While straightforward economics may dictate that a pharmaceutical company’s bottom line is really driven by the need to sell its products for monetary gain, a more holistic view should be taken. The company occupies a key position, from a marketing perspective, between the government and other regulators and ultimately the patient. This dynamic environment is sometimes difficult to understand and pharmaceutical consultants can definitely benefit the company as it struggles to remain competitive.

Pharmaceutical companies must conform to strict FDA regulations, best use practices and study scientific benchmarks to provide products and services for ongoing use. The importance of marketing in this environment should never be underestimated. The physician or pharmacist has to juggle a lot of information, much of it based on older science, together with the wants and needs of the patient and budgetary restrictions applied by insurance companies or individual positions.

The direct communication between health care professionals and the pharmaceutical companies through various marketing channels ultimately dictates the efficient delivery of products and services to the end-user, the patient. It follows that the standard of this marketing and its effectiveness directly contributes to the patient’s ability to live a longer, healthier and more productive life. Marketing in this environment is most certainly a two-way operation. In addition to the company’s communication with the professional about the benefits and risks associated, the science behind the introduction of the products and ways for dissemination and consumption, the professional also communicates back to the company with feedback, real-time findings and data.

The fact that pharma consulting can provide cutting-edge information about conditions and treatments, spotlighting certain illnesses which may not have received much attention, should not be underestimated. Where treatment gaps may have previously existed, the research and work done by the pharmaceutical companies can also raise awareness and enable treatment for patients who may not have realised the treatment was available. Just because the pharmaceutical products may exist, it does not mean that these products will find their way into the hands of the consumer. Marketing plays a critical role in disseminating the information from one end of the chain to the other, into the hands of the professionals for communication with the patient.

Scientific breakthroughs enable the creation of products which are subsequently sanctioned by the government and this whole process focuses on the need for treatment of chronic illnesses. As such, any by-products or side effects of new solutions may not become known, nor the link between cure and original illness exposed, unless strong marketing channels are open between all concerned.

In most instances, pharmaceutical consulting firms can also play a critical role in educating clients, producers and users. Their experience, knowledge and enthusiasm can really help to turn the wheels of the marketing machine, continuously engaging all key players and producing incredible results in such a competitive environment.

Alan Gillies is the Director of L2L Consulting, an elite pharmaceutical consultancy firm which specialises in Strategy Development and Implementation Excellence for prestigious multi-national organisations.

Tags: Business, business coaching, key account management, pharma consulting, pharmaceutical consultants, pharmaceutical consulting, professional coaching, sales force effectiveness

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