Pharma Delegates: Highlights from a Half-Century of Networking Within Japan’S Pharmaceutical Industry

By Charles A. Pomeroy

This book provides a broad overview of Japans health-care industry as a context for its true purpose. That purpose is to describe the historical development over a half century from the 1960s of an international voluntary organization of pharmaceutical and service-company executives comprising both foreign and Japanese members. Known as Pharma Delegates, they gather regularly for forums and fellowship on an informal basis, while also attracting high-level speakers to their monthly luncheons and annual seminars. The book is not about the pharmaceutical industry itself. Rather, it is about the people who make the industry successful through mutual self-help, where even competitors smile at each other.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Jun 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9781466994041

Charles A. Pomeroy

Charles Pomeroy, as a journalist, covered the health-care industry in Japan for over forty years. A major source of background knowledge from the beginning of his career until his retirement in 2004 was Pharma Delegates, a voluntary organization of industry executives that recently celebrated its fiftieth birthday. His respect for this group led him to compile its history.

Book preview

© Copyright 2013 Compiled by Charles A. Pomeroy .

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4669-9405-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4669-9404-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013908815

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Our mission is to efficiently provide the world’s finest, most comprehensive book publishing service, enabling every author to experience success. To find out how to publish your book, your way, and have it available worldwide, visit us online at www.trafford.com

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Trafford rev. 06/14/2016

12208.png www.trafford.com

North America & international

toll-free: 1 888 232 4444 (USA & Canada)

phone: [phone] • fax: [phone]

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1

Japan’s Healthcare History

Occupation Years & the 1950s

The 1960s & Early Growth

Chapter 2

Advent of Pharma Delegates

Lew Burridge and His Self-Help Group

Passing the Gavel

The 1970s & High Growth

Pharma Delegates Shapes Up

Chapter 3

The 1980s & Stable Growth

Internationalization Trend

Pharma Delegates Finds Itself

Pharma Delegates Administrative Years Take Shape

Chapter 4

The 1990s & Radical Reform

Recession and Internationalization

Pharma Delegates Reach Maturity

Chapter 5

The 2000s

Overview of the 2000s

Pharma Delegates Mellows

Afterword

Whither Pharma Delegates?

55th Anniversary Supplement

Preface

As noted in the first edition of Pharma Delegates, the 50-year urge to put together a history of any significant organization held true. That urge led to Koiichi Kato, Chairman of Pharma Delegates for two administrative years from September of 2010 through June of 2012, and his executive committee to commission the original book. Guidance was then provided by an editorial triumvirate composed of Keitaro Yoshida, Yasuhiro Takahashi, and David Stark. Then in 2016, the present chairman, William R. Bishop, Jr., and his executive committee, requested a supplement be added to mark the 55th anniversary of Pharma Delegates. This new edition updates the activities of the organization.

Putting together the first edition had turned out to be more difficult than anticipated due to the loss of documentation over the years. Still, we managed to reconstruct highlights in the historical development of Pharma Delegates thanks to the memories of long-time members. Participants in three interview sessions held in 2012, shown in the box below, launched the oral history. A collage showing participants of the interview sessions appears below as well. Email exchanges with former officers, notably Iain Frew, and members of executive committees contributed additional details and most of the human interest commentary.

In the present edition, the title for each chapter in the Table of Contents provides a macro view for that particular era, with the sub-titles setting the historical tone. The activities of Pharma Delegates are described within the context of each administrative year—a ten-month span from September to June of the following year—rather than a calendar year to reflect more accurately the efforts of the officers and executive committees. Fortunately, preserved records allowed these presentations to become more structured and chronological from the 1980s. Speaker titles have often been abbreviated, i.e., president and CEO, to simply CEO to save space.

Much of the early content appears in outline form, but some segments were expanded after commentary, documentation, photos, and anecdotes were received. These expanded segments will hopefully provide insight into the interesting people, the shared purpose, and the dynamic character of Pharma Delegates as it developed over the decades. We have missed much that would have shown how the industry has evolved in this interesting country, but hopefully we have recovered enough history to provide a flavor of the times as savored by those who lived it.

For early reference, frequently occurring acronyms are TAC (Tokyo American Club), NHI (National Health Insurance), MHW (Ministry of Health & Welfare) until 2001 when it changed to MHLW (Ministry of Health, Labor & Welfare, METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions), R&D (Research & Development), CRO (Contract Research Organization), and MR (Medical Representative). TBC (to be confirmed) follows the names of some officers where the recall powers of members puts them in those positions, but no records have yet been found for corroboration.

Special thanks go to those who responded to email requests for content: Iain Frew, Norman Green, Keitaro Yoshida, Yasuhiro Takahashi, David Stark, William Hall, P. Reed Maurer, Ken’ichi Kodama, Jiro Hayashi, Larry Payne, Mark Noguchi, Richard Gerstenberg, Chris Brunger, and Jinko Sato. And for the 55th Anniversary supplement, special thanks go to Keitaro Yoshida (again), William Bishop, and Keiko Aijima for their cooperation in updating information.

Charles A. Pomeroy

June, 2016

image001.tifimage002.tif

Credit: Pharma Delegates Archives.

This collage shows interviews for the Pharma Delegates history book conducted from March through June, 2012. Clockwise: Keitaro Yoshida, Norman Green, and P. Reed Maurer; William Hall and David Stark; Shunsuke Keimatsu, Charles Pomeroy, and Henry Marini; Koichi Kato and Keitaro Yoshida; Jim Malian and Norman Green; Yasuhiro Takahashi and Koichi Kato.

image003.tif

Credit: Pharma Delegates Archives.

The editorial committee at work. From the left are David Stark, Yasuhiro Takahashi, Charles Pomeroy, Koichi Kato, and Keitaro Yoshida.

Introduction

What better way to start an introduction to Pharma Delegates than excerpts from its website greeting:

"Pharma Delegates is an informal, non-advocacy association of executives of pharmaceutical, healthcare companies, life sciences companies and their related services in Japan dedicated to providing a forum for discussion and the advancement of insight on current issues facing the Japanese healthcare industry. We welcome both foreign and Japanese executives from all pharmaceutical companies as well as any others in Japan that have a stake in the healthcare industry.

"Pharma Delegates is in many ways a ‘fast-track’ source of information on industry trends, regulatory changes, and advancement of science and technology in pharmaceutical and related fields that are taking place in Japan.

Monthly luncheon meetings feature programs designed to provide members with a forum for the discussion of timely information and perspectives on the industry and insights into future trends. This non-profit organization also serves as a place for networking and friendship building among professionals with common interests. The environment provides members with stimulating and enjoyable occasions to gather and exchange views in a club-like atmosphere. New members are welcomed with open arms at our monthly and annual meetings.

The welcome message includes three objectives that have made this organization a success over the last half century. The first, and original, objective is networking and friendship. But that combination alone is unlikely to have been sufficient to attract members on a monthly basis year after year for such a long period of time. And so the second objective, forum for discussion, comes into play. As a continuing attraction for members, these forums for discussion of timely information, perspectives on the industry, and insights into future trends have an important place. And the final objective, a club-like atmosphere offering stimulating and enjoyable occasions puts frosting on the cake.

None of this would have been possible without the efforts of frequently changing chairmen and executive committees who in addition to maintaining the networking tradition also continued to introduce new ideas and formats for meetings and seminars. What this involves will become clear as the reader progresses through this book, particularly the interviews with former chairmen.

But to get down to the nitty gritty, what kind of an organization is Pharma Delegates? Illumination can be found in insights provided by P. Reed Maurer in an astute analysis on pages 159~161 of his 2011 book, It’s Worth Doing—Perspectives on the Japan Pharmaceutical Industry published by The Japan Times. It is a repeat of his article in the May, 1995, issue of Pharma Japan, an English-language weekly reporting on Japan’s pharmaceutical industry, entitled Pharma Delegates—Its Meaning is in the Experience.

Interestingly, Maurer wrote the piece in 1995 during a return trip to Tokyo on the Shinkansen—better known as the Bullet Train to overseas visitors—following the 13th Pharma Delegates Healthcare Seminar in Nagoya. He had been impressed by the record attendance of 120 members and guests as well as the germane and practical subject matter delivered by stimulating and provocative speakers. All of which caused him to put pen to paper while the significance of the group was still fresh in mind. The seminars, he mused, were …just one facet of an organization that has grown from a few people sitting around one table to a dynamic, effective presence in the lives of men and women who share an interest in the delivery of healthcare.

To summarize, Maurer described the organization under three headings, People, Mission, and Character. The people factor primarily refers to the members themselves, people who take pleasure in simply coming together to discuss subjects of common interest. From among these people come the imaginative, dues-paying members who volunteer countless hours to organizing meetings. Paid secretaries perhaps backed up the officers and members of the executive committees, he noted, but these volunteers still had to cope with the details themselves, not to speak of the hassle factor. He then pays tribute to how well they did this while making all feel welcome.

For Mission, Maurer repeats the three objectives, but then goes on to describe what it is not: It is not an organization designed to lobby for policies that will benefit the industry. It does not offer a venue for the commercialization of specific services. It does not promote or advertise a product, which are objectives of trade associations, chambers of business, and trade negotiators. It is not designed to bring foreigners together with Japanese, or newcomers with old timers, or government officials with executives. He sums up his musings on the mission of Pharma Delegates as including: …no hidden agenda, no cliques or dynasties, just good cheer, friendship without pretensions, and fellowship at bargain price.

As for Character, Maurer melds People and Mission with civility, freedom of expression, and a nationality neutral membership. He notes that no one comes to a meeting fearing an embarrassing confrontation, guest speakers do not expect a bashing, and every member is given an opportunity to offer opinions. As for nationalities, conversations in various languages are interrupted when the Chairmen break into the free discussions to introduce speakers. This emphasis on the