Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News

Physicians and consumers favor traditional sampling practices, even though e-sampling solutions are providing alternative channels for sample ordering and for disbursement of vouchers and coupons. And though inefficient distribution often leaves doctors with too few or too many samples, drug firms’ spending on sampling has not diminished. These findings were reported by speakers at the recent Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council’s Annual National Symposium on Patient Compliance.

“When the PDMA rules [requiring the tracking of sample distribution] went into effect in 1988, there was a lot of discussion about getting out of sampling. But industry, if anything, has increased its sampling,” reported Ronald Buzzeo, the chief regulatory officer at BuzzeoPDMA (Richmond, VA).

Conference panelists said that e-sampling is gaining momentum in supporting cost-effective sample targeting and tracking. Marketers for example, can attract physicians by bundling e-sampling with resources such as e-detailing and continuing medical education (eCME). Consumers will print out more sample vouchers as they engage online resources for healthcare information. Pharmacies can then capture voucher redemption data providing marketers with insights on sample disbursement.

Yet doctors and consumers appear to be committed to traditional methods. Doctors prefer to have samples delivered by sales reps. And sample packets handed out by physicians often influence whether patients will fill a prescription, according to survey results presented by DataMonitor (New York City).

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