This study intended to investigate change in pharmaceutical market structure in relation to the introduction of product patent protection in Korea.
The ultimate purpose of this study is to help the government seek the ways of improving pharmaceutica...
This study intended to investigate change in pharmaceutical market structure in relation to the introduction of product patent protection in Korea.
The ultimate purpose of this study is to help the government seek the ways of improving pharmaceutical social benefit.
The main results of this study is as follows;
Concentration ratios decreased in total pharmaceutical market but has increased or decreased in therapeutic markets since the introduction of product patent protection in Korea.
The share of multinational and cooperative enterprises had sharply increased 21.1% in 1989 to 29.7% in 1994 in hospital pharmaceutical market. On the contrary it had decreased a little in pharmacy pharmaceutical market, 10.9% in 1989 to 9.4% in 1994.
Accordingly the introduction of product patent protection and its impact have resulted in change in pharmaceutical market structure of Korea. They have forced the total pharmaceutical market to be competitive. But it maybe force therapeutic market to be monopolic.
The government policies on pharmaceutical products have to be directed to improve pharmaceutical socialbenefits with regard to these aspects.