製藥產業有兩大系統，一為原廠專利藥，另一系統為學名藥。原廠專利藥藥廠投入相當可觀的研發人員與研究經費，專注於研發新的藥物或新的劑型，以期改善臨床病患的治療結果，但風險是研發失敗的可能性極高。學名藥的主要營業模式則是複製已無專利保護的原廠專利藥，以價格為競爭工具，提供市場相同療效但價格較原廠專利藥低的產品。 本論文研究首先透過五力分析探討跨國藥廠專利藥與學名藥的利基所在以及威脅來自何處。專利藥是獨佔市場，售價高，因而利潤高，但下游廠商對它的利潤產生了很大的威脅，主要是因為保健意識高漲，政府為控制健保成本，積極壓低藥品價格，造成製藥產業的獲利率降低；而學名藥不論是在全球市場或台灣市場，處於一個相當競爭的藥品市場，雖然研發費用低，但因售價也低，造成其利潤有限。 再者，探討跨國藥廠用何種模式進入台灣藥品市場，並分析其優劣勢所在。根據了解，跨國藥廠不論是專利藥或學名藥，市場進入模式都相當單純，大都傾向以成立獨資子公司並以純銷售的方式進入台灣藥品市場，但在某些區域或醫院則委託經銷商代為行銷販售。產品無論是專利藥或學名藥多數由國外自家製造廠生產，再運送至台灣，製造廠遍及歐美和亞洲，部分產品委託台灣本土藥廠製造。為何跨國藥廠偏好成立獨資子公司，主要的原因是因為跨國藥廠認為自身具有非常獨特的優勢，成立獨資子公司可減少專業技術被竊取的風險，方便進行全球性策略的協調，能對每個流程做嚴格的管控，最重要的是該市場的全部營業收入皆歸母企業所有。 總而言之，本研究發現跨國藥廠在台灣面對政府的健保政策以及本土藥廠的低價策略，自有其一套因應策略，以確保它在台灣成立的獨資子公司不僅能嚴格遵守母公司對各項流程的要求，確實執行母公司擬定的營運策略，最重要的是達到母公司要求的業績目標，讓營業收入及利潤完全回歸母公司所有。

藥廠在資訊科技的運用上，相較於電子業或其他高科技產業，一直都被認為是較保守的方式。究其原因，應為資訊科技在製藥業的競爭上，較難成為核心的競爭武器之一，因此，資訊科技在製藥業一直被定位為協助企業內部作業面的工具。而非協助企業達成營運目標的工具。然而，近十年來，大型跨國藥廠透過不斷地購併其他藥廠的方式，達成其擴大市場佔有率、鞏固產業中領先地位、縮短產品研發時間、及擴大產品線的廣度與深度的目的。並藉由購併後組織必須重整的過程，對組織進行人力的精減及成本的樽節。僅管跨國藥廠一直設法對人力及成本作有效的控制，但隨著購併不停地發生，不僅產品增多，組織也日益龐大，跨國藥廠所面臨到的財務、法律、人力資源、業務行銷、行政作業等各種事務也越來越繁雜。雖然跨國藥廠有其充沛的資源及豐富的跨國管理經驗，但若要能有效又即時地對全球各據點加以掌控，就必須對資訊科技的運用作全球的統一規劃，並建立全球資訊科技策略，以確實控管及協助各子公司的營運。而對各國的子公司，則應有能協助該公司在當地市場競爭的相對策略，資訊科技在市場激烈的競爭下，開始扮演越來越重要的角色。 本研究為探討性的個案研究，係以一跨國藥廠在台灣的子公司作為研究的個案，期望透過相關的文獻、對個案公司在資訊科技運用的探討、及個案公司主管對資訊科技的看法及需求，能夠達到以下的研究目的: 壹、了解跨國藥廠對資訊科技的運用現況。 貳、了解跨國藥廠發展狀況與營運方向，以規劃個案公司資訊科技的發展方向。 參、建立個案公司資訊科技策略，以提升運作績效，掌握時勢利基。 / The Pharmaceutical Industry, compared with Electronics Industry or other Hi-Tech Industries, is perceived to be relatively conservative in the application of Information Technology. The reason is being that Information Technology application to the Pharmaceutical Industry rarely plays any key role for market competition. As a consequence, Information Technology to the Pharmaceutical Industry has been an operational tool to support the back office functions, rather than a management tool to assist the business to achieve its operational goals. Nevertheless, in recent decade, giant transnational pharmaceutical companies are continuously achieving their objectives of expanding market shares, sustaining their leadership, shortening the time frame in Research and Development, and enlarging their product pipelines, through mergers and acquisitions. They have been re-deploying the human resources and implementing cost reductions by all means within the entire organization after merger and acquisition takes place and reorganization becomes necessary. Despite that transnational pharmaceutical companies have been striving to contain headcount and control expenses, they have found themselves facing to the increasingly complex operations in many aspects, including Finance, Legal, Human Resource Management, Sales and Marketing, and General Administration as a result of expansion in product pipelines and explosion in organization that comes along with mergers and acquisitions. Although transnational pharmaceutical companies have ample resources and well experienced in cross-nation management, they have to integrate their global information technology and establish a unified strategy for universal implementation, so as to enable monitoring and assisting the operations of all subsidiaries around the globe in an effective and timely manner. As such, Information Technology starts to play an increasingly important role in developing responsive strategies under the intense local market competition. This essay is a case study on a Taiwanese subsidiary owned by a transnational pharmaceutical company. It aims to achieve the following objectives by referring to relevant publications and observing the subject company’s information technology applications and their management’s views and needs on the above. 1. To understand the current applications on information technology by transnational pharmaceutical companies; 2. To understand the evolution track and business directions of transnational pharmaceutical companies to set an Information Technology development plan for the subject company. 3. To establish Information Technology Strategy for the subject company to improve operation efficiency as an advantage of obtaining timely and valuable information.