Pharma industry and digital platforms
With the mandatory Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing
Practice (UCPMP) expected to be released soon by the Department of
Pharmaceuticals (DoP), experts in the industry maintain that companies should
turn to technologies like digital marketing platforms.
Companies can take advantage of the
competitive tariffs offered by telecom service providers, concurred experts at
the recently concluded KDPMA –DOP workshop as they see the new rules to reshape
the sales and marketing operations.
According to Ganesh Nayak, chief operating officer and
executive director, Zydus Cadila Healthcare, UCPMP is a positive
move and provides a level playing field. As the country is evolving and working
to reinstate its supremacy on global arena, pharma industry needs to build a
future with ethical practices.
“UCPMP
is a new era in pharma marketing. It will add the much needed value to product
branding. The quality perception is as strong as the brand which enhances the
company’s image to generate growth and profits. Now doctors prefer brands
because of their conviction in the drug molecule. Other factors which boost
sales are organisation credibility, innovation in the dosage formulation and a
disruptive pricing strategy”, he added.
The challenge in pharma marketing is the
intense competition with limited scope of the product differentiation.
Companies wrestle for in-clinic time to seek the attention of doctors. In the
ensuing UCPMP phase, companies will need to get back to the basics, focus on
medication profiling, effective detailing and retailing using technology,
innovation and emotions. In this era, it is likely some small business could
find it difficult to survive, said the Zydus Cadila COO and ED.
Airing concerns on unethical pharma marketing
practices, Dr. HN Ravindra, executive committee member, Medical Council of
India, said that the government move was a step in the right direction.
The five major disruptions in Indian pharma
are digital revolution, changing regulations, UCPMP, emergence of new
stakeholders and growth in chronic disease segment. Pharma industry will need
to maximise the power of digital platforms, forge partnerships via apps and
leap into emerging fields of health economic outcomes research (HEOR) and real
world evidence (RWE). Next generation of field force needs to go beyond the
‘pill’ and adopt technology to succeed, said Anup Soans, head, MedicinMan.
The government’s move to strengthen pharma
marketing calls for robust internal controls to ensure compliance and
regulation. Collaboration leveraging across functional teams will deliver
business value, noted Samir Rai, National Sales Manager, Meyer Organics.
Sanjay Dhawan, partner, Risk Assurance
Services, Price Waterhourse & Co, Bengaluru stated that in the UCPMP era,
pharma industry should not look at complacency and duck under the radar. The
new code will build trust among patients and demonstrate India’s high level of
ethics and competence. With the all pervasive social media platforms, we expect
more transparency and the industry will need to gear up for this.
Comments
Post a Comment