Pharmaceutical companies urged to utilize digital channels for business growth

Stakeholders of the healthcare sector urged pharmaceutical companies to adopt digital channels for effective marketing strategy and business development at the panel discussion on Pharmaceutical Marketing 21st hosted by the Health Asia International Exhibition and Conferences on Friday.

They termed digitalization mandatory in pharmaceutical marketing and distribution systems; hence, pharmaceutical companies should build the capacities of their market and sales departments to unleash their maximum potential.

Health and digital expert Dr Zakiuddin Ahmed said Pakistan’s physician community needs a dedicated virtual platform similar to doctors in other countries to leverage interaction with pharmaceutical companies to improve healthcare standards in the country. Trust and empathy are essential traits in the practice of pharmaceutical marketing; hence, companies should engage physicians to build trust, he added.

He further said that pharmaceutical companies should set up a digital marketing department and focus on capacity building for their employees in the marketing, sales, and distribution departments.

Raheel Siddiqui, Director Marketing and Sales Getz Pharma, said the digital channels are the extended arms of marketing, improving communications between all stakeholders on ethical standards. Digital marketing also provides sales analysis of different products and geographies, helping companies understand the demand curve of a particular product.

Prof Dr Asima Faisal, Director at Dow University of Health Science (DUHS), said social media is the best platform to create awareness of diseases among the masses and a communication channel for prescribing medicines and treatments.

She added that social media is an effective channel to create a demand for treatment and medicine, as can be seen in the growing trend of hair implant treatment among men, which was not common in the past.