[National] Illegal ‘Lobbying’ by Drug Companies Under Scrutiny
Imported Cars Given in Exchange for Drug Contracts
The illegal lobbying activities of pharmaceutical companies get caught every year, but they still continue. It means they are widespread such a degree. A reporter of the Hankyoreh met about twenty salespersons and executives of drug companies, wholesale dealers, and officials of Korea Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association. They spoke about illegal lobbying activities of domestic drug companies and multi-national firms in one voice.
“Manager Kim” has worked at a drug company for seven years and is in charge of about fifty buyers, including general hospitals and clinics. He said, “I give from many hundreds of thousands won to many tens of millions won as so-called ‘landing fee.’”
A salesperson actually said that when a successful clinic chooses one of his products, sometimes he gives it an imported car.
Multi-national companies wage lobbying activities in more sophisticated ways. A manager of one multi-national firm said, “As our companies can afford it, we frequently send doctors to seminars held in foreign countries. We reserve rooms in luxurious hotels and business class seats in airplanes. The cost is about W6 million for a person to Europe and W3 million won to the U.S.”
Multi-national companies often try to make prices a trade issue. A former marketing director of a multi-national drug company said, “When the CEOs of multi-national companies fail to negotiate with the Ministry of Health and Welfare over official prices, they go to the U.S. embassy to have pressure applied on the Korean government.” An official of the association spoke, “The multi-national drug manufacturers tend to make the medical fee a trade issue and because of that, the ministry has a hard time coping.”
Registrated at : 2006-05-03 AM 08:37:52 Modified at : 2006-05-03 AM 08:40:44
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