Beijing, July 6 (Reporter Liu Le) According to the Central Radio and Television Station China Voice "News Evening Peak" reported that, in 2019, China Pharmaceutical (13.360, -0.23, -1.69%) retail industry conference, nearly 30 world-renowned pharmaceutical industry enterprises jointly announced the launch of the 100 billion prescription drug retail platform."

According to the introduction, the platform will play the pharmaceutical companies prescription drug supply capacity and efficient coordination capacity, improve the whole region, the whole category of prescription drugs patient accessibility and end-drug services, seize the retail market increment. What is the reason why many pharmaceutical companies are joining forces to stand on the prescription drug retail platform? How does the establishment of this kind of retail platform benefit patients?

Will a new prescription drug price monopoly be formed in the future? The announcement of the launch of the "hundreds of billions of prescription drug retail platform" pharmaceutical industry enterprises include Baiyang Pharmaceuticals, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Xi'an Yangsen, Philips, Mershadong, Cinda Bio and other nearly 30.

According to reports, the establishment of "hundreds of billions of prescription drug retail platform" is expected to end the pharmaceutical enterprises "single-handed" status quo, the platform enterprises will jointly enhance the management of resources, operating resources, channel resources, marketing resources, distribution resources, the concentration of resources, promote resource sharing. China is the world's second largest pharmaceutical market, medical insurance charges, consistency evaluation, two-vote system, "4 plus 7" with volume procurement, such as a series of medical reform new policies, so that pharmaceutical enterprises face serious challenges.

According to market research institutions forecast, in 2020, China's prescription drug market will reach 1890 billion yuan, hospital prescription outflow accounts for about 1/5 of the total prescription volume, China's prescription outflow market size will be close to 400 billion yuan, and the sales of prescription drug retail market will exceed 150 billion yuan.

Prescription outflow refers to the hospital allows patients to hold prescriptions to buy medicine outside the hospital, that is, the hospital pharmacy to bear the supply of drugs, transferred to retail pharmacies and other out-of-hospital markets, to achieve medical separation. Professor Zhou Zijun of the Department of Health Policy and Management of Peking University School of Public Health said that the establishment of such platforms, in addition to seizing the future retail market for prescription drugs, is also a response to the gradual advancement of China's health reform. "The platform for pharmaceutical companies may be more commercially focused, " says Mr Zhou. Usually enter the platform, one is information sharing, and the other is through the platform may improve some efficiency, such as drug procurement, wholesale and retail, the establishment of a drug platform, online and offline sales are possible. So this may also be a response, a response to health care reform.

" Zhou Shuangcai, an expert in the pharmaceutical retail industry, said that the establishment of such prescription drug retail ingress platform is generally a good thing, but also the product of the times. Zhou Shuangcai said: "These 30 pharmaceutical companies to jointly establish a retail prescription drug platform is in line with the times, on the whole is a good thing." It is preconceived and the general trend. More and more pharmaceutical companies are likely to join such platforms in the future. The purpose is the first is the market, their products in the market share is good; Prices can certainly be good, retail prices can also be lowered, for ordinary people (57.470, -1.48, -2.51%) good.

" With the deepening of China's aging population and the promotion of the "three-doctor linkage" medical reform, the separation of medicine gradually landed, prescription outflow has become the trend.

The main purpose of prescription outflow is to restrict the monopoly of medicines in hospitals, to form a market-oriented competition mechanism for drug prices, to combat the ills of drug sales, to break the model of medicine-based medicine, and to enhance the core value of medical services. The return of hospital value has led to an out-of-hospital prescription drug market. Professor Zhou Zijun also said that at present, retail pharmacies or platforms can smoothly link up the prescription outflow, is also a question. Zhou Zijun said: "Patients go to the pharmacy to get prescription drugs, at least for safety reasons, pharmacies usually have some professional professional pharmacists to review." But the current situation in our country is that many pharmacists are in the hospital, in retail pharmacies pharmacists are not enough, need to solve this problem. If this problem is solved, perhaps more people can go to the relatively close drugstore to take prescription drugs, slowly some habits will change, for the people are also able to facilitate access to medicines.

" Fu Gang, vice president of the China Pharmaceutical Business Association and chairman of Baiyang Pharmaceutical Group, said that in the face of the challenges and opportunities brought by the policy and market, it is urgent for pharmaceutical companies to obtain high-quality channels and marketing resources.

Whether retail pharmacies or pharmaceutical industry enterprises should look at the whole industry, establish a good hospital, pharmacy, pharmaceutical enterprises sustainable synergy, the establishment of professional division of labor is the only way to improve the efficiency and level of the industry. So, in the general trend of prescription outflow, if the prescription drug retail market is occupied by this kind of platform, prescription drug prices will form a new monopoly situation? Zhou Shuangcai analysis that in the short term will not form a monopoly. Zhou Shuangcai said: "There are many prescription drugs, prescription drugs for all kinds of diseases have, it is not possible to monopolize all prescription drug market." Now people buy prescription drugs are actually more expensive, especially to treat the treatment of major diseases of prescription drugs, such as tumors and other diseases are indeed expensive. The future one is to see the '4 plus 7' band quantity procurement, the second is to see the 'pharmaceutical division', the state is promoting the separation of doctors and medicines. If these policies can really be introduced, the price of these drugs will be lower and lower in the future. "