Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Are you prepared for the challenge of "climbing the great wall" and communicating successfully in China’s changing healthcare environment?China is becoming increasingly attractive for foreign pharmaceutical invest¬ment, thanks to a large and growing market, reforms to the patent system and pharmaceutical-related regulations, and the broadening of medical insurance. Add a growing middle class and an aging popula¬tion, both affected by infectious diseases, along with lifestyle-related problems like obesity and diabetes, and it is easy to under¬stand why China’s pharma market has been forecasted as fifth largest by 2010.
A potential roadblock, however, has been that the reputation of the pharmaceutical industry in China, as elsewhere in the world, is in turmoil: Availability of care is an issue; there is social pressure for better access; product pricing is a hot topic; and competi¬tion is particularly fierce in a highly diverse and troubled marketplace.
The year 2006 was a particularly difficult one for China’s healthcare sector. Patient complaints regarding high medical costs brought doctors, hospitals, medical suppliers and pharmaceutical companies unwanted public attention. An increased number of insider stories were revealed by the media, creating a need for issues management, as many companies seemed unprepared to be under a spotlight.
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