Drug makers go the digital way, arm medical representatives with apps and tablets

Mobile apps and iPads are the new tools of medical representatives as pharmaceutical companies in India are taking the digital route for product promotion.

"It is crucial to customise scientific knowledge and digital is a great medium to do it. At Sanofi our medical representatives carry iPads which helps them in product detailing. We are also toying with the idea of developing a messaging application which will give doctors the flexibility and convenience to seek a meeting with company medical representative," said Shailesh Ayyangar, managing director of Sanofi India.

Digital platforms are making it simpler for the drug companies to communicate with doctors. Digitisation has also cut down the need for medical representatives to carry bulky visual aids and has reduced printing and shipping costs for the companies. Also updating information is also easy and happens real time with updating of app software.

"As a consumer healthcare company, Abbott, over the past few years, has built a digital ecosystem for doctor and consumer education comprising mobile apps and technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality, over ten therapy areas - including heart health, liver health, vertigo management, thyroid, women's health. ," said Sudarshan Jain, managing director, Abbott Healthcare Solutions. Abbott has also created web based and app based respository for scientific education for doctors called the Knowledge Genie.

"GSK Pharma has invested about Rs 10 crore in India for its digital platforms. Our design centre in Hyderabad is developing our platforms," said company's India unit managing director A Vaideesh. Apart from giving its 3,000 representatives iPads, GSK Pharma has developed a cloud based application which enables direct communication between doctors and the company's medical department and has also hired 20 doctors to respond to medical and clinical related questions from doctors.

"The role of medical representatives will not diminish but their skill sets will have to undergo changes. Domestic pharmaceutical industry is growing at 13-14 per cent rate and about half of them is in form of volume growth. Companies will need representatives in order to grow their sales footprint," Ayyangar added.

For instance Last year Lupin hired 1,000 sales representatives in FY 16 and created five new product divisions to cater to high growth therapies.