Healthy Skepticism Library item: 17143

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Report

New Commercial Model: Science or Swag?
Deloitte 2009 Oct 21
http://www.deloitte.com/us/debates/scienceorswag

Abstract:

Should you blow up your sales force or stick with the status quo?

Pharmaceutical companies today face a fundamental decision about the best way to sell their products. Many physicians feel that company sales reps provide minimal value beyond sampling, and that their claims are biased. Payers increasingly demand evidence of product value beyond safety and efficacy to balance expected benefits against access and pricing concerns. Patients are frustrated by a perception that drug prices are inflated by expensive marketing tactics and excessive profit margins. And governmental agencies and regulators remain concerned about the ethical pitfalls of the sales rep model. Moreover, even if pharma companies could find a way to make the current sales model work, they would still be facing sky-high commercial costs.

Given these trends, should pharma companies stick with their traditional approach to selling? Or should all of the companies in the industry collectively blow up their sales forces and try something new? Here’s the debate:

Notes:

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