Mechanism of e-detailing describes the use of IT tools for promotional activities—delivering information for pharmaceutical products to customers (health professionals, medical personnel, and patients). It includes using electronic channels to interact with customers, as well as electronic support for sales reps in their everyday work. It is a strong and potential tool in the pharmaceutical marketing.
‘E-Detailing’ as a term, covers more or less any variety of digital information concerning newly marketed drugs, services, and technologies. In other words – it doesn’t hold high requirements for the proper use of digital possibilities. In some instances, it simply means that information from a paper based detail-aid is transferred to an iPad or tablet. Naturally, that has little to do with the intelligent use of the digital potential. Patients are seldom switched to a different drug within a specific drug class, even if they switch doctors. This means that the first prescription is crucial; unless the first drug fails to work or causes severe side effects, a patient will probably stay on it. Thus, heavy prescribers who are not taking new patients may be less attractive targets than younger physicians working to build their practices. New product launches are down, and busy physicians have less time for sales calls. Such business challenges have made it increasingly important for pharmaceutical companies to raise the effectiveness of their marketing expenditures.
The main possibility offered by digital in this case, is its omnipresence. Information freed from the restraints of time and space. Accessible for doctors when they need it, where they need it. That means, information that’s completely independent of an iPad with an attached sales representative to it.
Mechanism of e-detailing, marketing efforts within the pharmaceutical industry differ depending on the relevant recipient; they are not aimed at the product (medicine) user—the patient—but at the medical professional prescribing therapy. The main marketing approach is using sales representatives who meet with medical professionals and present their products’ advantages and discuss what types of patients can benefit from the specific medicine.
