says Byrd. “Many of these advertisements
will feature special offers such as drug discounts or other incentives to act.”
As with other online businesses,
eDrugSearch.com owes much of its success
to the convenience and price break factor
of Internet retail. Selling online empowers a consumer to “shop around” for the
lowest prices and forces pharmacies to
compete.
builds trust between the hospital workers
and the company — and the patient and
the doctor — but it also reduces mistakes.
For example, one of Sagent’s big
marketing points is its distinctly different
labeling so that when injectables with
similar names are sitting on a storeroom
shelf, a nurse can easily tell them apart.
Simplifying the pharmaceutical proc-
ess for medical professionals and patients
alike is also important at Diplomat Pharmacy, an online retailer that specializes
in medication regimens for patients with
chronic illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease and HIV/AIDS.
“At a time when boutique specialty
pharmacies are merging with larger com-
CONTINUED >
Specialty Pharmacies
An important emerging area in drug
distribution is the specialty pharmacy.
These niche pharmaceutical companies
are competing quite successfully with the
larger businesses, and a lot of that is due
to the success of DR marketing.
“Since specialty pharmacies typically
deliver the prescription to the patient’s
home, the opportunity for distribution of
mail and promotional literature is available at minimal cost, again providing an
entry for retention and loyalty efforts,”
says Bennett Walbert.
Being a unique drug in the market
place is a marketing advantage for Relistor and for many other small biotech
manufacturers competing with the big
pharmaceutical companies. In 2006, $54
billion was spent on specialty medications
and by 2010, that number is projected to
be $99 billion.
Another specialty pharmaceutical
company is Sagent Pharmaceuticals Inc.,
a Schaumburg, Ill.-based research and development business that opened in 2006
and has already launched four products.
Sagent focuses on injectables, and has
five new products in the pipeline for 2008
— and predicts 30 more for 2009.
So how does a smaller company like
Sagent compete? Joe Mase, director of
marketing, says it has to do with a unique
product, more attention to customer satisfaction, the use of outsourcers — Sagent
develops the drugs but they are manufactured at several partner sites — and a
tailored advertising message.
“Our call to action — through print,
mail, sales rep — is how to improve safety
and reduce costs,” says Mase. Pushing Sa-
gent’s injectables as safe products not only
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