Featured Opinions
With Value Added Services, to Whom Are We Adding Value?
by David Laws
I think we can all agree that providing medications alone is no longer enough. Customers are looking for more, and so value added services are becoming an ever more important part of pharma’s value proposition.
Does the ‘Healthy Adherer’ Effect Muddy the Waters in Medication Adherence?
It’s quite clear that across medical conditions, higher levels of medication adherence are associated with better health outcomes. You may or may not have noticed my careful word choice: “associated with.”
What's the Score? Measuring Sales Force Effectiveness
by Ifti Ahmed
Measurement of your sales team should be straight forward. More sales = Better performance right? The problem is that traditional methods of measurement don’t account for environmental factors and other influences – i.e. how you arrived at that point.
Patients in China: the Silent Stakeholder
This month Mary Assimakopoulos, talks about the issues around healthcare access for patients in China and highlights some of the adherence issues unique to the region.
The Breakthrough Designation Program: Four Factors for Long Term Success
This month Rita Numerof assesses the successes that the FDA’s Breakthrough Therapy Designation has enjoyed to date and explains what this fledgling submission process means for pharmaceutical market access.
Piecing Together Customer, Company and Shareholder Value
Warren Buffett once said, "Intrinsic value is the only logical way to (manage) investments and businesses." It provides the strongest foundation to the enduring growth of companies.
A Bunch of Time-Wasting, Blood-Sucking, Worthless Leeches
by Graham Young
It’s a somewhat contentious – tendentious even – title. So much so in fact, that I’ve been asked once again to stress that these are my opinions and not eyeforpharma’s. But I would like to examine the case for and against the Procurement Manager in the modern pharmaceutical industry.
Value Added Services? Pharma Has Been Doing This for Years
by David Laws
David Laws examines today’s industry trend of offering services ‘Beyond the Pill’. In the first installment, David looks at the intent and objective of such services and asks, who really benefits from all of these value adds?
Adherence Measurement: More Complex Than one Might Think
Medication adherence is on the radar more than ever before, so it’s important to understand the basics of how adherence is typically measured and the shortcomings of these measurements.
by Kevin Dolgin
Kevin dismantles one of the biggest barriers to real investment in patient services – the ongoing argument for reliable ROI.
How to Motivate (and Avoid Demotivating) Sales Staff
by Ifti Ahmed
This month Ifti examines one of the key drivers in sales success – Motivation, and explains how to properly motivate a sales team to achieve your objectives.
Barriers to Biologic Treatment - Is Injecting Such a Pain?
Mary Assimakopoulos examines a common yet often unaddressed patient concern – the very human fear of needles!
Using Data to Link Product Value and Price
While the pharmaceutical industry has found itself in a turbulent healthcare marketplace rife with changing regulations, new competitive challenges, and increasing pricing pressures, the end goal for manufacturers remains the same -- product reimbursement and optimal pricing.
Delivering Launch Success in a Changing Environment
Things are not what they used to be. In the good old days you could launch a drug and enjoy around seven years to reach peak sales. However, now the window is shorter and typically less than five years.
Why Pharma Reps Should Sell Adherence
For the pharmaceutical rep, is the goal of patient retention in conflict with the more traditional goal of patient acquisition? Patient acquisition primarily demands a focus on the prescribing physician, whereas patient retention demands a focus on the patient. Is there even time for both?
by Graham Young
There has been a quite a lot of coverage in the press of late about a certain large pharma company who has been found to have transgressed when it came to Customer Largesse in a certain country in the Far East (no names, no pack drill).
'Cause I Try and I Try and I Try and I Try
by Kevin Dolgin
This month Kevin explains why satisfaction is now pivotal to a successful marketing strategy, and how the power of word of mouth can manage customer expectations and improve your brand reputation.
Objection Handling - Why 'No' Could Potentially be Just Another Sales Opportunity
by Ifti Ahmed
This month, Ifti Ahmed examines that age-old, often intimidating reality of any sales role - objections, and provides insights into how that 'no' could just be another opportunity for a 'yes'.
Patient Power: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Mary Assimakopoulos, reveals findings from the company’s Therapy Watch market research data, investigating patient behaviour in Crohn’s Disease and discusses how pharma can benefit from improved patient understanding.
Tighten Up Your Product Lifecycle Management
This month, I highlight the importance of integrating multiple lifecycle management strategies into your organization to prolong the protection given to existing products and to manage competition from generic manufacturers.
Budget Allocations – Are You Using a ‘Stone Age’ or ‘Modern Age’ Process?
Dr Andree Bates explains while detailed analytics are imperative for sales and marketing.
When Women Get Sick: Medication Adherence and the Caregiver Conundrum
What could motivate patients to show more concern for their pet’s health and medication adherence than their own? Katrina Firlik, MD examines the impact that caring for others can have on caring for yourself…
by Jeff Elton
Jeff Elton explains how the need for more targeted, personalized therapies, are requiring changes throughout the drug development process, and how best your company can adapt.
by Kevin Dolgin
Kevin Dolgin explains one of the key measurable in a service-led industry, customer satisfaction, and explains why, above all else, this is the measurable you’ll want to focus on for your patient services.
PRICE: The Biggest Sales Hurdle You'll Need to Overcome
by Ifti Ahmed
“I like your product, but it’s too expensive!” How many times has a sales person heard these words and felt trapped? The price or financial component is very important and can mean the difference between a sale or an almost sale – depending on how you approach it of course.