Pharmaceutical Business
Classification of Drugs
・Drugs are generally classified into prescription drugs and Over the Counter (OTC) and quasi-drugs
・Prescription drugs are further classified into New Prescription drugs and generic drugs
Process to Launch New Prescription Drugs
・ It takes a long time and huge R&D cost to sell one medical drug
Source: Data from JPMA (FY2015-FY2019
* Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development Cost of Developing a New Drug (2014)
Patent Term and Generic Drugs
・Patent Term is twenty years from the filing date of the application
・If the patent expires, other pharmaceutical companys will be allowed to manufacture the drug, and generics will appear on the market