Pharma reps

Drug sales and marketing update: September 2008

Maureen Martino — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:24:57 -0400

Last month we took a look at Big Pharma's top 13 advertising budgets of 2007, but it appears that 2008 budgets aren't looking quite as robust. According to Jim Edwards at BrandWeek, the money pharma is spending on ads is in decline this year for the first time ever. In addition, the tough economy is negatively impacting drug sales as consumers cut back on non-essential meds. In an interview, Walgreen CEO Jeffrey Rein said this is the tightest market for prescription drugs in his 27-year career.

Merck and Schering-Plough both announced more sales rep layoffs last month in what is becoming a familiar refrain in 2008. On a brighter note, Pfizer said it would be beefing up its sales force in emerging markets. As other big drug developers look to expand their presence in this area, it may present a new opportunity for reps who've seen jobs disappearing in the U.S. and Europe.

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Pharma sales to physicians: emotions beat evidence

Christe Bruderlin-Nelson — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:15:20 -0400

So much for peer-reviewed journal articles. According to the results of the national Physician Engagement study by PeopleMetrics Rx, "emotional components such as friendship with the reps are the strongest indicators of fully engaged physicians." In this context, the phrase "fully engaged" is one that means "very likely to prescribe."

The study included pharma companies AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen, Eli Lilly and Pfizer and included 500 psychiatrists and primary care physicians who regularly prescribe atypical antipsychotic medications.

The study identified physicians as "fully engaged," "engaged," "on the fence," and "disengaged."

While over half of physicians were "on the fence," the report suggested that sales representatives "develop personal relationships with their physicians to achieve the highest levels of engagement," stating further that relationship building "has a positive impact on the duration and frequency of meetings and physician prescribing patterns."

A spokesperson for the company suggested that drug companies use the information on physician engagement as an alternative to traditional sales force effectiveness evaluations to truly influence physician prescribing patterns. However, most would say sticking to safety and efficacy studies rather than relying on emotional sales strategies is a more ethical option.

- see the PharmaLive blog post
- read the GoozNews article

Docs like hearing from reps, survey says

Tracy Staton — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:47:07 -0400

Pharma reps have been getting a tough shake lately, what with massive layoffs and a new industry code that curtails some tried-and-true sales techniques. Not to mention efforts to ban them altogether from various academic institutions and even require licensing in the District of Columbia. Now, though, a new study offers a welcome respite: More than three-fourths of doctors say they're willing to see reps any time of day, and only one-fourth require an appointment.

True, 17 percent of the 230,000 medical practices surveyed said they don't admit reps at all. Some 30 percent of hospital-owned practices bar reps, and another 40 percent require appointments. But still, that leaves 83 percent of docs open to sales-rep input.

Meanwhile, a PhRMA survey found that the "vast majority" of physicians like getting info from reps about drug interactions, new meds, and patient assistance programs--but only 11 percent say that info greatly affects their prescribing decisions. You can read that last number a couple of ways. It's either more bad news for reps, if companies think docs aren't using their input to make choices. Or it could be the kind of figure companies can use to legitimize their sales calls; if reps don't have undue influence, then maybe they shouldn't be viewed with such a jaded eye.

- see the doc survey at Pharmalot

Daiichi takes 130 reps off Merck KgAA's hands

Tracy Staton — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:00:14 -0400

More evidence that pharma sales is fraught with change: Daiichi Sankyo's German unit has agreed to take over most of Merck KGaA's primary care sales operation, which amounts to about 130 workers. Report

Sanofi confirms sales rep layoffs

Tracy Staton — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:39:52 -0400

It's been rumored for weeks, and now Sanofi-Aventis is confirming. Yes, the French drugmaker will cut jobs at home in France. Details are sketchy, but here's what we know: Sanofi will lay off 700 to 800 sales reps. That's about one-third of the company's domestic sales force. And the cuts will go deeper than expected; union officials had been bracing themselves for 400 to 600 job losses.

Of course, Sanofi is far from alone in cutting back its sales force this spring. Last month, Merck said it's cutting 1,200 sales reps, and in April, Johnson & Johnson announced 400 cuts in sales and marketing. In March, it was Wyeth saying it would slice 1,200 off the sales payroll.

- see the brief for more

Docs prefer virtual reps to living ones

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Assembly-line workers fear being replaced by robots. Now pharma reps can fear losing their places to the Internet. According to a study by Verispan, 47 percent of docs thought they got as much info from e-promotions as face-to-face detailing by reps, and 21 percent thought it was better than the real, live thing.

That's why 10 percent last year opted for electronic detailing instead of in-person rep visits, when they had the choice. "Physicians prefer this form of detailing because they can do the activities on their own...they can learn about the drugs without disrupting patient time with reps in the office," said a Verispan manager.

Another note: Newer docs were most likely to switch to online detailing. Understandable, considering that the younger generation tends to be more comfortable with technology. But that just means that as more and more new docs come on the scene, the proportion of them who prefer interacting with virtual reps rather than real ones is likely to grow.

- read the item at Pharma Marketing Blog
- see the PharmaExec report

Related Articles:
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Study: Drug ads drown in online noise. Ad report
Docs go cold turkey on industry pay. Report
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