (long-acting interferon and ribavirin have not yet been introduced)."

"Then an obvious question is... the country attaches great importance to the newly emerged hepatitis C disease. If the original research interferon from abroad is really more effective than the ordinary interferon imitated in China, will the country not make the original research interferon from abroad the main recommended treatment option for hospitals?"

After these words were spoken, there was a brief silence in the conference room.

Even if someone wants to refute what Tugou said, they don't know where to start. Although there are other considerations in making ordinary interferon the main recommended treatment for hepatitis C, it is an indisputable fact that the effect of domestically produced generic ordinary interferon is not much worse than that of imported similar products, and is even stronger in clinical applicability.

Seeing this, Tugou's initial nervousness and anxiety disappeared, and he immediately added: "In fact, many generic drugs will be redeveloped and innovated based on the original research drugs. Even abroad, those generic drug companies are very happy to do this... Because this kind of innovation can challenge the original research patents to a certain extent, allowing their products to be approved for listing in advance and obtain huge profits;"

"In fact, for some reasons, many original drug companies are not as averse to generic drugs as we think. There are many foreign generic drug companies that have taken a different approach with a series of improved generic drugs and eventually became international original drug companies that cannot be ignored (for example, a company relied on bevacizumab to treat AMD fundus macular degeneration)."

Seeing classmate Tugou who was enthusiastically explaining the basic knowledge of the generic drug industry to everyone, Ye Tao's eyes flashed a smile, and then he gently pressed his hand to stop the girl from speaking... Some things are better to be mentioned briefly. Let's not talk about whether it will go off topic if you continue. If you say too much, it will easily give others a handle.

"The second question... Manager Lu, some people have raised doubts, saying that many of the generic drugs that your company plans to produce and sell in this chain drugstore project do not have a basis for localization of original research in China;"

"Today, I will not discuss the source of the technology of these generic drugs. I only want to verify one point... According to relevant people, if the prescription of the original drug is not made public, generic drugs will not be able to imitate its essence."

"In other words, even if these generic drugs are produced, they are likely to be inferior products that do not meet the efficacy standards... If we insist on incorporating these generic drugs that do not have the basis for localization of original research into the main business scope of the reorganized pharmaceutical companies, it will not only be irresponsible for the health of the people, but also be tantamount to indulging the loss of state-owned assets."

"Regarding this point, does Manager Lu have any opinions he would like to elaborate on?"

Ye Tao glanced calmly at a plump old man on the right side of the conference room. Reorganizing those numerous large and small pharmaceutical factories was certainly something they had wanted to do for a long time, but the resistance was quite great... Not surprisingly, the so-called "promoting the localization of original research" package proposed by Dahua Company was also opposed by some people.

Upon hearing this, Tugou looked at Ye Tao with some confusion.

Still holding on to this issue?

So everything I just said was in vain?
However, when she caught the hint of encouragement in Ye Tao's eyes, she immediately realized that today's project hearing might not be what she thought.

After flashing through his mind some of what Yang Mo had said, Tu Gou glanced at everyone in surprise, showing his tiger girl characteristics to the fullest: "If the prescription of the original drug is not made public, then generic drugs cannot imitate its essence?"

"Who said this?"

Tugou was shocked and immediately started to talk nonsense again: "Manager Ye, I strongly request that the person who said this come out and confront me... This is just nonsense! People who say this not only don't understand original research drugs and generic drugs, but also don't understand the national conditions!"

Seeing this girl from Qilu speaking so innocently, everyone present couldn't help but twitch their eyes.

Damn it, are you a tiger or a fool?

Can you say such things on the spot?
In other words, there is someone behind you to protect you. If it were someone else, you would definitely suffer the consequences!
Ye Tao exchanged glances with a middle-aged man on his left quietly, and looked at Tugou with more appreciation. However, the current situation was not suitable for sitting aside and watching the show. He coughed lightly and said, "Manager Lu, today is the project hearing. Although you can speak freely, please be careful with your words... Let's stick to the facts!"

Seeing this, Tugou blinked his eyes, then sat up straight again very obediently: "Oh, oh..."

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PS: I have a lot of math homework today, so I have to finish it.

(End of this chapter)