TY - JOUR

T1 - Promotional methods used by representatives of drug companies

T2 - A prospective survey in general practice

AU - Schramm, Jesper

AU - Andersen, Morten

AU - Vach, Kirstin

AU - Kragstrup, Jakob

AU - Kampmann, Jens Peter

AU - Søndergaard, Jens

N1 - Funding Information: The study was funded by a grant from the Institute for Rational Pharmacotherapy, the Danish Medicines Agency and the Foundation for Education and Quality Development. Conflict of interests: None.

PY - 2007

Y1 - 2007

N2 - Objective. To examine the extent and composition of pharmaceutical industry representatives' marketing techniques with a particular focus on drug sampling in relation to drug age. Design. A group of 47 GPs prospectively collected data on drug promotional activities during a six-month period, and a sub-sample of 10 GPs furthermore recorded the representatives' marketing techniques in detail. Setting. Primary healthcare. Subjects. General practitioners in the County of Funen, Denmark. Main outcome measures. Promotional visits and corresponding marketing techniques. Results. The 47 GPs recorded 1050 visits corresponding to a median of 19 (range 3 to 63) per GP in the six months. The majority of drugs promoted (52%) were marketed more than five years ago. There was a statistically significant decline in the proportion of visits where drug samples were offered with drug age, but the decline was small OR 0.97 (95% CI 0.95;0.98) per year. Leaflets (68%), suggestions on how to improve therapy for a specific patient registered with the practice (53%), drug samples (48%), and gifts (36%) were the most frequently used marketing techniques. Conclusion. Drug-industry representatives use a variety of promotional methods. The tendency to hand out drug samples was statistically significantly associated with drug age, but the decline was small.

AB - Objective. To examine the extent and composition of pharmaceutical industry representatives' marketing techniques with a particular focus on drug sampling in relation to drug age. Design. A group of 47 GPs prospectively collected data on drug promotional activities during a six-month period, and a sub-sample of 10 GPs furthermore recorded the representatives' marketing techniques in detail. Setting. Primary healthcare. Subjects. General practitioners in the County of Funen, Denmark. Main outcome measures. Promotional visits and corresponding marketing techniques. Results. The 47 GPs recorded 1050 visits corresponding to a median of 19 (range 3 to 63) per GP in the six months. The majority of drugs promoted (52%) were marketed more than five years ago. There was a statistically significant decline in the proportion of visits where drug samples were offered with drug age, but the decline was small OR 0.97 (95% CI 0.95;0.98) per year. Leaflets (68%), suggestions on how to improve therapy for a specific patient registered with the practice (53%), drug samples (48%), and gifts (36%) were the most frequently used marketing techniques. Conclusion. Drug-industry representatives use a variety of promotional methods. The tendency to hand out drug samples was statistically significantly associated with drug age, but the decline was small.

KW - Advertising

KW - Drug industry

KW - Drug information services

KW - Family practice

KW - Physicians' practice patterns

KW - Prescriptions

KW - Primary healthcare

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34248551217&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/02813430701339659

DO - 10.1080/02813430701339659

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 17497486

AN - SCOPUS:34248551217

VL - 25

SP - 93

EP - 97

JO - Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care

JF - Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care

SN - 0281-3432

IS - 2

ER -