A single nurse can perform all tasks—getting to know the client, reading the prescription, performing the medical intervention, and so forth—and can do it all in an hour or less. A pharmaceutical company has a very long value chain that can involve thousands of people and take several years: there is a lengthy drug research process (computer simulations, lab tests, clinical trials); molecules must receive regulatory approval; pricing strategies must be established; product launches prepared in every country; and global sales forces trained to inform doctors about the product.
