Who Does The Best ePromotion To Docs?
5 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // March 31st, 2008 // 12:40 pm
A survey of approximately 1,000 physicians found that Merck was mentioned as a top company by 361 of the respondents, outpacing the 219 mentions given Glaxo, according to Verispan, the market research firm. Merck performed particularly well among primary care physicians and pediatricians, with 48 percent of primary care docs and 52 percent of pediatricians ranking it among the three drugmakers with the best ePromotion programs.
Merck’s spending on ePromotion activities has more than quadrupled over the last 3 years, reaching almost $83 million in 2007, according to Verispan’s ePromotion Audit, which monitors and tracks online pharma promotion to physicians. Merck currently leads the industry in ePromotion investment, accounting for more than 20 percent industry spending for this promotional method, Verispan adds.
Merck’s ePromotion efforts in 2007 were concentrated on primary care physicians with 68 percent of spending, followed by 13 percent spent on pediatricians and 8 percent spent on obstetricians/gynecologists. Merck most often promoted Januvia, Singulair and Vytorin to primary care physicians, and Singulair, RotaTeq and Gardasil to pediatricians. OB/GYNs were most likely to get Fosamax, Singulair and Januvia ePromotions.
Janet
What I find distasteful about these programs is the associated compensation to physicians.
Joe Lazarich
Janet,
Please tell me more about the distasteful physician compensation for participating in e-based promotional programs. I just want to have a better perspective on all of this.
Joe~
Janet
These programs typically provide some sort of physician compensation to encourage targeted physicians to view the program, e.g. $25 - $50 or so worth of credits towards merchandise, or an honorarium for completing a relatively useless 4-5 question ‘market research’ survey.
HorusCat
Janet,
The programs offered by my company provide no compensation.
LILLI
Because of Merck’s marketing doctors do not advise or repoet errors of many medications that are causing dangersous health problems and fatalies. Zocor, is one that should be taken off the market.