The Physician -Pharma

Relationship

Is very old and very close But are the goals of pharmaceutical

companies and medicine the same?

Detailing Meetings and events (dinner

meetings, rounds, symposia) Advertising and reprints Direct mail

1 minute of a sales reps interaction with a doctor results in a 16% prescribing change

3 minutes with a doctor results in a 52% prescribing change

Start treatment immediately

Test tolerance to a new drug

Reduce the total cost of a Rx

Provide free medication to those who can’t afford it

Increases “new starts” on a new drug

Encourages switches from other drugs

Patients usually stay on the sampled drug

Increases prescriptions of the most expensive, most promoted drugs

Gain access to physicians Habituate physicians to

prescribing targeted drugs Increase goodwill by enabling

doctors to give gifts to patients Serve as unacknowledged gifts to

physicians and staff

The real purpose of samples

“…the manufacturer needs to figure out the right amount of samples the rep has to drop off in order to maximize the number of paid prescriptions written.”

“Nearly 30 percent of physicians who attend association meetings refuse to see reps in their office…a no-see strategy is critical for companies to overcome”

More than 95% of JAMA ads are for Rx drugs

5 of 6 physician organizations raised at least 10% of annual revenue from ads in affiliated medical journals

Pharma companies also purchase “sponsored” subscriptions

And are the largest purchaser of reprints

Detail only 21% Detail and print [ads] 36% Detail and sales aid 33% Detail and print and sales aid

44%

Correct message retention by media mix

Pharma spends 2-3 times as much on marketing as it does on research

Thank you