HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE companies

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A l o v alu e
For each
stakeholder
With each
offer
component
HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S
EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE
Perspectives on commercial model innovation for multinational pharma
companies
april 2014
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HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE
THE BIG 3
1
China's pharmaceutical market can be
viewed as a multi-layered puzzle in
which different players exert influence
on key components of the value chain.
p. 4
2
We believe that these patient-oriented initiatives are more of an enabler for
long-term success than they are short-term revenue generators.
Nonetheless, they must be actively considered from a PR angle as well as for
the purposes of gaining access to patient databases.
p. 9
3 We believe pharmaceutical companies can pursue a series of initiatives to help address key stakeholder
concerns along the value chain. A sensible combination of these initiatives will enable companies to not
only erect competitive barriers that are difficult to replicate, but also potentially capitalize on
discontinous growth.
p. 12
"Innovative
models in
patient
management"
p. 10
2
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
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HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE
The changing stakeholder landscape in
China's pharmaceutical market
behooves pharmaceutical companies to
revisit their commercial strategies and
go-to-market approaches. Along the
value chain, the evolving needs of
hospitals, physicians, private payors,
retail chains, distributors, patients, and
government entities present
opportunities and challenges. There are
already emerging models of innovation
all along the value chain, although it
remains to be seen which players can
mold these stand-alone innovation
models into a winning formula for the
long term. Companies must prioritize
these different initiatives based on their
own strategic vision, existing gaps, and
core capabilities.
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
3
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HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE
1
Part A. Overall context and framework
for strategic evaluation
China's pharmaceutical market can be viewed as a
multi-layered puzzle in which different players exert
influence on key components of the value chain.
Unsurprisingly, the government (whether as payor or
provider) exercises the highest degree of control. Major
hospitals come in at a close second. Patients, on the
other hand, have been virtually left out of the equation
thus far, despite the efforts of multiple healthcare
reforms. a
We believe, however, that the market is at a point of
"discontinuity". Many fundamental changes are afoot
due to a variety of socioeconomic, political, and
commercial factors. Pharmaceutical companies can
ill-afford to look at the market through static lenses
and must gain a thorough understanding of the
destabilizing systemic factors at play. Most importantly,
we believe that a reexamination of market gaps and
opportunities is necessary. This reexamination should
take place through a three-dimensional lens, starting
with stakeholders and proceeding along the "product"
value chain (pharmaceuticals, devices, and services)
and eventually the "care value chain" (registration,
pricing, tendering, listing, distribution, prescription,
treatment, etc.). By identifying "hotspots" within this
framework, pharmaceutical companies are able to
prioritize a set of initiatives that are feasible and will
bring long-term competitive advantages. B
A
Map of various stakeholders and their respective influence
Conceptual framework of stakeholders' impact
Key
stakeholders
Hospital
government
Payor
Distributor
Pharmacy
Physician
Patient
Registration Pricing
4
RDL / EDL
Tendering
Hospital Distribution Prescription
listing
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Healthcare
chain
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HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE
B
Roland Berger's three-dimensional framework for exploring commercial model gaps and
potential for innovation
Analytical framework for exploring innovative business models
C
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HA
nt
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or
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ysi
Ph a
Pat
Ph
Products
OFFERING
Prescription
Distribution
Hospital listing
Tendering
RDL / EDL
Pricing
Registration
Ho
t
spi
Devices
Services
High impact
Medium impact
Low impact
Comments
Each dimension can be explored and
combined with the two others to form a long
list of innovative business models
For each
stakeholder
Along the
"care value
chain"
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
With each
offer
component
5
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HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE
2
Part B. Summary of key stakeholders'
needs and market gaps
1. Hospitals
A
Private hospitals are rapidly proliferating in China,
driven by a combination of factors that include demand
for better healthcare ser vices and loosening
government control. The government has launched a
series of initiatives to encourage the participation of
private capital in hospitals.
1) State Council Guiding Document No. 40 (2012)
encouraged the establishment of private hospitals with
the participation of foreign capital
2) Beijing issued 18 initiatives in 2012 and a detailed
guiding document in 2014 to encourage investment in
private hospitals
3) Several cities are carrying out multi-location practice
pilot programs A
Notably, while private hospitals have historically
been restricted to "peripheral" therapeutic areas such
as dentistry and cosmetic surgery, they are increasingly
establishing a presence in highly profitable areas
traditionally dominated by large Class 3A hospitals
(Wuhan Yaxin is one such example). While we have yet
to witness many successful examples of foreign
players or large integrated private hospitals, we believe
this is a matter of time, especially if potentially "gamechanging" mechanisms such as DRGs are
systematically introduced.
Even at this early stage of the game, there are
already examples of pharmaceutical companies
sowing the seeds of change within private hospitals.
For example, to capture opportunities in private
6
Private hospitals on the rise
Hospital service volume [services provided]
2.5 bn
127.3 m
90%
89%
80%
10%
11%
20%
2012
(outpatient
services
provided)
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
2012
(inpatient
services
provided)
2015E
Public
Private
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HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE
hospitals, in 2010 GE Healthcare initiated the "Go
Blue" project, in which around three hundred sales
reps systematically covered private hospitals and set
up KA teams. Other companies have set up "goodwill"
cooperation models with hospitals that provide
training in areas such as inventory management and
prescription practices.
2. Physicians
For physicians, improving call efficiency and
compliance level is increasingly important in today's
market. We find that as their schedules tighten and
sales rep calls come under closer scrutiny, physicians
are less likely to further engage with pharmaceutical
companies in traditional ways.
For pharmaceutical companies, efficient doctor
coverage is key in today's market. New media is a
relatively recent addition to sales reps' toolkits as part
of an overall innovation of coverage models.
Pharmaceutical companies could also leverage thirdparty platforms to achieve better coverage efficiency.
There are already a number of examples, including
丁香园 (www.dxy.cn), which has led the way in creating
an online community for physicians and also acts as a
prescription assistant. Gooddoc (好医生) has created
a platform to help doctors recruit targeted patients,
and pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca
have already adopted the use of iPads during sales
reps' daily calls to enhance efficiency and closed-loop
marketing in China and the U.S.
3. Payors
Commercial insurance, boosted by significant latent
demand and concrete government policy support, is on
the rise. In the 12th Five-year Plan, the government stated
its intention to "vigorously develop all types of health
insurance, such as supplementary medical insurance,
sickness insurance, and disability income insurance
products." In addition, regional governments are
collaborating with commercial insurance companies to
improve coverage of critical diseases.
Nonetheless, challenges remain. Data suggest that
insurance companies' current profitability in pure
healthcare insurance is low or even negative. This is
mainly due to a high loss ratio driven by moral hazard and
adverse selection. In addition, insurance companies'
control over providers is low and auditing procedures are
not robust.
We believe, however, that the market is poised to
continue growing strongly since latent demand is
significant. Current commercial healthcare insurance
penetration is estimated to be a mere 10%, with
commercial insurance of critical diseases only 0.5%. B
U n s u r p r i s i n g l y, p a r t n e r s h i p s b e t w e e n
pharmaceutical companies and health insurance
companies are on the rise, Swiss Re, and PICC signed
a joint agreement to provide cancer insurance in China
starting in November 2012; their insurance customers
are expected to number 12 million in 2013-2014.
We believe that, with continued strong growth of
commercial health insurance and government pressure
on drug pricing, health insurance companies will
increasingly become an important strategic partner for
pharmaceutical companies.
4. Government
(registration, tendering, pricing)
On the registration side, we believe that the drug
approval processes will be further accelerated,
especially for locally-developed innovative drugs and
generic drugs that fall into four specific categories:
drugs in short supply in clinical practices, high priced
drugs, drugs with low accessibility, and drugs targeted
at special groups such as pediatrics and rare diseases.
For pharmaceutical companies, it is important to
assess the pros and cons of local innovation and
registration versus importing. Increasingly, foreign
players are looking at the innovation and manufacturing
of Class 1.1 "in China for China" products.
MerckSerono, for example, has partnered with local
company BeiGene for oncology drug R&D and
registration to gain cost advantage and speed up the
local registration process.
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
7
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HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE
On the tendering side, we see three trends. First, a
new wave of EDL bidding, especially in Shandong,
Qinghai, and certain other locations, places more
emphasis on drug quality. Second, there is an
increasing prevalence of "purchase with volume."
Lastly, EDL minimum prescription percentages are
being reinforced, leading to increased EDL market
potential.
For pharmaceutical companies, this means that in
addition to growing EDL market potential, there are
unique opportunities to apply proof test strategies in
different markets with varying tendering practices.
For pricing, we observe a trend of downward
pressure punctuated by three points. First, price limits
are becoming stricter in the bidding process in
locations such as Guangdong and Qinghai. Second, a
few provinces are considering eliminating the
"originator" category or putting it in the same category
as high-quality generics. Lastly, the implementation of
bioequivalence tests will provide a strong rationale for
eliminating preferential pricing for originator brands.
For pharmaceutical companies, this may mean
that conducting pricing and "willingness to pay"
studies will become more important, particularly for
originator brands and new launches. In addition, PAP
schemes may be used to facilitate the entry of certain
products into the RDL. For example, in 2011, Roche
cooperated with the Cancer Foundation of China when
it launched Herceptin to run a charity program that
donated eight cycles of Herceptin following the
commercial purchase of six cycles. The initiative
facilitated Herceptin's listing in the Jiangsu Province
RDL.
5. Pharmacies
Pharmacies face systemic challenges. In particular,
elimination of price mark-ups in hospitals is already
beginning to erode pharmacies' price competitiveness.
To counter these challenges, pharmacies are
exploring innovative ways to cooperate with
pharmaceutical companies and enhance customer
loyalty. For example, direct to consumer (DTC) schemes
8
involve cooperation with pharmaceutical companies to
sell new, innovative drugs in the process of facilitating
the collection of critical patient/customer data for
future reference. In addition, more pharmacies and
MNC pharmaceutical companies are jointly exploring
in-store promotion and patient education activities.
Roche and Sinopharm have been actively
collaborating in this area, with Roche selecting
Sinopharm to carry out its DTC business by virtue of
their extensive network and strong government
relationship. The two have also been exploring the
launch of PBM (pharmaceutical benefit management)
initiatives at the pharmacy level to efficiently identify
and retain customers.
Overall, DTC, PBM, in-store promotion, and
phar macist tr aining are useful tools that
pharmaceutical companies can leverage to boost
business coming from pharmacies. Still, a careful
evaluation of the potential relationship (and conflicts)
with their hospital business is necessary.
6. Distributors
We believe that distributors can play a profound
role in ensuring availability and reach in the broader
market. Increasingly, we have seen distributors
extending their traditional business models up- and
downstream.
Novel business models are being explored, such
as centralized procurement and drugstore trusteeship
in hospitals. Beyond distribution itself, POS promotion
and market access support from distributors are
increasingly popular given how hot the topic of
coverage and sales upside is in the broader market.
For pharmaceutical companies, this represents
great opportunities. MSD, for example, has been active
in setting up partnerships to leverage distributor
capabilities, covering approximately 4,000 points of
sale in non-core regions as well as gaining access to
around 400 third-party sales reps.
In essence, distributors are a potentially powerful
ally with broad reach up- and downstream. For
pharmaceutical companies, co-promotion with
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HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE
distributors in non-core points of sale can be
considered with an evaluation of returns on investment.
7. Patients
While we do not believe that significant investment
in a patient-centric model will yield large-scale
benefits in the short term, patients are nonetheless at
the core of China's healthcare service "gaps". Keeping
their needs in mind will ultimately become a key
enabler to a long-term winning strategy.
We are already witnessing the emergence of
various patient-oriented initiatives, which can be
broadly be broken down into three categories with
increasing levels of institutional complexity. These are:
1) Patient education: Various education programs and
disease knowledge and management programs at
points of care
2) DM programs: Construction and expansion of
patient databases through clubs, activities, and
seminars
3) New technology: Automatic disease feedback
mechanisms, Weibo/Wechat education on diseases,
etc. C
We believe that these patient-oriented initiatives
are more of an enabler for long-term success than they
are short-term revenue generators. Nonetheless, they
must be actively considered from a PR angle as well as
for the purposes of gaining access to patient databases.
B
Commercial insurance status and trends
Emerging commercial insurance
High-end
commercial
insurance
Commercial
insurance
Supplementary
health
insurance
Basic medical
insurance
Current status
Trend
Increasing coverage of middle
class consumers
High-end commercial insurance
Commercial insurance
A minor role in healthcare
system, only 3% of national
medical expenses in 2010
Commercial insurance will comprise 5% of
national medical expenses by 2020. This increase
will depend on policies and model innovation
Supplementary health insurance
Pilot partnership programs
between gov't and
commercial companies in
some cities (e.g. Zhanjiang)
More cooperation between government and
commercial insurance
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
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HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE
C
Innovative models in patient management
Degree of institutional complexity
Low
Patient education: Treatment 2.0/2.1
Physician
education
Healthy heart
care package
Booklet
Leverage
current
resources to
change
physician
messaging with
appropriate
content
10
DM programs
TV series
Anzhen
hospital
CHC
Medicine
box with
alarm
Booklets contain key
disease & treatment
info, FAQs, and pages
to record patients'
medication and BP
levels
Also includes a
medication box with
alarm
Film lecture
series by KOL,
hospital
waiting room
screenings of
films and TV
programs
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Expand the patient database program by
linking seminars to patient clubs and
activities. The key aim of this program would
be focused on proactively visiting patients
and inviting them to be part of the club's
management
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HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE
High
DM programs
CHA
Professionals could
be an alternative to
physicians
Technology
New media
offerings
Leverage SMS/Wechat
messages, websites, apps,
and even Weibo to educate
patients
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Hardware
The apps in particular could have many
functionalities rolled into one, including
disease & treatment info, FAQs, daily
records, automated customized feedback,
and even possibly remote monitoring
11
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HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE
3
Part C. Summary of potential
initiatives and thoughts on prioritization
We believe pharmaceutical companies can pursue
a series of initiatives to help address key stakeholder
concerns along the value chain. A sensible combination
of these initiatives will enable companies to not only
erect competitive barriers that are difficult to replicate,
but also potentially capitalize on discontinous growth.
A non-exhaustive list of initiatives may include the
following:
1) Take advantage of increasingly advantageous
policies in local innovation, for example developing
Class 1.1 drugs in China
2) Set up a subsidiary for local registration and
manufacturing of generic products (e.g. Novartis
Sandoz)
3) Set up a JV with local pharma companies for R&D
and registration
For hospitals
For government tendering
1) Help hospitals with training in inventory, performance
management, and other areas
2) Send in commercial teams to set up private hospital
KA teams
3) Set up a hospital investment entity to participate in
private hospital investment
1) Set up a tendering strategy and intelligence team.
Enhance government affairs team's competency
2) Contribute international expertise and support the
government in research and analysis of tendering
mechanisms
For physicians
1) Facilitate the adoption of new technologies in
communication between sales reps and physicians
2) Leverage new media in physician engagement
efforts, e.g. physician communities, training, and
patient recruitment
3) Conduct joint research and provide other academic
support to physicians
For payors (both public and private)
1) Partner with governments (especially those with
healthcare fiscal surpluses) in patient assistance
programs to get listed on the BMI/complementary BMI
2) Run PPP (public-private partnership) trial programs
in healthcare insurance
For government registration
12
For government pricing
1) Introduce generic versions of products, either by
oneself or in a JV with local pharmaceutical companies
2) Set up a government lobbying mechanism to gain
influence in listing on EDL/RDL
For pharmacies
1) Co-develop PBM and DTC programs to increase
customer loyalty
2) Explore pharmacy promotion and education
activities to achieve sales upside
For distributors
1) Partner with distributors on co-promotion in non-key
markets
2) Explore potential opportunities in online drug sales,
hospital drugstore trusteeship, etc.
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HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE
For patients
1) Empower patients and patient communities and
strengthen engagement through disease management
and new media
2) Facilitate communication and interaction between
physicians and patients
The key is to identify and prioritize these initiatives
to form a coherent set of strategic initiatives. This set
of initiatives will be vastly different for each company.
Roland Berger suggests a three-layered framework for
developing a strategy that systematically examines
strategic foundations, potential commercial levers,
and organizational enablers. A
There are potential themes to pursue. For example,
a "patient-centric" model may focus on the service
aspect and therefore involve more interactions with
physicians, pharmacies, technology providers, and
patients themselves. Alternatively, a "government
partner" model may involve significant efforts in a "in
China for China" innovation model, close interaction
with governments in notable public initiatives, and
possibly an extension into the provider space in certain
therapeutic areas. Determining the model that is most
appropriate will require a multitude of inputs, from an
assessment of China's role within the company's
global context, to an estimation of the degree of
congruence between existing assets and strategic
imperatives. There is no "right" solution, but carefully
choosing the battlefield and molding different strategic
levers into one congruent whole will be critical.
Organization
A
Retail
Strategic framework
Guiding questions
Physicians
Medical
access
Medical
affairs
PaPatient
tient
Payors
Hospitals
Sales
Marketing
Partners
Gov't
Processes
Inner circle:
Commercial
strategy
GUIDING
QUESTIONS
What are the characteristics of
our portfolio?
Who are our target customers
and key stakeholders?
What are our value propositions for the target segments?
●
Middle circle:
Commercial
model
What are the key elements of our
commercial going-to-market model?
How should we configure our assets
to align with our commercial strategy?
What does the investment return
profile look like?
●
●
●
●
●
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Framing circle:
Organization
and processes
How should we organize internally?
What are the key functions and
processes that support our
commercial model and enable our
strategic thrusts?
What resources and capabilities
are required towards that end?
●
●
●
13
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HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE
Summary
China's pharmaceutical market has entered an era
of "discontinuity." Increasingly, stakeholders find it no
longer to possible to operate under traditional models.
All along the value chain, providers, regulators, payors,
pharmacies, and doctors face pressure to make
fundamental adjustments to the status-quo.
It is therefore imperative that pharmaceutical
companies identify "hotspots" in the market and align
14
their own visions, ambitions, and existing capability
sets to the Chinese market. This should be done first
through a systematic examination of the strategic
context in China, followed by a holistic prioritization of
stakeholder needs. It should then be facilitated by a
systematic build-up of internal capabilities and the
establishment of an ef fective organizational
infrastructure.
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
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HOW TO ADAPT IN CHINA'S EVOLVING PHARMA LANDSCAPE
About us
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, founded in 1967, is one of the world's leading strategy consultancies. With
around 2,700 employees working in 51 offices in 36 countries worldwide, we have successful operations in all
major international markets.
Roland Berger advises major international industry and service companies as well as public institutions. Our services
cover all issues of strategic management – from strategy alignment and new business models, processes and organizational structures, to technology strategies.
Roland Berger is an independent partnership owned by around 250 Partners. Its global Competence Centers
specialize in specific industries or functional issues.
At Roland Berger, we develop customized, creative strategies together with our clients. Our approach is based on
the entrepreneurial character and individuality of our consultants – "It's character that creates impact".
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