Several Great Tips On Pharma Marketing And Free Samples
The pharmaceutical sales representative sometimes runs into criticism from a public-relations angle. There are some who believe that the pharmaceutical company, through their representative, retains more than the appropriate share of influence over the healthcare practitioner’s decision-making process. From time to time, populist media points out that far more is spent on pharmaceutical marketing than research associated with the development of the products. Nevertheless, pharmaceutical marketing techniques are essential in disseminating the information necessary for the practitioner to make a final deliberation as to whether the product should be prescribed or not. The sales force plays a critical role in bringing the product to the market as efficiently and effectively as possible.
In most recent times there has been a move in certain markets to restrict the giving of gifts, including drug samples, by pharmaceutical sales people to practitioners. In particular, Partners Healthcare, the largest hospital and physician network in the state of Massachusetts has implemented guidelines, specifically prohibiting their physicians and researchers from accepting gifts or drug samples from pharmaceutical manufacturers. Now, sales representatives must get written permission before they are allowed to interact with the network’s employees and if any drug samples are provided, the samples must be forwarded to a centralised system, so that they are distributed anonymously and for the use of the entire network. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the guidelines as written correspond to a “serious and comprehensive step forward in the rapidly evolving arena of medicine and its relationship with industry.”
According to the originators of this policy, the recommendations came from an internal review, where potential conflicts of interest were analysed over the preceding two years. There was no question that the relationship between a healthcare professional and the pharmaceutical company was an important one, but that some of the techniques used, according to the network, went further than the straightforward dissemination of scientific knowledge, and indeed potentially compromised the system’s integrity.
Some have suggested that gifts or drug samples may adversely affect the healthcare professional’s neutrality and may promote them to issue or prescribe the associated drugs more favourably than any others.
It remains to be seen how the developments in Massachusetts pan out, or whether similar proposals are adopted within other networks or jurisdictions. We can certainly determine from this development that the pharmaceutical marketing industry is once again developing and changing. Once again we can see why pharmaceutical consultants are so important to the pharmaceutical company and how they should be brought into the picture to help the company remain competitive. In our current economy, pharmaceutical sales training will take on even more importance as new methods of communication are combined with changes in healthcare legislation to redefine the marketplace. The significance of primary accounts will increase in the market, as there is more reliance on two-way communication and information exchange. Thus key account management training is a critical component of pharmaceutical sales training and the competent pharmaceutical marketing consultant is best positioned to handle it all.
Alan Gillies is the Managing Director of L2L Consulting, specialising in enabling pharmaceutical companies to achieve new heights of productivity and performance, throughout all levels of management and revenue generating activities.
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