News flash: Docs like e-promos

Look no further for more evidence that humanity is getting a little too, er, enamored with the internet. According to a study of pharma e-promotions, almost three-fourths of doctors said they'd just as soon talk with a computer than with a drug rep--and some even preferred the computer.

If this study is to be believed, it's clear why e-promotion is on the move. More than two-thirds of physicians said they had a positive attitude toward this type of interaction with drugmakers. Perhaps that's because they could do so at their leisure. Almost 70 percent said they did their e-promos in the evenings. Or perhaps it's just because they don't have to make conversation.

Plus, in a boon for drugmakers, docs tended to spend about 18 minutes on each e-promo. "Through ePromotion, physicians have more time to review product information and review disease state information at their own convenience--at night time or on the weekends," said Heather Alba, senior manager, promotional audits at SDI, which did the study. Add in the fact that e-promos are less expensive than in-person detailing, and you see why more drugmakers are going this route.

But are e-promos as effective at boosting drug sales? That's the subject for another study--one we'd really like to read. So get to it, folks.

- read the article [1] at Medical Marketing & Media

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