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.

COVID-19 has accelerated the shift in how pharma was engaging with HCPs, professional organisations and even patients in India from a sales to more of a scientific, unbiased and balanced marketing communications. As one of the business leader from a prominent MNC said, “For the first time we are seeing a certain shift in HCP’s preference for scientific communication for innovators companies. MSLs and scientific operation teams will be playing a key role in the near future.”

Interview with Hanno Wolfram, author of Digital in Health Anup...

The pharma industry in India is entering a very interesting variant of the post-digital marketing era. The term “post-digital marketing” is used to depict a state where the lines between physical and digital blur considerably for a customer. However, in the context of pharma, this means a state where the industry has stopped questioning the need for digital and has begun to implement very interesting digital marketing initiatives.

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...

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...