Correspondence: Doroteya Naboko, Department of Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University, 2 Dunav str., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria. Tel: +359 2 8134 445; Fax: +359 2 936 02 89; E-mail: teja_n@abv.bg

¹is a Master of Pharmacy and a PhD student at the Social Pharmacy Department of the Pharmaceutical Faculty, Medical University, Sofia, Bulgaria. She worked previously in pharmaceutical company for more than five years as a specialist in the Marketing Department. Her interests are in the field of pharmaceutical marketing and management, strategic marketing, marketing mix methods, drug promotion strategies, advertising and merchandising.

²holds a Master of Pharmacy and PhD, and is Assistant Professor at the Department of Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University, Sofia, Bulgaria. Her main interests cover pharmaceutical care pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics and pharmaceutical marketing and management.

³is Professor and Head of the Department of Social Pharmacy at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University, Sofia, Bulgaria. She has published in national and international journals in the fields of pharmaceutical marketing and management, pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, legislation and social pharmacy.

Received 2 April 2007; Revised 2 April 2007.

Abstract

Although a wide variety of anti-smoking drugs have been registered on the pharmaceutical market, smoking continues to show high prevalence with most smokers being nicotine-dependent, which can lead to the necessity of pharmacological treatment. The existence of a legislative basis for smoking control and limitation of its harmful effects is a necessary but still insufficient prerequisite. In the present paper, different marketing approaches (legislation changes, Rx-to-OTC switching strategy, promotion campaigns and price alterations) as a complex corporative strategy for stimulating the sales of a specific product have been examined. Documentary and comparative analysis were carried out. The results show that synchronisation of advertising measures with the other marketing approaches leads to an increase in sales and are of utmost importance.