If pharmaceutical sales representatives provided unbiased information about the drugs they are selling online, known as e-detailing, doctors would spend more time looking at the information than they would in a face-to-face consultation, according to a survey by doctors.net.uk.
The poll revealed that doctors only spend an average of two minutes per sales call per product, whereas using e-detailing the time taken by clinicians considering each product rises to 7.5 minutes. Furthermore, providing information online can give better value for money than only offering sales visits.
The doctors-only portal says there is growing evidence of a "critical disconnect" between pharmaceutical companies and doctors, and that the length of visits mean that reps can only promote the more expensive drugs.
Erik Jan Scholten, commercial manager for doctors.net.uk, said that "online provision of information, which includes links to health service guidelines, product benchmarks and prescribing comparisons not only eases the information gathering for doctors but also paves the way for reps to undertake a full selling visit.
"Time can be spent addressing specific competitive, product and prescribing issues, rather than simply providing information on a new product."
Scholten stressed, however, that providing information online shouldn’t be used as a replacement for sales calls. "Doctors still require the face-to-face interaction. But by combining that information with the sales rep within an integrated multi-channel strategy, pharma companies can lead a doctor faster along the path of product trial and additions to standard therapies."
According to the survey, the number of doctors who see a pharmaceutical sales rep face-to-face every week has decreased by over 30%, and at each visit only 2.1 products are promoted. Each visit only lasts for five minutes.
Instead of continually increasing the number of sales representatives, pharmaceutical companies should be concentrating on developing relationships of trust with doctors by making comparison information more freely available, and to "utilise its sales force more effectively".