Most Doctors View Pharmaceutical Companies' Digital Marketing as 'Positive'... "Useful for Information Acquisition"

InterMD, Survey of 1,000 Physician Members
Pharmaceutical Companies Excelling in Digital Marketing: Daewoong Pharmaceutical and Hanmi Pharm

[Source=InterMD]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] As domestic pharmaceutical companies strengthen their 'digital marketing,' the majority of doctors responded that such marketing positively influences prescriptions.

Doctor community platform InterMD Company recently disclosed the results of a survey titled 'Pharmaceutical Companies' Digital Marketing as Perceived by Doctors,' conducted on 1,000 doctor members on the 29th.

In the survey, 91% of doctor members answered that pharmaceutical companies' digital marketing activities have a positive impact on prescriptions. Regarding helpful aspects, 42.8% responded that it is useful for acquiring information about new products, and 30.3% said it is useful for obtaining additional information about drugs they had previously prescribed. The pharmaceutical companies recognized for good digital marketing were Daewoong Pharmaceutical (15.7%), Hanmi Pharmaceutical (14.4%), Viatris (8.65%), JW Pharmaceutical (7.8%), and Boryung (7.1%), in that order.

Additionally, doctor members reported that they mainly obtain information through online seminars and academic conferences (41.5%) and pharmaceutical companies' doctor-exclusive portals (26.8%) among digital marketing methods. The rate of subscribing to 1 to 4 pharmaceutical company doctor-exclusive portals was the highest at 78.8%, and 80.4% said they use them to 'acquire academic information' and 'participate in web seminars.' However, 32.5% of doctor members responded that they 'do not frequently use' the pharmaceutical companies' doctor-exclusive portals.

Regarding the shortcomings of pharmaceutical companies' doctor-exclusive portals, respondents cited ▲lack of academic content or materials in areas of interest ▲outdated information focused on specific drugs that are no longer updated ▲lack of community activation. Desired improvements included ▲content with good readability ▲lecture replay services and summaries ▲content covering various medical departments and diseases ▲latest guidelines and precautions related to drug use.

Lee Young-do, CEO of InterMD, said, "Since COVID-19, competition in pharmaceutical companies' digital marketing has intensified, requiring a firm digital marketing strategy with clear direction and continuous communication based on it." He added, "To this end, pharmaceutical companies should consider various measures such as adopting technology-based marketing tools, advancing existing digital marketing methods, data-driven targeted marketing, and differentiated user-based content."