It’s time to rethink the physician-pharma relationship

The traditional sales channel for the pharmaceutical industry has centered on face-to-face interaction with its core target audience – prescribing physicians. What happens when suddenly that form of interaction is taken away? Michael Brandreth, group vice president at WebMD Global, tells us how the events of the last 18 months make it more important than ever for pharma to reimagine how to reach its base in a new, more holistic way.

Physicians’ time has become a valuable commodity due to the pandemic. Brandreth says some, but not all, pharma marketers recognise there’s been a shift in how its audience wants to engage with the industry.

“Physicians are incredibly time poor because they have such a challenging work environment. When they do engage with the pharmaceutical industry, they increasingly want to do it on their own terms,” says Brandreth.

Indeed, the number of physicians seeking clinical information from independent websites is growing. According to a recent Medscape survey of over 5,500 physicians in the EU found 86% had increased their consumption of medical content online during the pandemic.

• Read the full article in pharmaphorum's Deep Dive digital magazine