Fewer doctors meeting with pharmaceutical sales reps

Pharmaceutical companies don't have nearly the access to doctors that they once enjoyed. 

ZS, a global sales and marketing firm, analyzed call reports from 70 percent of pharmaceutical sales reps and found that for the first time since it began conducting such reports, more than half of physicians were classified as restricted to a certain extent from engaging with pharma reps. 

The decline in access has been dramatic over the past five years. While nearly 80 percent of doctors were considered accessible in the first quarter of 2009, only 47 percent are unrestricted today.

The effect has been even more significant in certain areas of medicine. While 75 percent of oncologists were labeled "accessible" in 2010, 73 percent are now considered "access-restricted."  

 The levels of access differ significantly between fields. More than 70 percent of prescribers in dermatology, urology and rheumatology remain accessible. In contrast, only 40 percent of primary care physicians are accessible, while 24 percent are severely-restricted.

Doctors were labeled as accessible if at least 70 percent of sales reps were able to reach them. Those who were reached by between 30 percent and 70 percent were labeled "access-restricted," while those reached by less than 30 percent of salespeople were described as "severely-restricted."

"The pharmaceutical industry is in the middle of a fast, steady decline in physician access — and we expect this pattern to continue for the foreseeable future. Even traditionally rep-friendly physicians now limit sales rep access," said Pratap Khedkar, managing principal and leader of ZS's global pharmaceuticals practice. 

Φαρμακευτικό Μάρκετινγκ: Θεωρία, Πρακτική, Δεοντολογία

The ultimate guide for Pharma Marketing Champions

Ζητήστε το στα κεντρικά βιβλιοπωλεία ή δώστε την παραγγελία σας τώρα…

http://www.stamoulis.gr/ViewShopProduct.aspx?ProductId=402023

ZS attributed the trend awayfrom rep access to a variety of factors, including new policies put in place by medical schools against engaging with reps. In fact, the study showed that recent graduates of the top 12 medical schools were less likely to be accessible than those with degrees from other universities. 

However, ZS also suggested that even doctors who aren't discouraged from meeting with reps are spending less time with them because of decisions driven by recent mergers of health care systems. 

The report recommends that if sales reps want to continue getting their products to doctors, they'll have to adopt other methods of communicating with physicians who aren't willing or able to meet with them in person.