Promotional methods used by representatives of drug companies: A prospective survey in general practice

Schramm, Jesper; Andersen, Morten; Vach, Kirstin; Kragstrup, Jakob; Kampmann, Jens P.; Søndergaard, Jens

doi:10.1080/02813430701339659

Cited by 20 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Leaflets are also identified in the literature as "among the most frequently" used promotional techniques (Schramm et al, 2007). Likewise, nearly a quarter of the particpants of this research identified leaftlets to be the most effective reminder (24.5%), while pharmaceutical sales representatives' visits ranked second (19.8%) and product samples third (17.9%).…”

Section: Most Effective "Reminder Methods"mentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Further, pharmaceutical companies occasionally use physicians' experiences with specific patients as references for other physicians. Indeed, some physicians are not willing to prescribe new drugs until these have been used by highly recognized specialists (Schramm et al, 2007).…”

Section: Most Effective "Reminder Methods"mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sales representatives are considered the most expensive and widely used of these (Schramm et al, 2007). One of the most important consequences of the relationship between physicians and pharma sales representatives relates to conflicts of interest, which can lead to over-prescribing of a particular brand or a company's products (Abdullah Al-Areefi, Azmi Hassali, & Izham b. Mohamed Ibrahim, 2013).…”

Section: Pharmaceutical Marketing Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study concluded that companies use many promotional techniques, including giveaways and drug samples. Leaflets were used the most, while the tendency to give samples decreased with product aging (Schramm et al, 2007). Kisa (2006) studied factors that influenced physicians' drug selection in Turkey and examined if these factors differed based on the physician's specialty.…”

Section: Pharmaceutical Marketing Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Public Relations as Part of Integrated Communication of an Enterprise-Consumer Oriented On

Ukaj¹

2016

JMM

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Purpose: This research aims to identify key factors that influence physicians' drug selection decisions as well as the main sources of information for physicians about new drugs and the most effective "reminder methods" used by pharmaceutical sales representatives. This study fills a gap within the existing literature by identifying the most important factors that affect physicians' drug selection decisions in Saudi Arabia Design/methodology/approach: A survey was conducted in the Western region of Saudi Arabia using a convenience sample. A total of 106 physicians who met with pharmaceutical sales representatives filled out a questionnaire identifying the factors that influenced their prescribing decisions, as well as determining their main sources of information about new drugs, and the most effective "reminder methods" used by pharmaceutical representatives. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Findings: The results indicate that pharmaceutical sales representatives are the most commonly mentioned main source of new drugs information. Moreover, the factors identified as most impacting physicians' drug selection decisions include in order, the patient's financial situation and prevailing hospital policies, followed by media advertising and frequent visits from pharmaceutical sales representatives. Finally, leaflets were identified as the most effective 'reminder method' used by pharmaceutical sales representatives. Originality/value: The study findings are relevant because they can help pharmaceutical sales representatives to focus their efforts on the most effective marketing methods to boost their sales revenue, increase their market share, reduce marketing expenses, and potentially pass on the savings to patients.

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Section: Most Effective "Reminder Methods"mentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Most Effective "Reminder Methods"mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Pharmaceutical Marketing Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Pharmaceutical Marketing Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Public Relations as Part of Integrated Communication of an Enterprise-Consumer Oriented On

Ukaj¹

2016

JMM

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“…Although studies have evaluated pharmaceutical promotional brochures, [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] no study has evaluated them using criteria based on accuracy or balanced safety and efficacy, presented per the approved prescribing information, and whether the information is based on strong clinical trials. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the information in promotional brochures presented to healthcare professionals in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi by pharmaceutical representatives complied with these basic criteria.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of pharmaceutical drug information brochures in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)

Gharibyar

Sharif

2011

Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research

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Objective A major marketing tool used by pharmaceutical companies in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates is direct‐to‐healthcare professional marketing utilizing promotional drug information brochures. The aim was to investigate whether the information in promotional brochures presented to healthcare professionals in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi by pharmaceutical representatives complied with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) criteria for brochures. Methods The Health Authority – Abu Dhabi Poison & Drug Information Center evaluated these brochures from July to November 2010 using FDA criteria based on accuracy, balance of risk and benefits, prescribing information consistency, and whether the information was supported by strong clinical studies. Some 117 brochures for prescription‐only medications were screened. Key findings Twenty‐nine per cent of the screened brochures fared well in the four criteria, while 71% of the brochures fared well in three or fewer. Subgroup analysis was compared 81 branded products with 36 generics. The results showed 39 branded products passed in all four criteria compared with two items for generics (P < 0.0001) in the balance of risks and benefits criterion. The other three criteria were not statistically significant; however, a comparison of all branded versus generic product brochures was statistically significant (P = 0.003). Conclusion This study highlights the need for healthcare professionals in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to remain cautious about promotional material presented by pharmaceutical representatives. In addition, the practice warrants regulatory oversight to ensure that prescribing practices are not influenced by inappropriate drug information.

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Japanese physicians' perceptions of conflicts of interest with pharmaceutical companies: Estimating two different questioning approaches

Saito,

Ozaki,

Murakami

et al. 2024

Health Planning & Management

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Despite being one of the world's largest pharmaceutical markets, interactions between Japanese physicians and pharmaceutical companies often remain opaque. Importantly, potential conflicts of interest associated with these interactions can compromise patient care and increase costs. We conducted an online survey of Japanese physicians to elucidate perspectives on pharmaceutical company promotional activities and how these influence physician prescribing patterns. Anticipating that physicians might downplay their reliance on, or the value of, pharmaceutical company‐provided information, the survey incorporated a direct questioning method and an unmatched count technique (UCT) to identify hidden perceptions on factors likely to influence prescribing. Overall, 1080 eligible physicians participated. Of these, 105 (9.7%) self‐identified as hospital directors or managers. Surprisingly, nearly twice as many participants responding to direct questioning (18.9%) versus those responding to the UCT (10.1%) asserted that information provided by pharmaceutical companies was important when prescribing medicine. Hospital directors or managers (adjusted odds ratio [adjOR] 2.56, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.00–6.54, reference = physician without title) and frequent interactions with pharmaceutical sales representatives (adjOR 5.96, 95% CI: 1.88–18.9, reference = rare interaction) significantly valued the information from sales representatives and sponsored lectures when considering prescribing decisions. Additionally, 77.1% of respondents believed that sales representatives provide fair, neutral, or relatively honest and unbiased information about their products. Few Japanese physicians acknowledged the influence of industry‐provided information on prescribing patterns. Our study uniquely applies two distinct question formats, providing a novel approach to understanding the depth of physician‐industry relationships and the effectiveness of various survey methodologies.

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Promotional methods used by representatives of drug companies: A prospective survey in general practice

Cited by 20 publications

References 18 publications

Public Relations as Part of Integrated Communication of an Enterprise-Consumer Oriented On

Public Relations as Part of Integrated Communication of an Enterprise-Consumer Oriented On

Evaluation of pharmaceutical drug information brochures in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)

Japanese physicians' perceptions of conflicts of interest with pharmaceutical companies: Estimating two different questioning approaches

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