Another Study Hints At The Death Of The Pharma Sales Rep

Has the pharmaceutical industry finally reached the point where sales reps should be addressed as Willy Loman? A new study suggests the time might be near – 67 percent of physicians say digital media is their preferred source of information from drugmakers, 40 percent believe digital media has the most relevant and personalized content, and 52 percent believe sales reps will eventually become information coordinators. Only 20 percent say reps are their favorite source of information. Meanwhile, more health care providers are shifting toward larger, organized health systems, which make it more difficult for reps to reach physicians for visits. In fact, 64 percent of those surveyed say they restrict rep visits and 31 percent of physicians in organized health systems do not allow reps any access, although 80 percent in this group are prevented from seeing reps due to corporate policies. Newer physicians are more likely to rebuff reps – as many as 80 percent impose restrictions. And interestingly, 90 percent of new physicians are joining organized health systems right out of medical school. And about half of those surveyed work for such entities, according to the survey of nearly 3,000 physicians CapGemini and QuantiaMD, which provide consulting services to physicians and drugmakers.   “While the more traditional face-to-face, in-office visits might decrease, the role of these representatives is projected to be as important as ever. Moving forward, they will need them to b...
Source: Pharmalot - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs