Pharmaceutical Sales and Marketing Articles

Janus, in Roman mythology, is the god of doors and gateways, and also of beginnings, which the Romans believed ensured good endings.

His principal temple had doors facing east and west, for the beginning and end of the day. As the god of beginnings he was invoked on the first day of January, the month named after him, to start the new year. His statue is usually portrayed with two faces facing opposite directions. What I call the Janus principle in sales is the idea of ensuring an effective close by starting out with a good beginning. Sound beginnings are the gateways to great closes or conclusions. The Janus principle also applies to all of our human interactions, including those outside of business. Long before we get to the successful conclusion of our transactions, we must prepare each step of the process to increase the likelihood of the desired result. Let us analyze how we can use the Janus principle when closing sales.

The emergence of many new biotechnology products and companies has made it necessary for pharmaceutical sales reps to take on the role of selling biotech products.

There are differences, however, in the process of selling these products, and you need to know what they are.
 
This article will explore the following differences and provide an explanation of each:
 • Cost.
 • New technology.
• VIP/opinion leader customer base.
• Training. • Team selling and medical science liaisons.
 • Restricted and limited formularies.

You may say, "these aren't really differences; we deal with these issues every day." Let's take a look.

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Getting a product on a hospital formulary can be like running a political campaign. Both require finesse, diplomacy, politicking and, most importantly, a platform with substance. As a hospital sales representative, you would like to say that your product can satisfy the needs of all constituents, but as most campaign managers know, this is next to impossible.
 
Instead, you have to focus on promoting the qualities embodied in your product that will yield the best results for the majority of customers. To achieve your objectives, you must create a "campaign" plan. Such a plan could include the following steps:
• Conduct market research.
 • Identify your most influential constituents.
 • Meet the voters and assess their needs.
 • Devise a platform of issues.
 • Develop and leverage advocates.
• Accommodate different interest groups.
 • Convince the voters to get out and vote for your candidate.

An exceptional medical representative consistently in the top one percent of his company recently told me, "I've been in this industry for 15 years, and the most important thing I do to excel is listen to the physicians and go at their pace." While this sounds very simple, developing this skill requires practice and a commitment to being truly clinician-focused.
 
The influence of emp

You've just given one of your key physicians what you thought was a clear and persuasive presentation using a new clinical reprint.

You are confident that the results of the study should influence this doctor to change his prescribing pattern. As you check for agreement, his only comment to you is, "Your company funded this study.

One of the most difficult times during a pharmaceutical sales call is that awkward moment when you have finished your presentation and are ready to end the conversation.

You need to say something to the physician to signal that you are done and are ready to move on to your next call.

You get the voice mail: It's your district manager calling you for a ride-along with only one day's notice!

Does panic set in? What are some standards that you can set for yourself so your ride with your district manager is no different from an ordinary work day?

Abstract : Crystalline warfarin sodium is an isopropanol clathrate containing 8.3% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and 0.57% water upon receipt. The hygroscopicity and impact of moisture on IPA status as well as on the stability of the clathrate was studied at different relative humidities. The IPA loss and water uptake were simultaneous but they did not exchange at 1:1 molar ratio. At 58% relative humidity (RH) or below, the exchange process was insignificant. At 68% RH or above, the clathrate tended to lose IPA while absorbing water and reverting to the amorphous state. The rate of IPA loss and moisture uptake was a function of RH. The thermal stability of the crystalline warfarin sodium was also examined. Physical change occurred after isothermal storage for 24 hours at 80ºC and 11 hours at 120ºC. The rate of IPA loss was temperature dependent.

A simple HPLC procedure is described for the determination of bendroflumethiazide (BFMT) in pharmaceutical formulations and urine samples. No interferences from common additives or other drugs frequently administered with BFMT or from endogenous compounds in urine samples were found. The lack of an organic solvent in the mobile phase reduces the risk of environmental contamination and human toxicity.

Bendroflumethiazide (BFMT: (RS)-3-phenylmethyl-3,4- dihydro-6-trifluoromethyl-2H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine-7- sulphonamide-1,1-dioxide) is a potent diuretic drug extensively used for the treatment of hypertension and oedema that belongs to the thiazide family.1 BMFT is well absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract after oral administration and the absorption is not affected by food. It lowers blood pressure and removes extra salt and water from the body by acting on the kidneys. BFMT is usually prescribed as tablets and frequently in combination with beta blockers.