Marketing of Pharmaceuticals

Transcription

1 Marketing of Pharmaceuticals OBJECTIVES/RATIONALE Pharmaceutical products, like any other products, have to compete for the customers' attention. Pharmaceutical companies and drugstores advertise various marketing strategies to attract health care professionals and consumers to their products. Upon completion of this lesson the student will identify methods of marketing of pharmaceutical products and describe their impact on society. TEKS: E, 1F, 3A, 3D, 3G, 6A TAKS ELA 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 Science 2 KEY POINTS I. Pharmaceutical Industry Marketing Targets A. Prescriber - first link in the chain of getting medication from manufacturer to consumer 1. physicians and other medical professionals with prescription authority decide on appropriate medication for patient 2. same drug categories may have several representative products from different manufacturers 3. prescriber may have various reasons for choosing one product over the other a. personal preference based on therapeutic experience b. patient s preference based on therapeutic experience c. satisfactory therapeutic results as reported in references d. insurance requirements and limitations e. formulary if in hospital f. most recent exposure to certain product 4. prescriber may choose a. from consulting pharmaceutical references b. after having been reminded of product in professional publications, e.g. advertisement in professional journal c. brochures and pamphlets sent by pharmaceutical manufacturers d. direct interaction with pharmaceutical representative for specific product B. Dispenser - interlinking prescriber and consumer; generally this is the pharmacist 1. hospital pharmacy strictly based on cost formulary developed by committee, with exception of non-formulary products specifically requested by physician for various justifiable reasons a. patient has allergy to formulary product

2 II. b. specific medication proven to be the one of most therapeutic benefit to a patient, based on previous trials c. no formulary product available for specific medication, etc. 2. community pharmacy has no direct choice in which company s product to use for prescription medication 3. needs to comply with request of physician for brand name medication 4. if generic Rx, can choose from stock available, generally selected based on cost vs. profit 5. can influence patients by posting advertisements of products in facility 6. has greater influence on OTC products 7. service and appearance of facility and employees greatly affect business success C. Consumer: final marketing target 1. more and more attention diverted to consumer 2. consumer encouraged to be educated and become integral part in own healthcare 3. encouraged to talk to your physician about (product X) 4. inundated with advertisement on variety of forms about prescription and OTC products a. TV ads b. magazine ads c. news reports d. TV shows; educational, talk shows, fictitious, weekly documentary shows, etc. 5. may choose OTC products based on remembering advertisement 6. frequently motivated by price; same for prescription medication, depending on available insurance benefits and consequential out- of-pocket expense 7. Third-party reimbursement: often considerable factor for which medication the patient, or consumer, will ultimately receive a. third-party reimbursement by insurance plan b. mostly limit which product can be dispensed to patient due to restriction in reimbursement c. in light of profit margin primary concern is product cost Marketing tools: due to different levels of knowledge, accessibility, and control among target groups variety of marketing tools are applied A. Direct approach: providing product and / or related information to providers and pharmacists, usually via sales representatives B. Advertising: generally focused on relevance to target population 1. patients as consumers a. vanity, e.g. products for skin problem, hair loss, weight control, etc.

3 b. personal comfort; remedies for indigestion, snoring, hemorrhoids, flatulence, insomnia, headaches, joint aches, etc. c. trust in medical validity; I m not a doctor, but I play one on TV celebrity testimonials, I said thanks, but I d rather talk to a doctor about this and he said; you just did, actors / models dressed like physicians / nurses to increase credibility, etc. d. patient s concern for his or her safety when taking / using the product must be considered e. financial concerns: why pay the difference when you can t tell the difference, etc f. brand consciousness: our brand is better than brand X; our product is the best available, etc. g. special concerns: parents want what s best for their children, elderly aware of special age related needs, special women s concerns such as aging, menopause, etc., sexual concerns,.g. Viagra, etc. 2. pharmacy as retailer (link between physician and patient and manufacturer and patient) a. cost conscious - aware of special needs of populations at location, e.g. age groups, ethnicity of customers, economic make-up of customers, etc. b. limited by insurance for reimbursement c. Over the Counter (OTC) and Durable Medical Equipment (DME) are clients aware of availability of DME how do clients qualify to obtain them how are clients going to pay for them is maintenance service available which OTCs are customers most likely going to show interest in can they be ordered by physician on Rx to gain coverage by health care plan d. special considerations for competing with other retailers in same area service cost selection of merchandise display of merchandise special offers for new customers, to encourage transfer of service from other facility, to reward customer loyalty 3. prescriber a. primary concern benefit to patient; therapeutic value of product

4 b. frequently bribed with incentives from manufacturer, e.g. pens, mugs, etc. with product s name to serve as a reminder ; often manufacturers sponsor conferences and conventions for physicians in hopes to win approval c. often limited choice based on patient s insurance coverage d. other limitations are formularies, e.g. if in-patient in hospital ACTIVITIES I. Research and analyze advertisements for pharmaceutical products (magazines, journals, pamphlets, commercials, etc.). Compile a list of factors that determine successful product marketing. Discuss in groups. II. Compose a magazine article on the effects of visual marketing and the use of subliminal marketing strategies. MATERIALS NEEDED variety of magazines designed to focus on specific consumer groups: women, men, teens, elderly, parents, etc. video-taped commercials from TV advertisement posters from your pharmacy, perhaps from physician advertisement brochures from pharmacy and physician Key: Unit Quiz: MARKETING IN PHARMACEUTICS ASSESSMENT Unit Quiz MARKETING IN PHARMACEUTICS Writing Rubric ACCOMMODATIONS For reinforcement, the student will create a collage of various advertisements for pharmaceuticals, collected from magazines and newspapers, identifying the main target group and focus of the ads. For enrichment, the student will design and create a web ad for a "newly designed" pharmaceutical product, prescription or non-prescription. Clearly identify target group and justify reason for design of ad. REFLECTIONS

5 Unit Quiz: MARKETING OF PHARMACEUTICALS 1. A pharmaceutical manufacturer supplying a prescriber with a product and/or related information through a sales representative would be an example of what marketing tool? 2. List five (5) issues of relevance that pharmaceutical manufacturers consider when designed advertisement for patients as a target population. a. b. c. d. e. 3. List five (5) ways retailers can utilize to reward customer loyalty. a. b. c. d. e. 4. Name five (5) special considerations retailers might take into account in competition with other retailers in the same area. a. b. c. d. e.

6 Answer Key to Unit Quiz: MARKETING OF PHARMACEUTICALS 1. direct approach 2. - vanity ) - personal comfort - trust in medical validity - patient s concern for his/her own safety when taking the product - financial concerns - brand consciousness - special concerns (any 5 in any order 3. - special discounts for transferring orders - freeby offers - extra service offers - lower prices - increased convenience for client 4. - service - cost - selection of merchandise - display or merchandise - special offers to new customers