1. Asia is not a homogeneous generics market
Jose Maria A Ochave, Corporate Vice President Business Development & Legal for
United Laboratories gives us his take on the marketing and distributing generics and
biosimilars in Asia. He also talks about the affordability of biosimilars and tells us why
price will continue to be a significant factor in the generics market and how companies
must set themselves apart form the competition to enter the market.
Bryan Camoens: What are some of the key challenges in marketing and distributing
innovators alongside generics in Asia?
Jose Maria A Ochave : Asia is not a homogeneous market. Market conditions vary from
country to country. Hence, a question that seeks to generalize will not result in any
meaningful answer. In any case, from where I stand, the key challenge for any
pharmaceutical company now is price as more products become commoditized. This
becomes more acute when companies with non-cGMP facilities are allowed to enter the
market.
Bryan Camoens: With the emerging trend of biosimilars, how will the dynamics of the
pharmaceutical market be affected?
Jose Maria A Ochave : It's an emerging trend elsewhere, but not yet in the Philippines as
sourcing of biosimilars and patients' capacity to pay continue to prevent the creation of a
robust biosimilar market. There has been much discussion regarding biosimilars, but until
such time that the affordability issue in developing countries is addressed, it will simply be
an interesting topic in conferences.
Bryan Camoens: What are the key market access barriers for generics within Asia?
Jose Maria A Ochave : Primarily product registration, this despite the on-going
harmonization efforts. With a few exceptions, the reality is each country still seeks to
protect its own domestic companies due to legitimate policy concerns (e.g., drug security,
technology transfer, employment).
Bryan Camoens: What are the challenges and difficulties in marketing generic products in
Asia?
Jose Maria A Ochave : The proliferation of substandard generics as this undermines the
credibility of the entire generics industry.
Bryan Camoens: How do prescribers differentiate among the various generic options
available in the market?
Jose Maria A Ochave : They still prescribe products of companies who detail to them.
Hence, presence in the doctor's clinic is still important.

2. Bryan Camoens: How unique is the positioning of generics companies in Asia and how can
they withstand competition from Big Pharma?
Jose Maria A Ochave : It's still price and relationship marketing. If Big Pharma goes down
to the generics price point using their existing brands, then that will pose some difficulties
for the generics companies. However, if they launch their generics through another
company, it will take a while for them to establish themselves in the market and generic
companies will have the opportunity to stunt their growth by leveraging on their existing
relationships.
Bryan Camoens: Asia's exports - what can companies do to ensure the quality and safety of
generics?
Jose Maria A Ochave : It's still the good, old cGMP and quality assurance and control
programs. There is no shortcut.
Bryan Camoens: With regards to biosimilars and pharmacovigilance, what are the key
considerations for companies and how can we overcome them?
Jose Maria A Ochave : The key considerations are a good, dependable source of the
biosimilars and compliance with registration requirements, especially as regards the
clinical trial requirement. The fact that one cannot adopt the same pricing strategy as with
traditional pharmaceuticals resulting in narrower margins is also an issue. The business
model for traditional pharmaceuticals will not work with biosimilars. A new business model
will have to be crafted and it will take a lot mistakes before one can come up with one that
works. Hence, not all pharmaceutical companies will have the required financial resources
and competence to be successful in biosimilars.
Bryan Camoens: How will the generics industry continue to evolve with more patents
expiring in the next few years?
Jose Maria A Ochave : While price will continue to be a significant factor, the generic
companies will have to find other ways to differentiate themselves from competition as
more companies enter the market. Success will come to those who are able to engage the
various customers creatively and more effectively. Companies will also need to redefine
who their real customers are.
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Jose Maria A Ochave will be speaking at the Generics & Biosimilars Asia conference for
more details please visit www.genericsbiosimilarsasia.com or drop an email to
enquiry@iqpc.com.sg