1 SIP PROJECT ON PRODUCT MARKETING AND PROMOTION OF MOHRISH PHARMACEUTICALS Submitted in partial fulfillment of requirement of Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A) General BBA V SEMESTER (MORNING) BATCH 2011-2014 Submitted to: Submitted by: Ms.PALAK GUPTA JASLEEN SABHARWAL Designation Enrollment No. ASSISTANT PROFESSOR 05814101711 JAGANNATH INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT SCHOOL KALKAJI, NEW DELHI
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1
SIP PROJECT
ON
PRODUCT MARKETING AND PROMOTION
OF
MOHRISH PHARMACEUTICALS
Submitted in partial fulfillment of requirement of Bachelor of Business
Administration (B.B.A) General
BBA V SEMESTER (MORNING)
BATCH 2011-2014
Submitted to: Submitted by:
Ms.PALAK GUPTA JASLEEN SABHARWAL
Designation Enrollment No.
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR 05814101711
JAGANNATH INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT SCHOOL
KALKAJI, NEW DELHI
2
STUDENT’S UNDERTAKING
I hereby declare that the project report entitled “PRODUCT MARKETING AND
PROMOTION OF MOHRISH PHARMACEUTICALS” which is being submitted in
partial fulfillment of the requirement of the course and carried out by me under the
guidance and supervision of our mentor PALAK GUPTA.
I further declared that I or any other person has not previously submitted this project
report to any other institution/university for any other degree/ diploma or any other
person.
COMPILED BY:
JASLEEN SABHARWAL
3
CERTIFICATE FROM INTERNAL MENTOR
This is to certify that the project report entitled “PRODUCT MARKETING AND
PROMOTION OF MOHRISH PHARMACEUTICALS” which is being submitted in
partial fulfillment of the requirement of the course and carried out by me under the
guidance and supervision of our mentor PALAK GUPTA.
I further declared that I or any other person has not previously submitted this project
report to any other institution/university for any other degree/ diploma or any other
person.
Ms.Palak Gupta Assistant Professor (Internal Mentor)
4
CONTENTS
Description Page No.
Acknowledgement 5
Certificate from Internship 6
Executive Summary 7
Introduction to topic 11
Company Profile 14
Literature review 53
Objectives 57
Research Methodology 58
Analysis & Interpretations 61
Limitations 77
Inferences & Recommendations 78
Conclusion 82
Annexure 84
Bibliography 89
5
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
A lot of effort has gone into this training report. My regard is due to many people with
whom I have been closely associated.
I would like all those who have contributed in completing this project. First of all, I
would like to send my sincere thanks to Ma’am PALAK GUPTA for her helpful hand in
the completion of my project and I express my gratitude to my external mentor
Mr.MOHIT MADAN and other staff members in the company.
I would like to thank my entire beloved family & friends for providing me monetary as
well as non – monetary support, as and when required, without which this project would
not have completed on time. Their trust and patience is now coming out in form of this
thesis.
- JASLEEN SABHARWAL
(05814101711)
6
7
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Medicines and drugs can only be prescribed by a doctor only when it is deemed
necessary for the patient’s recovery from illness; that is, it is ethically wrong for a doctor
to needlessly prescribe medicines. Under these medical and ethical constraints, how does
the pharmaceutical company promote its products? This is the purpose and objective of
the study.
“Promotion” means any activity undertaken, organized or sponsored by a
member company which is directed at healthcare professionals to promote the
prescription, recommendation, supply, administration or consumption of its
pharmaceutical product(s) through all media, including the internet. A marketing program
in order to be successful must have a right mixture of marketing mix, not to mention
market research, a quality product, extensive distribution network acceptability, strong
dose of promotion coupled with a right price. A unique feature of the pharmaceutical
market is that it is one of the most fragmented markets in the country. The maximum
market is held by small companies, the largest pharmaceuticals company holding only 6
percent of the market share. This leads to unique marketing mixes.
In India front and marketing (doctor convincing and sales) is where the action is.
The point of differentiation has been the relationship with doctors (through medical
representatives) But doctor aren't always enthused. Says Savita Mikhi, who runs a private
clinic in Delhi, "many companies believe wrongly that a nattily clad medical
representative or literature printed on glossy paper makes for impressive communication.
Advertising
The various dimensions of pharmaceutical marketing are Demographic (age, sex, family,
etc), Generic (as per generic equivalent present in them), Therapeutic group, Competitive
(depending upon number of competitors present), and fifth dimension is the time. In
pharmaceutical markets, major segments considered are:
a) Consumer or Prescription markets: These consist of individuals who go to practicing
doctors.
b) Institutional markets: These contain large hospitals, Public and Private sectors along
with government’s hospital including medical colleges.
c) Industrial markets: These consist of bulk drugs and their formulations.
d) Over the counter (OTC) markets: Drugs, which are non-prescription medicines and
can be sold directly to end-users.
8
Based on product category, the pharma industry can be divided into:
a. Bulk Drugs: (The active ingredient for making formulations.)
b. Formulations: (The final form, in which the drugs are sold i.e. Syrups,
c.Injections, Tablets and Capsules
In general, business in pharmaceutical market is conducted in two major ways, that is,
either by institutional selling or through trade business.
Promotion is one of the market mix elements, and a term used frequently in marketing.
The specification of five promotional mix or promotional plan. These elements are
personal selling, advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, and publicity. A
promotional mix specifies how much attention to pay to each of the five subcategories,
and how much money to budget for each. A promotional plan can have a wide range of
objectives, including: sales increases, new product acceptance, creation of brand equity,
positioning, competitive retaliations, or creation of a corporate image. Fundamentally,
however there are three basic objectives of promotion. These are:
1. To present information to consumers as well as others. 2. To increase demand.
3. To differentiate a product.
There are different ways to promote a product in different areas of media. Promoters use
internet advertisement, special events, endorsements, and newspapers to advertise their
product. Many times with the purchase of a product there is an incentive like discounts,
free items, or a contest. This is to increase the sales of a given product.
The term "promotion" is usually an "in" expression used internally by the marketing
company, but not normally to the public or the market - phrases like "special offer" are
more common. An example of a fully integrated, long-term, large-scale promotion are
My Coke Rewards and Pepsi Stuff. The UK version of My Coke Rewards is Coke Zone.
Product marketing in a business addresses four important strategic questions:
What products will be offered (i.e., the breadth and depth of the product line)? Who will be the target customers (i.e., the boundaries of the market segments to
be served)?
How will the products reach those (i.e., the distribution channel and are there viable possibilities that create a solid business model)?
At what price should the products be offered?
To inform these decisions, Product Marketing Managers (PMMs) act as the Voice of the
Customer to the rest of the product team and company. This includes gaining a deep
understanding of -- and driving -- customer engagement with the product, throughout
their lifecycle (pre-adoption, post adoption/purchase, and after churning). PMMs collect
this customer information through customer surveys and interviews, and when available,
product usage data. This frequently informs the future product roadmap, as well as
driving customer product education to ensure improved engagement.
PMMs answer these questions and execute on the strategy using the following tools and
Data analysis: product marketing managers are highly quantitative, particularly in internet companies where results of marketing attribution to revenue is easily measured
Product validation: particularly for internet companies, teams often use marketing as a channel to test and validate product ideas (the minimum viable product or rapid prototyping), before engineering resources are committed to develop the
product Testing: optimal prices and marketing touch points are developed through
exhaustive A/B testing of language (copy), prices, product line-ups, visuals, and more
ORGANIZATION PROFILE
Company was established in the year 2000, at New Delhi (India),“Mohrish
Pharmaceuticals,” is a leading name in the pharmaceutical industry, engaged in Third
Party Manufacturing, Trader & Marketers of wide range of Dermatological
Products & Cosmeceutical Products etc. It’s a sole proprietorship company.
Our exclusive range included Rejuglow Face wash, Rejuglow Gel & Rejuglow C20,
Offered products are processed in the most hygiene environment under the supervision of
our pharmaceutical experts. Co. makes certain medicines that have no side effects and
provides fast relief. Our offered range of products is widely demanded by our clients due
to their accurate composition, effectiveness, safe to use, skin friendliness and longer shelf
life.
OBJECTIVES
Co. has experienced professionals who possess vast experience & knowledge in
their respective domains. Also, the manufacturing unit is installed with modern
machines, tools and equipment that facilitate us in processing the products as per
the clients need.
Moreover, the co. is backed by a skilled team of hard-working professionals who
are highly devoted towards the growth of the company.
Apart from this, they also work in close coordination with one another in order to
provide the finest quality of products to our esteemed clients.
To keep the professionals updated with the latest market trends and advancement
in technology, the co. conducts various training sessions and workshops at regular
interval.
Utmost preference is given to the consistency in the quality of the offered
products. The team of quality controllers strictly inspects these products on
various parameters to ensure their utmost quality and purity.
Apart from this, co. is bestowed with a large and spacious well-developed
warehousing unit where our bulk consignments are kept in safe and sound
manner. This unit is outfitted with all the requisite machines and equipment that
are needed to keep the products under the safe environment. Also, for the safe
delivery of our consignments, we use optimum quality water-proof packaging
material.
The organization has obtained strong base of satisfied customers all across the
globe due to our flawless range of products and ethical business practices. For the
smooth operation of business activities, the co. maintains a high level of
transparency in all our business dealings.
The ethical business practices, transparent dealing and reasonable pricing have
made the co. the most preferable name in the industry. Owing to our timely
delivery and good transport facility, the co. is able to provide these products to the
clients in the committed time frame. Additionally, the co. has provided flexibility
to our esteemed clients by offering them easy payment modes.
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INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC
PRODUCT MARKETING AND PROMOTION
Product marketing deals with the several of the "7P"'s of marketing, which are Product,
Pricing, Place, Promotion, Physical Environment, Process & People.
Product marketing, as opposed to product management, deals with more outbound
marketing or customer facing tasks (in the older sense of the phrase). For example,
product management deals with the nuts and bolts of product development within a firm,
whereas product marketing deals with marketing the product to prospects, customers, and
others. Product marketing, as a job function within a firm, also differs from other
marketing jobs such as marketing communications ("marcom"), online marketing,
advertising, marketing strategy, public relations, although product marketers may use
channels such as online for outbound marketing for their product.
A Product market is something that is referred to when pitching a new product to the
general public. The people you are trying to make your product appeal to be your
consumer market. For example: If you were pitching a new video game console game to
the public, your consumer market would probably be the adult male Video Game market
(depending on the type of game). Thus you would carry out market research to find out
how best to release the game. Likewise, a massage chair would probably not appeal to
younger children, so you would market your product to an older generation.
Product market definition focuses on a narrow statement. It focuses on the product type,
customer needs (functional needs), customer type, and geographic area.
Product Marketing also focuses on understanding the market and market needs, but with an emphasis on understanding the buyer of the company’s products and services. Product
Marketing is responsible for developing positioning, messaging, competitive differentiation, and enabling the Sales and Marketing teams to ensure they are aligned and work efficiently to generate and close opportunities. Product Marketing is strategic
marketing at the product or product line level. Product Marketing, as an overall function, is in fact a part of the overall function of Product Management.
Marketing strategy Other elements of the mix (price, product, place etc)
Target market Appropriate ways to reach the target market
The main methods of promotion are:
Advertising
Public relations & sponsorship
Personal selling
Direct marketing
Sales promotion
Main aims of promotion
Promotional activities have a variety of aims:
To inform current and potential customers about the existence of products
To explain the potential benefits of using the product
To persuade customers to buy the product
To help differentiate a product from the competition
To develop and sustain a brand
To reassure customers that they have made the right choice
Promotional methods – “above and below the line”
The way in which promotion is targeted is traditionally split into two types:
Above the line promotion – paid for communication in the independent media e.g. advertising on TV or in the newspapers. Though it can be targeted, it could be seen by anyone outside the target audience. Advertising is the main methods
of above-the-line promotion.
Below the line promotion – promotional activities where the business has direct
control e.g. direct mailing and money off coupons. It is aimed directly at the target audience.
14
COMPANY PROFILE
“Commitment towards Skin Care”
Innovative Range of Quality Products
Mohrish Pharmaceuticals- A Commitment towards skin care
We are leading Third Party Manufacture, Trader & Marketers of wide range of Dermatological Products & Cosmeceutical products etc. Our exclusive range included
Rejuglow Face wash, Rejuglow Gel & Rejuglow C20 etc.
& Ketar Scalp, etc. Offered products are processed in the most hygiene environment
under the supervision of our pharmaceutical experts. We make certain that these
medicines have no side effects and provides fast relief. Our offered range of products is
widely demanded by our clients due to their accurate composition, effectiveness, safe to
use, skin friendliness and longer shelf life. The co. has a strong presence in Delhi NCR, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab,
Uttarakhand and other north Indian states.The company is majorly engaged in marketing pharmaceuticals products primarily in the field of dermatology and skin care. Presently the company gets the products manufactured from four well known W.H.O
Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (Ranbaxy) is a research based international
pharmaceutical company serving customers in over 150 countries. For more than 50
years, we have been providing high quality, affordable medicines trusted by healthcare
professionals and patients across geographies.
Ranbaxy is a member of the Daiichi Sankyo Group. Daiichi Sankyo is a leading global pharma innovator, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
We have ground operations in 43 countries and 16 manufacturing facilities spread across 8 countries. We cover all the top 25 pharmaceutical markets of the world and have a
robust presence across both developed and emerging markets.
Offering High Quality, Affordable Pharmaceuticals
We are a vertically integrated company that develops, manufactures and markets Generic, Branded Generic, Value-added and Over-the-Counter (OTC) products, Anti-retrovirals
(ARVs), Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), and Intermediates. We have a large portfolio of over 500 molecules that cover multiple dosage forms including tablets,
capsules, injectables, inhalers, ointments, creams and liquids. Our presence extends across therapies and includes Anti-infectives, Cardiovascular, and Pain management,
Central Nervous System (CNS), Gastrointestinal, Respiratory, Dermatology, Orthopaedics, Nutritionals and Urology. Biotech and Vaccines are two new segments that
we have begun investing in. A stronger presence in these areas will add significant depth to the existing product pipeline.
Through our unique hybrid business model involving Daiichi Sankyo, we also introduce innovator products in markets around the world.
Driven by Innovation
Our continued focus on Research & Development (R&D) has resulted in several regulatory approvals in both developed and emerging markets. We have multiple R&D centres in Gurgaon, Haryana, India with facilities for generic and innovative research.
Our scientists have given India its first New Chemical Entity (NCE) that was launched on April 25, 2012. The product, SynriamTM, is a new age cure for Malaria. With a strong focus on research in generics, we are increasingly working on more complex and
specialized areas.
Delivering Value
Our business philosophy, based on delivering value to our stakeholders, constantly inspires our people to innovate, excel and set new global benchmarks. Our multicultural
workforce, comprising more than 14,600 employees of over 50 nationalities, gives us the strength to make quality healthcare accessible to people around the world. We remain
committed to aggressively pursuing our mission of ‘Enriching lives globally, with quality and affordable pharmaceuticals’.
2. CIPLA
Cipla was established in 1935 with the vision of making India self-reliant and self-
sufficient in healthcare. Today, we are one of the world’s largest generic pharmaceutical companies with a presence in over 170 countries. We are renowned for making
affordable, world-class medicines that meet the needs of patients across therapies. We also offer services like consulting, commissioning, plant engineering, technical know-how transfer and support.
Corporate Office Cipla Ltd., Mumbai Central, Mumbai 400 008, India
Chairman Dr. Yusuf K. Hamied
Managing Director Mr. M.K. Hamied
Listing Equity Shares: BSE Limited and National Stock
Exchange of India Limited
Global Depository Receipts: Luxembourg Stock
Exchange
Turnover* USD 1.4 billion
Employees* 20,000
Approvals US FDA, WHO-Geneva, MHRA-UK, TGA-Australia,
SUKL-Slovak Republic, APVMA-Australia, MCC-
South Africa, PIC-Germany, Danish Medical Agency,
ANVISA-Brazil, INVIMA- Colombia, NDA-Uganda,
Department of Health-Canada and MOH-Saudi Arabia,
among others
Highlights One of the world’s largest generic companies.
Over 2,000 products, 65 therapeutic categories,
over 40 dosage forms.
34 state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities
approved by major international regulatory
agencies.
Continuous innovation in R&D; over 20 world
firsts.
Since inception in 1935, caring has been at the core of everything we do at Cipla. For patients, caring is a promise that we will do whatever it takes to ensure they have
continued access to the highest quality medicines at affordable prices; whether a disease affects millions or just a few hundreds. To the medical fraternity, caring means the assurance of world-class medicines and
support across multiple therapeutic areas. For business partners, caring brings the confidence of always getting world-class quality
and competitive prices. For employees, caring manifests itself in a safe, equal-opportunities' workplace that fosters innovation for a healthier world
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3. GLADERMA
In 2012, Galderma reported sales of 1.6 billion euros.
Over 4200 employees work for Galderma throughout the world.
Our products are distributed in over 70 countries.
Approximately 19% revenues are invested annually to discover
and develop new drugs and access innovative technologies.
Galderma’s research efforts have allowed the company to issue 1 700 scientific
publications, develop more than 550 inventions and file 5 500 patent
applications and patents.
4 R&D centers (France, Sweden, United States and Japan).
4 manufacturing sites (France, Sweden, Canada and Brazil).
31 affiliates in the major countries of the globe’s five continents.
Founded in 1981 as a joint venture between Nestlé and L’Oreal.
Glen mark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is a research-driven, global, integrated pharmaceutical company. Glen mark is a leading player in the discovery of new molecules, both NCEs
(new chemical entity) and NBEs (new biological entity), with seven molecules in various stages of clinical development & pre-clinical development. The company has a significant presence in branded generics markets across emerging economies including
India. It's subsidiary, Glen mark Generics Limited has a fast growing and robust US generics business. The subsidiary also markets APIs to regulated and semi-regulated
countries. Glen mark employs over 10,400 people in over 80 countries. It has 14 manufacturing facilities in four countries and has 6 R&D centres.
Since getting listed on the stock exchange in 2000, when Glen mark registered revenue of USD 32 Mn, the company is currently ranked among the World's top 100
Pharma & Biotech companies*. Recently, Glen mark has been chosen as the 'Best Company across Emerging Markets' 2011, and recognized for the 'Best Overall
Pipeline' 2011 by SCRIP, the largest selling and most respected pharmaceutical magazine in the world. SCRIP had also recognized Glen mark as 'Best Pharma Company in the World – SME' and 'Best Company in an Emerging Market' in 2008.
Other awards and recognitions received by the company include the "Best under a
Billion Dollar companies in Asia" for 2008 by Forbes, a leading international publication, "Indian Innovator Pharmaceutical Company of the Year - 2010" by Frost
& Sullivan, and Gold Patent Award 2011 in the categories of API Formulations & Export of bulk drugs (Non Biologicals) by Pharmexcil.
Our Vision
To emerge as a leading integrated research – based global pharmaceutical company
Vision & Values
About Glen mark
50
Our Values
Achievement
We value achievement of objectives and consistently strive towards our Vision, with perseverance.
Respect
We respect all our stakeholders.
Knowledge
We value knowledge such that it empowers our people to
find innovative solutions to manage change
5. MICRO
Culture at Micro Organics
MICRO ORGANICS cultivated a work culture that
permits our employees to learn, innovate & experiment new ideas MICRO ORGANICS believes in recognizing people's capacity to learn at all levels. MICRO ORGANICS support employees in making their thinking patterns clearer, and help them to see how to
change things effectively and with the least amount of effort. We are passionate and enthusiastic about our goal and highly optimistic about our future in view of the exciting
opportunities of expansion and growth at different stages of development MICRO
ORGANICS encourage their employees to broaden their understanding of work by giving them the space to achieve the company goals and objectives. MICRO ORGANICS
Believe in Team work at all levels. We promise to continue providing quality standards to the society to enable them to lead healthier, happier and more active lives.
Company Profile
Micro Organics introduce us as an ethical scientific based pharmaceutical company committed to market quality pharmaceutical formulations- in the Indian markets. With a
corporate mission of “Emerging for the better to be the best’, was established in 2006 and getting a positive response for medical fraternity primarily because of high quality products. MICRO ORGANICS has a wide range of products which include Antibiotics,
NSAID’s, Haemetinics, Vitamins & Antioxidant, Antidiarrhoeals, Antiallergics, Enzyme Preparations, and B-Complex Preparations etc. MICRO ORGANICS’S products are
especially useful in many ailments which are common among Indian population. We were the first one to launch calcium Prepration (Etocal) combination in the syrup form for the first in Indian Market. MICRO ORGANICS Have trained field personnel meet
over a lakh qualified practicing doctors and lot of retail pharmacists across India MICRO ORGANICS is now amongst the fastest growing Pharmaceutical company in India.
Mohrish pharmaceuticals have envisaged strategies for future growth.
The plans range from capacity expansion and modernization, to new market entry and diversification. With future plans for growth, company has plans for expanding their capacity in order to meet the growing demand.
Co. focuses on setting up manufacturing plants for cosmecuticals products and to achieve more significant milestones in cosmecuticals and pharmaceuticals products.
Co. works harder to capture more global sales and deliver strong growth and increase profits. The business model that drove the major drug makers’ success
isn’t working anymore. The survivors will be those that make smart strategic bets supported by winning capabilities.
The new pharmaceutical enterprise business model requires dramatic changes in drug discovery, clinical research, and clinical and commercial manufacturing.
Client Challenges: The business and regulatory environment in the
pharmaceutical industry is changing rapidly and this pharmaceutical company recognized the need to define their new business model and strategic execution
plan. The new risk based regulatory approach to enforcement of current Good Manufacturing Practices is increasing the need for a well documented approach to compliance. New bio-medical technology and socio-political
price and delivery pressures are changing pricing structures, product portfolio mixes, and shortening commercial product life cycles.
Delivering exemplary customer supply and service is an opportunity to gain customers, but a challenge to execute.
The client recognized they needed external viewpoint from an independent
third party with deep understanding of both the Pharmaceutical industry and manufacturing systems. Mohrish collaborated with members of the client's
team to develop their Integrated Technology Plan. The deliverables included a report defining their vision of the future for pharmaceutical manufacturing
plant (5-7 years). The breadth of manufacturing operations addressed extended from the receiving dock to finished product including factory floor automation. The tasks involved on-site plant audits, interviews with key
personnel, interviews and research from other leading manufacturing and supplier companies.
The Pharmaceutical factory of the future was defined including a systems architecture that is flexible, scalable and affordable. Both leveraging industry
standards and some internal standardization were incorporated. This strategic document is driving their capital budgets for their plants. The company is keeping their operations in-line with current and future plans involving
automation, technology and best practices. There was consideration of outsourcing large portions of manufacturing, but the strategy gave the senior
executive team the confidence and influence to keep manufacturing domestically.
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LITERATURE REVIEW
The import of finished pharmaceuticals is almost negligible, and confined to very specific
types like anti-cancer drugs. In 1994, the import of drugs, pharmaceuticals and
intermediates was estimated at $450 million, and included the following:
antibiotics, penicillin and its salts, erythromycin and its preparations, vitamins and
provitamins, vaccines (polio, human and veterinary), preparations containing insulin,
caustic and other hormones, and tetracycline and its preparations. For value purposes,
drugs in India are generally classified into two categories -- bulk drugs and formulations.
Due to India's low overhead costs, bulk drugs comprise the largest sector in the country's
pharmaceutical market. India’s bulk drug sector also makes up about 6% of the
international bulk drug market. Drug intermediates are used as raw materials for the
production of bulk drugs, which are either sold directly or retained by companies for the
production of formulations. Formulations can be subdivided into generic drugs and
branded or "ethical" drugs, the latter of which are made under process patent and sold
under a separate brand name. Expected short-term growth for the two types of drugs has
been 20% for bulk drugs and 15% for formulations. Pharmaceutical Industry is one of the
most intense knowledge driven industry, which is continuously in a state of dynamic
transition. Indian pharmaceutical industry is climbing up the value chain from bringing a
pure reverse engineering industry focus on domestic market. The industry is moving
towards basic research driven expert oriented global presence and providing wide range
of value added quality product and services. The pharmacy formulation market varies
radically from the consumer market in many ways. The rules governing the pharmacy
market are different except a few over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Pharma companies are
not allowed to publicly market their products. Marketing has to be restricted to
promotional campaigns, advertisement only in medicinal magazines, journals etc.,
through medical representatives. It is not a mean of mass communication, which is
usually applicable to consumer products. In the process of pharmaceutical marketing,
market segmentation, targeting and brand differentiation is considered to be challenging
compared to the consumer marketing. Fundamental and systemic changes are required to
ensure that the promotion activities of companies respect consumer rights to safe and
reliable products and to independently verifiable information about the safety and
efficacy of those products.
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THE IMPACT OF IRRESPONSIBLE MARKETING
Developing countries face multiple health challenges as a result of widespread poverty
and under-funded public health systems, and it would be unfair to place them all at the
d o o r o f t h e p h a r m a c e u t i c a l i n d u s t r y . H o w e v e r t h e
q u e s t i o n t o b e a s k e d o f pharmaceutical companies is whether, in this
context, their marketing practices help or hinder efforts to improve health and on at
least three counts the answer appears to be ‘no. ‘In 2009, the Indian National
Commission on Macroeconomics and Health labeled 10out of 25 top selling brands
of medicines in the country as being either “irrationa l or non-essential or
hazardous.” Those brands are listed in the table below and include a number of market
leaders. These issues are important in developed and deve loping countries but
are particularly pressing in developing countries where each dollar that is misused is a
dollar that can’t easily be replaced.
Pushing the wrong pills
Finally there is the question of whether the pharmaceutica l industry is simply
too market driven. Operating in a competit ive market and with falling
revenues there is immense pressure on companies to deliver the next ‘block buster’
drug. The inevitable pressure on companies is to focus on the wealthiest markets and the
most marketable conditions. This has led to a concentration on ‘me too’ drugs
that tap into lucrative markets but add little additiona l medical value and
even ‘disease mongering’ or the medicalisation of conditions that had previously
been seen as lifestyle issues and only in extreme cases a cause for medical intervention.
By promoting drugs that are not needed, pharmaceutical companies could detract from
efforts to improve the overall public health of consumers in developing countries. It is
true that many other factors such as poor training and a lack of regulatory infrastructure
are also at the root of these problems. However as global leaders, with financial clout to
a ffec t change , d rug companies and pa r t icula r ly the marke t leaders
have soc ia l responsibilities in ensuring their marketing activities do not lead to
negative outcomes for patients and consumers of their products.
55
There can be several challenges for pharma marketing with global channels opening up from all directions it has become an art of its own kind. Some of the important aspects can be as
the followings:
Increased competit ion and unethica l practices adopted by some of the pharma companies.
Low level understanding of customer knowledge (Doctors, Retailers, Wholesalers).
Dissimilar customer perception.
Quality of medical representatives.
Recruitment process of medical representatives.
High training and re-training costs of sales personnel.
Busy doctors giving less time for sales calls.
P oor te rr ito ry knowledge in te rms o f bus iness va lue a t the leve l o f med ica l representatives.
Valuing of prescription from each doctor in the list of each sales person.
Unknown value of revenue from each retailer in the territory.
Promotional Strategies
56
E.g. In Mohrish Pharmaceuticals marketing strategy of Vighan Q10 is presented in
the following two figures:
DIRECT TO CUSTOMER STRATEGIES: DTC essentially means a campaign or communication programme intended for and targeted to consumers. In relation to pharmaceutical products, the consumers may be patient or family members, caregivers or
the general public. Initially, doctors were worried about the patients failing to understand the drug related information and impairment of doctor /patient relationship, but DTC did
not lead to any such apprehensions and is now a mainstay of product promotion in the US. Internet has totally rejuvenated direct marketing and DTC as a promotional medium. Resources like Euro RSCG’ s Media Turf’s online tracking can help track individual
doctors online, which is immensely useful for pharma companies to deliver targeted communication to them.
DIRECT TO DOCTOR STRATEGIES: Doctors are the main targets for the promotional activities of drug companies in developing countries. With the power to
prescribe and a high status in society their opinion of a drug very often determines its sales success. It is therefore not surprising that the majority of marketing spend by
industry leaders goes towards direct-to-doctor (DTD) promotion. These marketing practices are common to most contexts whether in developing countries or developed.
GIFTS: Among the promotional tactics employed by pharmaceutical companies is the practice of giving gifts to doctors. In developing countries, these range from small items
such as gifts, pens and notebooks to expensive foreign holidays, televisions, air conditioners and even jewelry. However what stands out in the developing country context is the practice of giving lavish personal gifts that have no pretence at medical
value.
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OBJECTIVE
The present study of the pharmaceutical industry of India revolves around the following basic objectives:
To understand how pharmaceutical company launch their product
To know what promotional strategies are used by pharmaceutical companies to
sell their products in the market
To understand what is the role played by sales representatives in this regard.
How well they carry on product marketing.
The efforts the company is making to improve the relationship with their
customers, doctors and chemists.
To find out the public opinion regarding the usage, benefits and reactions of
medicines and what is essential to improve the effect of the same.
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
A Research Methodology defines the purpose of the research, how it proceeds, how to
measure progress and what constitute success with respect to the objectives determined
for carrying out the research study. The appropriate research design
formulated is detailed below. Exploratory research: this kind of research has the primary
objective of development of insights into the problem. It studies the main area where the
problem lies and also tries to evaluate some appropriate courses of action. The
research methodology for the present study has been adopted to reflect these realties
and help reach the logical conclusion in an objective and scientific manner. The present
study contemplated an exploratory research.
Research Design
The research design is the basic framework, which provides guidelines for the rest of the
research process. The present research can be said to be exploratory. The research
des ign de te rmines the d irec t ion o f the s tudy througho ut and the
p rocedures to be followed. It determines the data collection method, sampling
method, the fieldwork and so on.
Nature of Data
Primary Data:
Primary data is basically fresh data collected directly from the target
respondents; it could be collected through Questionnaire Surveys, Interviews, Focus Group
Discussions Etc.
Secondary Data:
Secondary data that is already available and published. It could be internal and external
source of data. Internal source: which o r igina tes from the spec ific fie ld o r
a rea where re sea rch is carried out e.g. publish broachers, official reports etc.
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External Source:
This originates outside the field of study like books, periodicals, journals,
newspapers and the Internet.
DATA COLLECTION
Primary data:
Primary data was selected from the sample by a self-administrated questionnaire in
presence of the interviewer.
SAMPLE SIZE:
1. Sample size: 100
Sample area: New Delhi Sample Unit: Officials of many pharmaceutical companies, medical Practitioners,
medical representatives in New Delhi 2. Sample size: 50
Sample area: New Delhi Sample Unit: chemists
3. Sample size: one doctor’s clinic Sample area: New Delhi
Sample Unit: patients
SECONDARY DATA:
Secondary data was collected through
•Articles,
•Reports,
•Journals,
•Magazines,
• Newspapers and
•Internet
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Sampling Technique:
Random sampling technique is generally employed to extract the fruitful results. This
includes the overall design, the sampling procedure, the data collection methods, the field
methods and the analysis procedures
Sampling Procedure Actually Employed:
The process employed to select the sample was simple random sampling.
Simple random sampling refers to that sampling technique in which each and every unit of the population has an equal and same opportunity of being on the sample. In simple random sampling, which item gets selected is just a matter of chance.
Analytical Tools:
Simple statistical tools have been used in the present study to analyze and interpret the
data collected from the field. The study has used percentiles method and the data are presented in the form of tables and diagrams.
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ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
SURVEY 1:
1. For how many years you are practicing as a medical practitioner (Doctor)?
Less than one year ----------------------------------17 per cent
From one to five years -----------------------------32 per cent
Five to Ten years -----------------------------------36 per cent
More than Ten years -------------------------------12 per cent
Cannot remember ---------------------------------03 per cent
Fig: Practicing as a medical practitioner
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Interpretation:
At the initial stage of the research, an attempt was made to understand the profile of the
doctors in terms of their experience in the industry. Great care was taken to ensure that
the sample is adequate and representative of the universe.
2. Do you agree that India’s pharmaceutical industry is one of the fastest growing
segments of the Indian economy?
Agree --------------------------------------43 per cent
Strongly Agree ---------------------------37 per cent
Disagree ----------------------------------09 per cent
Strongly Disagree -----------------------04 per cent
Do not know/ cannot say -------------07 per cent
Fig: The fastest growing segments of the Indian economy
Interpretation: India’s pharmaceutica l industry is one of the fastest growing segments of the Indian economy and this is also one of the vital industrial segments which are directly
related to the health of the nation.
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3. Do you agree that the marketing strategy of the pharmaceutical industry should
be different from the marketing strategy in non-pharmaceutical segments?
Agree ------------------------------------50 per cent
Strongly Agree -------------------------32 per cent
Disagree --------------------------------10 per cent
Strongly Disagree --------------------04 per cent
Do not know/ Cannot say ----------04 per cent
Fig: Pharmaceuticals Segments
Interpretation:
The structure and the dynamics of the pharmaceutical industry are different from that of other industrial domains. This is what necessitates the pharmaceutical sector to formulate a unique marketing strategy to suit their industry requirements and that appears to be
different, in practice and normative sphere, from other industries.
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4. Do you agree that the pharmaceutical companies need to use innovative and
better promotional measures for selling their products?
Agree --------------------------------------60 per cent
Strongly Agree ---------------------------37 per cent
Disagree ----------------------------------01 per cent
Strongly Disagree -----------------------00 per cent
Do not know/ cannot say -------------02 per cent
Fig: Innovative and better promotional measures for selling their products
Interpretation:
Even though it appears to be a serious industry on which the health of the nation rests, a
deeper understanding of the industry will make it clear that business practices and sales
promotion measures are a common thing and gradually becoming more aggressive and
competitive among the pharmaceutical companies in India.
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5. Does the Pharmaceutical companies offer gifts to the doctors to influence their
prescriptions in favor of their company medicines?
Yes --------------------------------------------95 per cent
No ---------------------------------------------01 per cent
Do not know/ cannot say -----------------04 per cent
Fig: Prescriptions in favor of their company medicines
Interpretation:
Pharmaceutical marketing experts are aware that well timed advertising directed to
doctors tends to boost sales of the brand that spent the marketing dollars. In the case of
marketing directly to health professionals, the question is whether promotion is (as most
drug companies claim) primarily information on how the drug works or is intended to
persuade doctors to prescribe the drug more frequently. The practice of offering gifts to
the doctors to influence their prescriptions is a common strategy among the
pharmaceutical companies.
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6. Out of the following which one is more correct when it comes to the promotiona l
s trategy of pharmaceutical companies in the view of the doctors?
They aim to inform about the product -----------------22 per cent
They aim to persuade to purchase ---------------------60 per cent Other motives --------------------------------------------03 per cent
Do not know/ cannot say -----------------------------15 per cent
Fig: Promotional strategy of pharmaceutical companies
Interpretation:
The promotional strategy of the pharmaceutical companies is more oriented towards persuading the
doctors to prescribe their products and the patients to purchase their products than simply
to display information on the quality and availability of the product. This is one criterion
which makes the marketing strategy of the pharmaceutical companies different from that
of others.
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7. Do you agree that unethical standards exist in the promotion of pharmaceutical
products in India?
Agree -------------------------------------52 per cent Strongly Agree -------------------------20 per cent
Disagree --------------------------------20 per cent Strongly Disagree ---------------------03 per cent
Do not know/ cannot say ------------05 per cent
Fig: Promotion of pharmaceutical products in India
Interpretation:
Adherence to ethical standards while pursuing the promotional strategy for selling their
products is a concern in the pharmaceutical industry. It is an accepted fact that the
promotional measures do contain unethical practices. It is for the government, the
industry and the consumers to put a comprehensive effort to ensure that
the practices of unethical standards are withdrawn from the health industry.
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8. What type of Marketing Strategy would you prefer to expand your Market size?
Fig: Market size
B2B--------------------------------------------------------------23 per cent
B2C -------------------------------------------------------------32 per cent
Both -------------------------------------------------------------45 percent
9. What type of Marketing Strategy does you as More Profitable?
Fig: More Profitable
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B2B-------------------------------------------------------------- 24 per cent
B2C -------------------------------------------------------------47 per cent
Both -------------------------------------------------------------31 percent
10. What do you think is the Major challenge from the Marketing point of view for
the Pharmaceutical Industry in India?
Fragmentation of the market ----------------------------38 per cent Market risk due to lack of price control mechanism -22 per cent MNCs ------------------------------------------------------23 per cent Others ------------------------------------------------------17 per cent
Fig: Major challenge from the Marketing
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11. What innovative distribution channel do you suggest to better market your
products?
Better consumer supply chain------------------------------------34 per cent Emotiona l Branding - - - - - -- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --42 per cent
Alliance with other corporate leaders for promotion of the product-12 per cent Greater media participation and power branding-------------10 per cent
Others ------------------------------------------------------------- 02 per cent
Fig: Suggest to better market your products
12. Do you think that market ethics/ medical Ethics are a major factor in the new
distribution channel of marketing? Yes ----------------------------------------------------- 57 per cent
No ----------------------------------------------------- 28 per cent Do not know/ cannot say -------------------------- 15 per cent
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Fig: Distribution channel of marketing
13. Do you believe that technology utilization and innovative distributionchannels will
Do not know/ Can not say--------------- 18 per cent
Fig: Distribution channels will help in marketing of Pharma products in India
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14. Major weakness of the pharmaceutical industry’s marketing strategy.
Branding ---------------------------------07 per cent
Publicity ---------------------------------09 percent R&D -------------------------------------77 percent Do not know / cannot say ------------07 per cent
Fig: Major weakness of the pharmaceutical industries
15. Do you follow branding of products as a marketing strategy?
Fig: Major weakness of the pharmaceutical industries
18. Do you follow branding of products as a marketing strategy?
Yes ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 74 percent No ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 05 percent
Do not know/ cannot say -------------------------------------------- 21 percent
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Fig: Products as a marketing strategy
19. Do you have a dealer network? Do you sell directly or through dealers?
As regards their marketing strategy, it could be derived from their responses that they
have a large dealer network. A customer may also contact their branch office in his/her area to get the names and addresses. They can also supply sections
directly. For smaller lots, the traders/ dealers may be contacted. 20. Do you think that foreign direct investment (FDI) should be allowed in the pharmaceutical
sector in India? Yes-------------------------------------------------21 percent
Do not know/ cannot say-----------------------36 percent
Fig: Pharmaceutical sector in India
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SURVEY 2: CHEMIST’S SURVEY
A visit to many doctors was made by me along with co’s Medical Representative.
A complete product detailing along with company profile is given to the doctors.
If the doctor feels that the product is up to the mark, he prescribes it to the respective
patients. Then the company contacts and visits various nearby chemists and provides
them with co. Reference that if some demand to co’s product arises they may contact the
area distributors of the co. to provide them with the respective supply of the medicines.
Further when chemists become regular purchaser of co’s product, they are regularly
visited by co’s MR in order to check whether they have the availability of the products of
the company or not. A product card is asked to be filled for further requirements of the
medicines which are then supplied by the co’s distributors to them.
SURVEY 3: CAMPING
A regular campaigning is done at the gap of 10-15 days outside doctor’s clinic and
hospitals in which free sampling of medicines are done and feedback from the doctors
and patients are taken.
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LIMITATIONS
1. Marketing and sales of pharmaceutical products is very different from other
products such as say groceries, cosmetics, food items, vehicles, etc.
2. Pharmaceutical products (apart from over the counter OTC drugs) can only be
obtained from a chemist on a doctor’s prescription. Thus here the customer is the
doctor, who is well versed in pharmacology.
3. Medicines and drugs can only be prescribed by a doctor only when it is deemed
necessary for the patient’s recovery from illness; that is, it is ethically wrong for a
doctor to needlessly prescribe medicines.
4. In addition, the pharma company is feeling pressure from every direction — from
regulators setting the rules for drug effectiveness and safety, from managed care
organizations and employers pushing back on prescription drug costs and
reimbursement, from competitors coming to market with alternative brands or
generics. Overall, these trends have resulted in lower revenue, reduced
profitability, and declining P/E valuation ratios for most major pharmaceutical
companies.
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INFERENCES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The pharmaceutical sectors in India will most likely stay regulated in the short term, there
are plans for reform. The sheer size and growth of India's domestic pharmaceutical
industry is making it increasingly difficult for the government to regulate prices for every
single firm. As a result, foreign pharmaceutical firms can expect improved market
opportunities in India's enormous drug market over next several years.
The Indian pharmaceutica l industry is highly fragmented - - there are now
more than20, 000 domestic manufacturers of end-use pharmaceuticals, particularly
because of the industry's low capital requirement and the lack of product patents. Only
about 300 of these are in the organized sector. This structure causes intense competition,
especially in the bulk drug markets, with profitability falling as demand expands.
For value purposes, drugs in India are generally classified into two categories --
bulk drugs and formulations. Due to India's low overhead costs, bulk drugs comprise the
largest sector in the country's pharmaceutical market. India’s bulk drug sector also makes
up about 6% of the international bulk drug market. Drug intermediates are used as raw
materials for the production of bulk drugs, which are either sold directly or retained by
companies for the production of formulations. Formulations can be subdivided into
generic drugs and branded or "ethical" drugs, the latter of which are made under process
patent and sold under a separate brand name. Expected short-term growth for the two
types of drugs has been 20% for bulk drugs and 15% for formulations.
The import of finished pharmaceuticals is almost negligible, and confined to very specific
types like anti-cancer drugs. In 1994, the import of drugs, pharmaceuticals and
intermediates was estimated at $450 million, and included the following:
antibiotics, penicillin and its salts, erythromycin and its preparations, vitamins and
provitamins, vaccines (polio, human and veterinary), preparations containing insulin,
caustic and other hormones, and tetracycline and its preparations.
Essentia l drugs comprised of antibiot ics, antibacter ia l, anti-TB, anti-
parasitic, and cardiovascular constitute a major portion of turnover of the industry.
Indian companies dominate this class of drugs with a market share of 71%. Multinational
companies are reluctant to enter these markets as most of them are under government
price controls.
Pharmaceutical Industry is one of the most intense knowledge driven industry, which is
continuo us l y in a s ta te o f dynamic trans it io n. Ind ian pharmaceut ica l
indus try is climbing up the value chain from bringing a pure reverse engineering
industry focus on domestic market. The industry is moving towards basic research driven
expert oriented global presence and providing wide range of value added quality product
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and services. The pharmacy formulation market varies radically from the consumer
market in many ways. The rules governing the pharmacy market are different
except a few over- the-counter (OTC) drugs. Pharma companies are not
allowed to public ly market their products. Marketing has to be restricted to
promotional campaigns, advertisement only in medicinal magazines, journals etc.,
through medical representatives. It is not a mean of mass communica t ion, which is
usually applicable to consumer products. In the process of pharmaceutical
marketing, market segmentation, targeting and brand differentiation is considered to be
challenging compared to the consumer marketing.
Unlike any other businesses, marketing mix and its operatives for Pharma industry are
very peculiar. The pharmaceutica l industry is one of the few which cater to
unique situations. Here the decision maker is the prescriber i.e. doctor while actual user
of the product is a patient. Patient purchases product only because of doctor’s advice and
hence product should satisfy the conditions of physician. Even if all other parameters are
correct, the product might still fail because of improper promotion. Personal selling is the
major promotional method in pharma marketing.
Brand management, particularly promotion is a very difficult task in every Industry
/Business. It is particularly difficult in those businesses where the competition is intense,
market is crowded with variety of similar looking products and especially,
when the end use r canno t make cho ices o f his /he r own, but has to use
the p roduc t on some expert’s recommendations. Pharmaceutical is such one of the
most intense knowledge driven industry, which is continuously in a state of dynamic
transition. Pharmacies can be defined as “Complex matrix of process, operations and
organization, involved in the discovery development and manufacture of drug and
medication.” The pharmaceutical industry is the lifeline industry, which plays a
very important role in building strong human capital of country and very
essential for economic growth and development. Indian pharmaceutica l
industry is climb ing up the value chain from bringing a pure reverse engineering
industry focus on domestic market. The industry is moving towards basic research driven
expert oriented global presence and providing wide range of value added quality product
and services.
Considering the complexities in marketing process in pharmaceutical business, while
launching a new formulation in the existing markets or launching new formulations in
the new markets, product differentia t ion is necessary for proper brand
promotion. Since, for the prescription products, the end-customer, i.e. patient or his/her
relatives are unable to take any decision and the product is necessarily
recommended by the expert, i.e. physician or doctor, it is imperative that this brand
promotion efforts to be aimed at primarily towards the physician or doctor and
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secondarily to the drug retailer as he plays an important role in dispensing the prescribed
brand. While launching the new formulation, there can be dilemma in the mind of the
field manager on diverting.
Existing field force for the promotion of the field force, perhaps at the cost of old and established products. However, it is most necessary to do so as it can only help product differentiat ion, brand promotion and stabiliza t ion of the new product in the
market. Nevertheless, one question remains and that is whether, the research findings are universally true or they are geography specific. One can get the answer only when
such studies are conducted at multiple places simultaneously. The results of such studies can be generalized to arrive at possible answer. Companies realize it is often not enough to spend like your competitor. In fact, you have to outspend the competition, especially in
areas such as market research and patient education, to make significant impact on your position in the market.
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES PHARMACEUTICALINDUSTRY:
India’s comparative advantages lie in its cost competitiveness; it’s reverse engineering experience, its large pool of less expensive English-speaking scientific and engineering
workers, and its well-developed chemical industry infrastructure. India’s pharmaceutical companies can also operate at much lower profit margins that their Western counterparts. Today, India produces some of the cheapest drugs in the world, especially because labor
costs are 50 to 55 percent cheaper than in the West. Industry experts indicate those infrastructures costs are 40 percent lower and fixed cost are estimated to be 12 percent to
20 percent less than in the United States and Western Europe. Consequently, India can produce bulk drugs that cost 60 percent less than in the West and can open a production plant in India 40 percent cheaper than in developed countries. Because of this, India has
become a hub for pharmaceutical research and development and clinical trials for many leading foreign pharmaceutical companies.
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The challenge facing pharmaceutical marketers in the next decade will be to
demonstrate value of product through promotiona l innovation, combined with
the required emphasis on efficiency and safety of their product. To do so, they should
turn to pharmacoeconomics--an evolving field that examines the issues in the context of
them arket's health care system. Health care system, of what is understood of
the term, differs from country to country, place to place and city to city. Lay
persons in India tend to examine only single patient cost. But from a social perspective
one may want to know what sort of treatment option minimizes overall costs. In the
future the degree of fragmentation is likely to decline significantly wide product portfolio
and distribution strength could become a key competitive advantage among the larger
players. Smaller players focused on research and development will probably be
approached for alliance by larger companies. Domestic companies with International
research and development or marketing ties are likely to succeed. In long term as
companies’ established major presence in other parts of wider health care
pharmaceuticals chain, there is likely to an emergence of a new set of competitors -
- the integrated health care firms - - that will have significantly greater power than
pure pharmaceutical companies.
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CONCLUSIONS
•Implement, improve and monitor legislation in line with the WHO Resolution on the
Rational Use of Medicines and the WHO Ethical Criteria for Medicinal Drug Promotion.
•Support the provision of independent information on drugs for consumers and health
professionals.
•Implement and enforce a ban on gifts to doctors.
•Enforce strict sanctions that will deter poor corporate practice in drug promotion.
•Take measures to improve the transparency of drug companies’ marketing activities and
seriously address the conflict of interest encountered in drug companies ‘funding of
medical education. Ensuring high standards in the promotion of medicines is important to
consumers ‘health and helps to save money for health providers and patients. Without
proper controls consumers can be subject to misleading or inaccurate claims and the
promotion of expensive branded medicines that have no greater medical value than
cheaper non- branded products. Whilst the pharmaceutical industry clearly has an
important role to play in tackling the health challenges their involvement in the
promotion of medicines presents a serious conflict of interest. It is equally important that
health professionals have access to independent and up to date advice on medicines so
that they can make informed judgments about the most appropriate medication for
patients. Governments must make continued medical education (CME) a priority and
alleviate the need for doctors to rely on industry-dominated information provision
mechanisms. Improved regulation of drug promotion will generate a number of benefits
for various stakeholders. Consumers will have a better chance of getting the most
appropriate drug for their condition. Regulations that lead to improved drug use can
lower direct costs (e.g. subsidy costs and import costs) which should be welcomed by
governments and tax payers. Finally, socially responsible drug companies will also
benefit if regulation helps to create a level playing field and prevent unscrupulous
companies from manipulating the market through irresponsible marketing.
•The pharmaceutical industry
•Key recommendations at the company level:
•Stop the practice of gifts to doctors
•Implement rigorous policies on vetting of drug promotion materials and adherence to
existing codes of conduct Provide transparent and verifiable information on the precise
nature of relationships and associated funding for all stakeholder groups, including health
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professionals, pharmacists, students, journalists, clinical research organizations and
patient groups.
At an industry-wide level:
Ensure codes of conduct on drug promotion extend to interactions with
health professionals AND consumers. Invest in innovative partnerships with government
and civil society organizations so that corporate funding of disease awareness campaigns
and CME may be channeled via blind trusts in line with specific health priorities of
consumers at a community or national level. According to IFPMA, “promotional
activities must be consistent with high ethical standards and information should be
designed to help health care providers improve services to patients. Information must be
provided with objectivity, truthfulness and in good taste and must conform to all relevant
laws and regulations. Claims for therapeutic indications and conditions of use must be
based on valid scientific evidence and include clear statements with respect to side
effects, contraindications, and precautions. “It also stresses that “high standards of ethical
behavior shall apply equally to marketing of pharmaceutical products in all countries,
regardless of the level of development of their economic and health care
systems.”Fundamental and systemic changes are required to ensure that the promotion
activities of companies respect consumer rights to safe and reliable products and to
independently verifiable information about the safety and efficacy of those products.
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ANNEXURE
QUESTIONNAIRE
1. For how many years you are practicing as a medical practitioner (Doctor)?
⇒Less than one year ----------------------------------
⇒From one to five years ----------------------------- ⇒Five to Ten years -----------------------------------
⇒More than Ten years -------------------------------