Correspondence: Stephen Griffiths, UK Business Unit, Norgine Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Chaplin House, Widewater Place, Moorhall Road, Harefield, Middlesex UB9 6NS, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1895 826649; Fax: +44 (0) 1895 825865; e-mail: SGriffiths@norgine.com

¹graduated from Plymouth University in 1998 with a BSc in Fisheries Sciences. Appointment as a medical sales representative within Celltech Medeva introduced the author to the challenging environment of pharmaceutical sales and marketing in 1999. His interest in marketing soon developed in 2001 as he moved into a junior marketing role within the French International Dermatology company, Galderma. Studying both with the CIM and later completion of his Masters in Marketing at Hertfordshire University enhanced his career with a promotion to Senior Brand Manager. Stephen's academic pathway continued to develop with an offer to study full time at Portsmouth University for a PhD. As a continuation of his study topic at masters level, he began to explore the existence of brands and brand equity within the pharmaceutical arena. As a continuing area of interest, he reflects both on his professional role within Norgine Pharmaceuticals and the continuation of his academic research at Portsmouth.

Received 18 August 2007; Revised 18 August 2007.

Abstract

The UK pharmaceutical industry has witnessed many changes in the last ten years, adapting to new government regulations, price competition and parallel import from Europe. Many theorists in the mid-1990s forecasted the end of sales forces and direct marketing techniques in favour of small divisions focussing on specific Primary Care Trusts. Two quantitative and two qualitative arms to the research were used. In the GP quantitative surveys, a statistical preference towards the use of medical sales representatives and advertising was found. Brand loyalty was revealed as a reason for prescribing more expensive branded medicines over cheaper generic alternatives. Advertising was found to influence GP prescribing in addition to direct selling techniques. The majority of pharmaceutical companies have restructured or currently undergoing the process to make the field force teams more effective. This paper has uncovered the existence of brand loyalty among healthcare professionals and investigated the marketing methods commonly used to communicate these brand messages. The paper has uncovered a significant level of change and uncertainty over the last ten years but clearly identifies the effectiveness of traditional direct marketing techniques and predicts the rapid expansion of direct to consumer marketing to secure the future many pharmaceutical brands.