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    Home > Medical News > Latest Medical News > 600 billion prescription drugs transferred online to split whose cake

    600 billion prescription drugs transferred online to split whose cake

    • Last Update: 2021-03-07
    • Source: Internet
    • Author: User
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    , the "Internet plus" storm swept through China's major industries, pharmaceutical e-commerce is no exception, pharmaceutical companies, pharmacies have joined the "Internet plus" army. BAT has also shown strong interest in pharmaceutical e-commerce.Thus, a variety of new concepts such as PBM, HMO and so on, like willow flying in the sky, a variety of tricks. However, despite the rapid development of Internet medical care in China, prescription drug sales have been a no-go zone for Internet e-commerce.Now this restricted area also shows signs of loosening, on November 12, the State Drug Administration issued the "Drug Network Sales Supervision and Management Measures" draft for comments, to conditions to open up the online sale of prescription drugs, this document further pushed the concept of "Internet plus prescription drugs" to the climax.

    prescription drugs online and move the drugstore cake?Under the background of the increasing popularity of mobile Internet, whether prescription drugs should be released or not has been a controversial topic. As soon as this draft of the request for comments came out, it immediately caused great reaction in the pharmaceutical retail industry.On November 14th, a number of Chinese pharmacy chain entrepreneurs, through the China Pharmaceutical Materials Association, provided the media with a "communication material on the proposal to vigorously strengthen the safety supervision of the online sale of prescription drugs".The focus of this communication material is that safety is the primary prerequisite for drug purchases and that improper management of prescription drugs poses irreversible risks to human life and health. As a result, the drugstore chain's entrepreneurs insist that online sales of prescription drugs should be cautiously promoted and suspended nationwide.Xie Zilong, chairman of the People's Big Pharmacy Chain Co., Ltd., also said in a speech at the 15th China Growth Pharmaceutical Enterprise Development Forum held on the same day that liberalizing the sale of prescription drugs online is a huge blow and challenge to the entire pharmaceutical retail industry.In addition to the impact on the business of offline drugstore chains, drug safety is also a concern. Li Qing (a medical consulting professional) told the health sector that the promotion of online prescription drugs, if the policy scale is too large, resulting in supervision is not in place, the potential for safe drug use is very likely, the consequences are very serious.Drug network sales has always been the "heavy disaster area" of drug supervision, for many years in the absence of effective means of pre-regulation, can only be blamed after the passive occurrence of problems. If we break away from the current drug regulatory system, which is based on district and county administrative planning, and liberalize the sale of prescription drug networks, grass-roots regulators will struggle to achieve regulatory results.Li Qing believes that medicine is a special commodity, do not allow trial and error! The harm to people's lives and health caused by improper management and use of prescription drugs is often irreversible and must be done with caution!However, the opposite view is also expressed. A pharmaceutical industry research expert, who did not want to be named, told the health community that China does not need a perfect approach to the management of prescription drugs sold online, but rather an urgent need to introduce basic management methods to allow the existing online prescription drugs gradually into the right track.He pointed out that China has experienced the outbreak of online drugs, medical demand for the explosion of growth, has now formed a huge scale, so even if there is opposition, China's online prescription drug policy must be implemented, because so far, even if the online sale of prescription drugs formed such a large scale, the country's regulatory policy is delayed on the road, which is not conducive to the regulation and regulation of online drug sales.1 Pharmaceutical Network co-founder and executive chairman Yu Gang in an interview with the media, "drug network sales supervision and management measures (draft for comments)" again publicly solicited opinions, enough to see the government departments on the network drug sales rigorous and attention, which is good for the Internet pharmaceutical health industry, help the industry's long-term normative development, will promote enterprises to better through new technologies for the people to provide convenient medical and health services."The biggest opposition to the new management draft must have come from the pharmaceutical retail industry, because online prescription drugs are no longer moving their cake, but cutting their cake on a large scale, so the most opposition to the new management approach must have come from the pharmaceutical retail industry." The above-mentioned pharmaceutical industry research experts told the health community.Prescription drugs are indeed an indispensable piece of cake in offline pharmacies. Prescription drug sales due to the high unit price, consumer demand, in accordance with the characteristics of bulk purchase of treatment, can effectively enhance the monotonous sales performance. For single-store prescription drug sales located around the hospital, operating a smaller area can also significantly improve average daily performance.The share of retail pharmacy prescription drug sales has increased since 2016. According to China Pharmacy data, the proportion of prescription drug sales in pharmacies remained basically stable at around 33% in 2010-2015, but after 2016, the contribution of prescription drug revenue increased significantly, to 39% in 2018.   Net
    to sell prescription drugs safely open, but also need to cross a few bumps?   Pharmaceutical e-commerce is naturally the most looking forward to the release of prescription drugs sold online. To this end, the health sector specifically intends to domestic pharmaceutical e-commerce two giants Ali Health and JD.com Health sent an interview invitation, but as of the draft has not yet received a reply.   In the past, 85 percent of drug sales came from prescription drugs, but medical institutions sold nearly 80 percent of prescription drugs, and the off-court market accounted for only a small portion. According to the agency's forecast, with the development of pharmaceutical division, the scale of prescription drug outflow is about 400 billion to 500 billion yuan, of which the retail market size is about 300 billion yuan. The new draft will undoubtedly bring significant benefits to pharmaceutical e-commerce.   Unfortunately, however, the chaos of online prescription drugs has not gone away. In May 2019, the Southern Metropolis Daily reviewed 18 online drug-buying apps, including Tinker Bell Express, which sold some prescription drugs that did not have the words "prescription drug" or "Rx." In addition, prescription drugs such as non-compliant stimulant drugs, cancer drugs and antibiotics are on sale on the Tinker Bell Express app.   It's not just tinkering fast medicine that's playing the edge ball. On November 17th, some users said that after purchasing prescription drugs for gout, such as Tinker Bell Express, Carnation Pharmacy and other platforms, there was no prominent "prescription drug" label on the main page of the drug, which could be successfully ordered without a prescription.   As can be seen, the safety of prescription drugs sold online is a concern. In the absence of strong regulation, if such a disorder is condoned, it may pose a security risk. Therefore, in this regard, how to make a targeted patch, but also need to have a comprehensive system design and supporting arrangements.   Li Qing believes that, combined with China's current drug regulatory system, drug network sales enterprises should be required to set up in accordance with the district and county administrative divisions in line with the regulatory requirements of the physical distribution (storage) warehouse, and adopt the "online order shop, online order shop delivery" model, in order to carry out drug network sales and offline distribution, in order to maximize the protection of safe drug use.   "The relevant departments should still give a good consideration, is now a good time to open up the sale of prescription drugs online, drug sales to the Internet platform to sell, its essence is really beneficial to the people?" Li Qing said that even if the final really want to let go, then also want to ensure that online and offline must be synchronized, "for example, to require physical pharmacies to sell with prescriptions, online stores should also be executed according to this." The requirements of qualification, the requirements of practicing pharmacists should be treated equally, supervision synchronization. Li believes that a national drug network sales information exchange and sharing platform should be set up as soon as possible to promote the flow of electronic prescriptions and achieve full monitoring. (Health industry
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