Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 594: A high-sounding hypocrite (fourth update, please subscribe)

Sometimes a report can change a lot of things.

A report from the WHO shocked the world... and made the world aware of the huge profits of streptomycin.

While the world is surprised, what many people see is the profit. Especially those colleagues.

Reading the information in front of him, Andrew's face became more and more horrified.

“It’s just a bit unbelievable!”

After reading it, Andrew said,

"This isn't medicine, it's clearly gold!"

Like any pharmaceutical company manager, Andrew was well aware of the huge profits hidden in drugs.

Take penicillin for example. In the autumn of 42, Pfizer responded to the call of the U.S. government and worked with Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb and other companies to research the mass production of penicillin. At the beginning, due to the extremely difficult purification process, its price soared to US$830 per gram, exceeding that of gold in the same period. 670 times the price. However, just two years later, scientists improved the fermentation process, and monthly production surged to 1 trillion units, causing the price of penicillin to plummet 99%, selling for only $1 each, and by the end of the war, its price was already plummeting to tens of cents. But even so, its price is still higher than the same weight of gold.

It was precisely because he understood the price changes brought about by the advancement of penicillin production technology that Andrew understood that the so-called "streptomycin" had a complex process and high production costs, which sounded so ridiculous.

Because everyone knows that there is a direct relationship between output and price.

Obviously they had ignored this in the past, but now it was exposed by others, forcing him to face the huge profits contained in this drug.

"Based on the relationship between their current output and price, its cost should be..."

Andrew calculated on the note pad. Even if the production process is relatively complicated, there should be... Suddenly, he leaned back on the chair again and whistled softly.

"My God, that's a gold mountain with an annual output of hundreds of tons."

……

Drugs are things used to treat diseases. All drugs are the same and have their own prices. This price is basically controlled by two factors: one is the difficulty of industrial production, that is, the complexity of the process; the other is the rarity of the drug.

This rarity includes but is not limited to patents. Every large pharmaceutical company in the world has its own unique medicines. For example, Bayer once made a lot of money by monopolizing the patent on aspirin. It is precisely because of the exclusivity of patents that large companies can monopolize the market. This is why large companies in Europe, especially pharmaceutical companies, are committed to protecting pharmaceutical patents.

Even after World War I, after the aspirin patent was disclosed as part of Germany's compensation, companies including Pfizer, Merck, and Bristol-Myers Squibb pretended to go to Germany to sign a patent transfer agreement with BAIA. Well, after the end of World War II, German patents were once again opened to the public domain. They also rushed over and told German companies including Farben and others that your patents have been opened. Now, let’s sign a recognition agreement!

Anyway, it is legal to focus on a process, because the rules are like this. If Pfizer imitates a foreign company's drug without authorization and wins in court or drags out a long-term patent lawsuit until the patent expires, then Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb and other companies will follow the same method. Copy their drugs. Eventually the entire market will be disrupted.

Patents themselves are tools for large companies to monopolize the market. This is especially true for drugs, because unlike other drugs, the average life of drugs with high profits is only five years. Its development process can take several years or even more than ten years, and the cost may be millions or even tens of millions of dollars. No one can afford such a risk. For this reason, big pharmaceutical companies have always been defenders of patents.

But this does not mean that big companies will not be jealous when they see fat.

Just like now, Andrew can do two calculations.

The first account is the price of streptomycin. When it was first put on the market, it was US$100 per dose. The following year it was reduced to US$80. It is now US$40, which is 150 times more than the price of gold during the same period.

The second account is the demand for streptomycin. It is slightly different from penicillin in that although the diseases treated by penicillin are fatal, not everyone will be infected, so the relative demand is low. Streptomycin is the only specific drug for the treatment of tuberculosis. Without streptomycin, tuberculosis patients can only wait to die. This means that patients often go bankrupt in order to survive. After all, everyone wants to live.

Fear of death is a common human trait.

Full of desire to survive, who is not?
It is precisely because of this that the price of streptomycin has always remained high, and the patients' desire to survive has allowed them to earn huge wealth!

There's just one problem - the money was earned by others, not him. He must seize this opportunity and not let these riches pass him by.

So, you have to get a piece of it. The question now is how to do it.

The normal way is to visit Jianmin Pharmaceutical in Nanyang, interview them, show him market reports, and make many suggestions to him. As a result, his company will obtain a patent license, and of course, they will also receive generous benefits. patent grant. This is the normal way.

But who would let go of the chicken that laid the golden eggs?
So, we have to find a way to get a piece of the pie.

After all, in the face of such a chicken that can lay golden eggs, who can restrain his desire?
After thinking for a while, Andrew pressed the switch on the intercom.

"Mr. Bright please come to see me, Miss Clark."

Brett is the company's lawyer, and now it's time to show his value!
When Brett walked into the room more than an hour later, Andrew had already stuffed the market report on streptomycin into a drawer. Facing him, Andrew smiled.

"Brett, I have something to ask your opinion on, and it requires your professional ability."

Need professional skills? Bright knew that big paychecks were coming.

"That's the fundamental reason companies pay law firms $5 a year."

"Well, look, now we are very interested in a drug, but this drug is under patent protection, and the profit of this drug is very considerable, and the market prospect is very good, so the other party will not authorize it to Ours, do you have any good ideas?”

patent……

As a lawyer, Brett said after hearing this.

"If they are willing to transfer, things will be difficult to handle. If they directly imitate, there will be too many legal issues involved, and it will be almost impossible for us to win the lawsuit."

"right,"

Andrew nodded and said.

"That's why I need your advice. I need you to provide a suitable method that can allow the other party to actively share patented methods."

Faced with such a request, Bright felt very surprised. Normally, they would not do this. The reason for doing this must be that the interests involved are huge.

The greater the benefit, the greater his profit. After thinking about it, he asked.

"May I know what the medicine is?"

"Streptomycin!"

"Is that the specific medicine that can cure tuberculosis?"

Brett couldn't help being surprised and said.

"It's really unlikely that they would share the chicken that lays golden eggs with outsiders!"

"Yes, so I hope you can find a way to make them willing to share this hen. Of course, you will also get corresponding rewards..."

Looking at Brett, Andrew said directly.

"We can't force them to give up their patents, nor can they infringe on patented generic drugs. Therefore, we need to take some special measures, which need to be more cautious and require a more appropriate reason, such as... for all mankind!"

"what?"

Andrew was stunned, and for a moment he didn't even realize what the other party meant.

"For the health of all mankind!"

Blair continued.

"After all, the purpose of developing drugs is for the health of all mankind. Now the reason why we hope they can share patents is also for the health of all mankind. Don't you think so!"

"Haha, that's right!"

Only then did Andrew wake up, looked at Brett and laughed.

"Haha, you are right, you are right, for the health of all mankind!"

Is there any more appropriate reason or excuse than this?
Obviously it can't happen anymore, just like when they developed the drug, they promoted it to the outside world...for the health of everyone.

But in fact - it's just for money, but it's just a high-sounding excuse for myself.

(End of this chapter)