Lower prices, discounts, convenience of ordering and home delivery are some of the benefits for consumers with e-pharmacies. The anonymity of the internet encourages patients to seek information about medicines that they would otherwise avoid. Mental health is one area where the consumers wish to maintain confidentiality and opt for online consultation and medication.
With the Second Wave hitting India, customers (patients and physicians) will continue to socially distance themselves in the foreseeable future. Pharma must use the field force for reach and relationship and digital for frequency and personalised content for better customer experience.
The pandemic has made doctors adopt Telehealth in a substantial way to shore up their revenues and this will continue to be one of their channels to engage patients. Telehealth along with EMR/EHR, digital therapeutics and wearables is enabling doctors to better care for their patients. There are many ways in which pharma can support the digital evolution of doctors.
IPM was valued at Rs. 178,219 Cr for MAT Oct’21. The retail sector was valued at Rs. 151,183 Cr for this period contributing 85% to IPM.
IPM Growth for the month of Oct’21 as compared to the month of Oct’20 was 9.7%. This is the lowest monthly growth in the last 8 months after a low growth of 2.6% reported for Feb’21.
Corresponding to low monthly growth, IPM MAT growth also declined slightly after showing a growing trend consistently for the last 7 months from MAT Feb’21. It reported 17.3% for MAT Oct’21 as compared to 17.8% reported for MAT Sept’21.
At 15657.3 Cr, the monthly sale reported for Oct’21 is the 5th highest sale value in the last 12 months.
It’s very common for a pharma professional having neighbors, friends and relatives to engage in conversation over medicines. One such conversation – a pleasant surprise – which intrigued me to dig deep into internet dynamics was one with the local roadside Sabziwali.