The MedicinMan 10th Anniversary Special - Pharma CEO Roundtable...

Special issue, focusing on the generic versus branded debate that has opened up post the government mandate that Doctors should online prescribe generics.

There was a phase when the industry feared that digital would eventually replace the medical sales representative but it appears that digital engagements work best when facilitated by an affable and knowledgeable person, who can personalize the information, and the conversation, to the doctor. In pharma, there’s no substituting face-to-face dialogue it seems. And why should it? “Rather than digital replacing a person in pharma, the need of the hour is digitalizing the approach of person. The person and the technology are HERE TO STAY”, says Archis Joshi, Commercial Head at Dr. Reddy’s. The sales role is getting tougher. Medical information, at one point pharma’s greatest value, is today much more freely available than it used to be. In the Indian market which is dominated by generic medicines lacking differentiation, simply informing doctors about the product, isn’t a viable prospect any more when it comes to piquing their interest. “Why are brands that have been around for some time still unable to cross the marketing funnel and are still stuck at either the ‘awareness’ or the ‘interest’ stages, and unable to move towards the ‘purchase’ or ‘recommendation’ stages?” wonders Mehul Shukla, Director, Marketing Excellence at Cipla.

The life of the Pharma marketer has always been a juggling act (Two hands, Three balls, Endless Effect! A Lifetime of Performance) of managing multiple aspects with adept emotional and mental skill sets. All this, while trying to remain sane in a dynamic and confusing world. As the marketer takes time to make sense of his environment, he attempts to find answers to perennial marketing questions such as: How is the campaign performing? What are the new avenues to target customers? Is the messaging, right? Are the vendors on track with their deliverables? Are metrics that we track insightful?

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India pharma is crucial for global healthcare, providing affordable...

India's top 10 pharma companies by market capitalization, offering insights into...

1. Market Overview The oncology sector remains the most dominant...

Introduction For decades, leaders and organizations have relied on the...

India pharma is crucial for global healthcare, providing affordable...

India's top 10 pharma companies by market capitalization, offering insights into...

1. Market Overview The oncology sector remains the most dominant...

Introduction For decades, leaders and organizations have relied on the...

India pharma is crucial for global healthcare, providing affordable...

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1. Market Overview The oncology sector remains the most dominant...

Introduction For decades, leaders and organizations have relied on the...