Pharmaceutical Industry Being Pressured to Change Marketing Strategy

[Guest guest]

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/739596

Medscape: How long was it before you became uncomfortable with

your career in sales?

Mr. Ahari: I started having misgivings about a year into it, when

I realized that some of the physicians I worked with ­ practices that saw

a lot of homeless patients ­ weren't eligible to receive free samples. I

couldn't provide them with a lot of the perks that the company provided

because there was very little market incentive. That's when it became

clear to me that this is a profit-driven business.

Medscape: The pharmaceutical industry is, after all, a for-profit

business. Is there an ethical role for the sales representative? Don't

you sometimes need to know more about a product?

Mr. Ahari: Absolutely, and the business has something of a cycle

to it. In the past, drug reps were predominantly pharmacy trained and had

a deeper level of understanding of the science behind [the drug]. These

days, it seems that drug reps aren't there to inform physicians, they're

being paid to sell product.

Going forward, a better model is what's coming out of the Harvard School

of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, and that's the idea of

drug reps working independent of any company and educating physicians on

a class of drugs, not a brand. It's called academic detailing. Under this

approach, because a rep would remain objective, they can disseminate

information with no particular company allegiance. Studies have shown

that this has actually created a cost reduction in terms of prescribing

within Kaiser Permanente, as well as other groups.

Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian

Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Washington State, USA

Vaccines -

http://vaccinationdangers.wordpress.com/ Homeopathy

http://homeopathycures.wordpress.com

Vaccine Dangers, Childhood Disease Classes & Homeopathy

Online/email courses - next classes start March 25 & April 1

[Guest guest]

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/739596

Medscape: How long was it before you became uncomfortable with

your career in sales?

Mr. Ahari: I started having misgivings about a year into it, when

I realized that some of the physicians I worked with ­ practices that saw

a lot of homeless patients ­ weren't eligible to receive free samples. I

couldn't provide them with a lot of the perks that the company provided

because there was very little market incentive. That's when it became

clear to me that this is a profit-driven business.

Medscape: The pharmaceutical industry is, after all, a for-profit

business. Is there an ethical role for the sales representative? Don't

you sometimes need to know more about a product?

Mr. Ahari: Absolutely, and the business has something of a cycle

to it. In the past, drug reps were predominantly pharmacy trained and had

a deeper level of understanding of the science behind [the drug]. These

days, it seems that drug reps aren't there to inform physicians, they're

being paid to sell product.

Going forward, a better model is what's coming out of the Harvard School

of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, and that's the idea of

drug reps working independent of any company and educating physicians on

a class of drugs, not a brand. It's called academic detailing. Under this

approach, because a rep would remain objective, they can disseminate

information with no particular company allegiance. Studies have shown

that this has actually created a cost reduction in terms of prescribing

within Kaiser Permanente, as well as other groups.

Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian

Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Washington State, USA

Vaccines -

http://vaccinationdangers.wordpress.com/ Homeopathy

http://homeopathycures.wordpress.com

Vaccine Dangers, Childhood Disease Classes & Homeopathy

Online/email courses - next classes start March 25 & April 1