A Look Into Argentinas Pharmecuticals

MSD

After an exciting trip to the La Serenisima manufacturing plant and a quick pit stop at a local mall for lunch, our travels took us to MSD Argentina (Merck) for a presentation on Argentina's consumer and animal medical products plant, as well as an overview of the company. MSD is a multinational pharmaceutical company from the U.S, operating as a corporate branch of Merck with the headquarters located in Whitehouse station in New Jersey.

We were greeted by Valarie Kyska, Director of Business Operations and Vaccines at there main office in Pcia de Buenos Aires. The impressive location and design of the  building made an immediate impression on the Bryant students. Their office was an external indicator depicting the companies prestige in the pharmaceutical field. After entering the building the Bryant students were immediately stopped by a security check point and given badges that were required to maneuver through the building. This is required of all individuals entering the building due to the significance of their operations. 

Valarie gave a great presentation to us that described the pharmaceutical industry in Argentina as well as a brief look into the operations of the company. We learned that within Argentina's pharmaceutical industry there are 230 different companies that exist along with 110 different manufacturers throughout the country. MSD, or Merck as known in the U.S, ranks among the top three companies every year. MSD controls most of the market in Argentina and because it is a multi national company they have the resources to do so. A successful marketing campaign has helped MSD to differentiate themselves from their competitors. They have labs and other offices set up in almost every continent and there main products include vaccines, such as; gardasil, singulair, and propescia/ proscar. Half of MSD's sales come from vaccines and hiv/ hcv which are sold and distributed around the world.


Entering and spreading the companies products within the local markets is described as a difficult process. Valarie indicated that her sales representatives are faced with high pressured sales presentations in which they have approximately 1 to 5 minutes to sell their product to the doctor and generally they leave them with a limited number of samples. From there the doctor makes his decision to recommend or prescribe the medicine to his patients.
Being exposed to this type of business was interesting for the Bryant students because it reinforced the importance of marketing and the role it plays in any company. Overall our visit to MSD was eye opening after other industry visits, as it provided the realization that even though the company was unique because of their industry we were able to witness that what we are learning in school will translate and can be applicable within any field.


It turns out Argentina is NOT only popular for their beef, wine, and tango!