Big pharma gives out a lot of free samples every year — $3 billion in 2007 alone. Drug giant Pfizer is now joining rivals Merck and AstraZeneca in distributing some of those samples in response to online orders by physicians.
As Dow Jones Newswires reports, Pfizer launched its SamplesDirect program in August. A spokesperson tells DJN that doctors are choosing to “engage and interact” online, so it makes sense to be there. As you can imagine, sales reps weren’t too keen on the notion at first.
Big drug companies have been paring their sales forces in order to cut costs as they face a slowdown in growth from the so-called patent cliff and resulting generic competition. Meantime, doctors are increasingly giving sales reps the cold shoulder, with the number of “rep-accessible” physicians dropping by 18% from last year, according to a report released in May. The fear among Pfizer reps was that online sampling would only further erode their job function, DJN reports.
But Pfizer reached a compromise with its reps: when a physician places an e-order, it’s flagged to his or her sales rep, who has 48 hours to step in and personally take over the order. If the rep doesn’t act, the order is filled electronically.
AstraZeneca and Merck launched their own online sampling efforts in recent years, DJN says. Astra is winding down its U.S. sales force for heartburn pill Nexium, turning instead to call centers and online information. Online sampling of Nexium is expected to be available by the end of the year, DJN says.
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