L2L Group

The recent landmark passage of health care reform legislation in the United States surely represents one of the most significant milestones in the global health industry and will certainly drive changes that will be far-reaching for all pharmaceutical companies and their marketing operations. The common marketing landscape has been changing in recent years, in part in response to the lengthy worldwide recession and this has provided notable challenges for every pharmaceutical company and supporting consultant organisation. Traditional methods of operation simply do not work anymore and organisations have been forced to become more consumer-centric and strategically positioned in order for their voices to be heard in the marketplace.

The United States legislation could be viewed, on the one hand, as being a potential boon for pharmaceutical companies, as upwards of 30 million people could be expected to be brought into the insurance coverage arena, with consequent potential for enhanced sales. However, the very makeup of the market will significantly change in the US and as health insurance companies will have to adhere to a whole new raft of legislation, standards and procedures, budgets may be challenged. In short, the composition of the redesigned market is yet to be ascertained.

With such a large number of potential end-users entering the marketplace, new methods of information dissemination will undoubtedly take hold. As the digital communication age continues to mature, pharmaceutical marketing methods may increasingly rely on online programs and channels, as health care providers also turn to these channels to solicit clients and to communicate with a patient.

As information is disseminated online, consumers may in increasing numbers be driven by social media and word of mouth stimuli and healthcare providers may find that they have to rework their positions, as those who recommend products to the final marketplace. Pharmaceutical sales training techniques and approaches will need to be modified, so that the company's message is not diluted or delivered in an inefficient manner, within this new communications framework.

It’s likely that there will be a shift towards prevention and health awareness and that more funds will be allocated from a global perspective towards this facet of education and the dissemination of products and services accordingly. The pharmaceutical company must revisit its position and understand how important it is to be seen as an educator and as a good role model when it comes to preventative and good health care practices. Furthermore, it still remains to be seen how a restructured healthcare market will take into account the revision of funding sources, as a shift is made within insurance markets and as new consumers enter the picture. Key account management training will be even more important as these accounts are redefined in the new era and pharma training repurposes itself.

In short, as the entire United States healthcare industry is reinvented and restructured, changes may be expected in the way that pharmaceutical marketing is conducted, in all markets. The entire business continues to be very dynamic as the world's economies emerge from recession and as new communications methods demand different approaches to marketing, to commute to bring the appropriate message to the right ear.