MedReps are sceptical about the opportunities of digital drug marketing

34% of the interviewed representatives work at original and 52% work at generic pharmaceutical manufacturers. Most of them visit both GPs and specialists, as well as pharmacists.

Performance expectations appear to increase

The survey highlighted that the ideal number of daily visits has not changed since 2012, they find 8 visits per day to be realistic on average. However, the number of daily visits expected by the management is 13 this year, which is a significant increase compared to 2012 (10 visits per day). As a result, MedReps clearly perceive the performance expectations of the management and the increasing pressure.

Although the income opportunities are rated to be very favourable in this sector, it can be perceived that even MedReps themselves are somewhat uncertain about their profession; therefore, it may be a critical HR aspect in the future to establish and strengthen the sense of safety at the workplace.

MedReps have lesser trust in the efficiency of alternative communication channels

51% of the interviewed MedReps use tablets during their visits, while the management plans to introduce this tool according to a further 26% of survey participants. Original manufacturers are somewhat more active from this aspect. Although the use of this new visual deviceincreased rather dynamically (by around 20%) in two years, no change can be perceived in the evaluation of the necessity and usefulness of tablet-assisted MedRep visits.

Furthermore, it is important to note that drug marketing tools based usingnew technologies used by an increasing number of companies are less known to Hungarian MedReps. Only 1 in 10 MedReps was able to mention specific solutions, the majority have only vague awareness of these.

Overall, 84% of MedReps consider alternative communication solutions to be supplementary tools of their work and 16% find them to be substitute solutions. Therefore, the general perception in 2012 (i.e. the purpose of these tools is to substitute MedRep activities) is starting to become less predominant.

Nearly 30% of MedReps cannot judge how commited the sales-marketing managers working at their companies are to the use of alternative communication. While the majority of respondents think that their superiors believe in the efficiency of these solutions, only 11% think that even the management is sceptical about the usability of such tools. However, the situation is completely different if MedReps are asked about their personal opinions; 39% (!) consider alternative solutions to be ineffective. It is especially important that the proportion of such opinions is 25% among those who use these tools on regular basis, while it is 45% among MedReps with no such experience.

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