Clipping Board » Medical Affairs and Administration ─ Medical system, pharmaceuticals, and medical community-related reports
China Times Updated: 2011/04/18 03:11
By Zhang Cuifen / Taipei Report
Former Health Minister Yang Zhiliang recently exposed shocking inside stories of the "white tower" (medical industry). A veteran pharmaceutical insider revealed that treating doctors to meals or covering their overseas trips is just the "basic package." Pharmaceutical companies also actively sponsor foundations and even provide "home delivery services" to physicians. All these investments are, of course, aimed at winning doctors' favor for their products to boost sales.
Currently, Taiwan's National Health Insurance annual expenditure totals a staggering 500 billion NTD, with a quarter spent on drug payments. The over 100 billion NTD pie is fiercely contested in the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Beyond NHI-covered medications, many self-paid or co-payment medical items—such as cardiac stents, artificial joints, and intraocular lenses—amount to 2 billion NTD annually, making them another key battleground for pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
The intricate web of interests between doctors and the industry has persisted for years, with pharmaceutical or device representatives going to great lengths to "serve" physicians. Typically, sales reps report to hospitals early in the morning to attend to doctors' needs—picking up children, grocery shopping for doctors' wives, handling passport applications, or running errands at post offices and banks. Whatever the doctor asks for, the pharmaceutical rep delivers!
A veteran dentist enviously remarked that surgeons used to have it the "best." After daily surgeries, reps would chauffeur them to Beitou for hot springs, drinks, and karaoke. On weekends, they’d accompany doctors for golf. One doctor once casually mentioned his golf clubs felt off, and the next game, the rep presented him with a brand-new set—leaving the doctor thoroughly impressed.
In recent years, to enhance marketing appeal, many companies hire young, attractive female sales representatives, often referred to as "sales girls," who strut through hospital corridors in short skirts, competing for attention. When doctors attend medical conferences in China, these reps adapt to local customs, arranging local beauties to accompany them. Some doctors even go as far as keeping mistresses there, with rumors circulating that some have one in nearly every province.
Of course, reps also target "high-value" doctors—those who prescribe heavily or see large patient volumes—making them worth the investment. Domestically, annual spending on medications for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes exceeds 30 billion NTD, while cancer-targeted drugs are the fastest-growing category. Cardiologists and oncologists are frequently invited to press conferences and medical seminars, earning substantial additional income from speaking fees.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 110418/ 4/ 2q00p. html
Doctors Speak, Drug Companies Comply
By Zhang Cuifen / Taipei Report
Former Health Minister Yang Zhiliang recently exposed shocking inside stories of the "white tower" (medical industry). A veteran pharmaceutical insider revealed that treating doctors to meals or covering their overseas trips is just the "basic package." Pharmaceutical companies also actively sponsor foundations and even provide "home delivery services" to physicians. All these investments are, of course, aimed at winning doctors' favor for their products to boost sales.
Currently, Taiwan's National Health Insurance annual expenditure totals a staggering 500 billion NTD, with a quarter spent on drug payments. The over 100 billion NTD pie is fiercely contested in the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Beyond NHI-covered medications, many self-paid or co-payment medical items—such as cardiac stents, artificial joints, and intraocular lenses—amount to 2 billion NTD annually, making them another key battleground for pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
The intricate web of interests between doctors and the industry has persisted for years, with pharmaceutical or device representatives going to great lengths to "serve" physicians. Typically, sales reps report to hospitals early in the morning to attend to doctors' needs—picking up children, grocery shopping for doctors' wives, handling passport applications, or running errands at post offices and banks. Whatever the doctor asks for, the pharmaceutical rep delivers!
A veteran dentist enviously remarked that surgeons used to have it the "best." After daily surgeries, reps would chauffeur them to Beitou for hot springs, drinks, and karaoke. On weekends, they’d accompany doctors for golf. One doctor once casually mentioned his golf clubs felt off, and the next game, the rep presented him with a brand-new set—leaving the doctor thoroughly impressed.
In recent years, to enhance marketing appeal, many companies hire young, attractive female sales representatives, often referred to as "sales girls," who strut through hospital corridors in short skirts, competing for attention. When doctors attend medical conferences in China, these reps adapt to local customs, arranging local beauties to accompany them. Some doctors even go as far as keeping mistresses there, with rumors circulating that some have one in nearly every province.
Of course, reps also target "high-value" doctors—those who prescribe heavily or see large patient volumes—making them worth the investment. Domestically, annual spending on medications for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes exceeds 30 billion NTD, while cancer-targeted drugs are the fastest-growing category. Cardiologists and oncologists are frequently invited to press conferences and medical seminars, earning substantial additional income from speaking fees.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 110418/ 4/ 2q00p. html