The Evolution of Big Pharma’s Image

Big pharma has long had a poor reputation with patients and doctors alike. The average American likely holds negative opinions of the pharmaceutical industry because it’s an easy target for demonization by news sources. Among the complaints against Big Pharma is that their marketing practices toward doctors and consumers are often considered to be excessive. These tactics, however, may be changing.

An article in the Wall Street Journal reports that the swarms of pharmaceutical salespeople harassing doctors may be dying down. Instead of repeatedly pressuring doctors into prescribing specific branded medications, the drug sales reps let the doctors express themselves. And in place of assessing sales staff on how many prescriptions are being written, one drug company has turned to asking the doctors to rate their experience with the sales staff—higher rating, higher pay. This strategy has been a boon for the drug rep mentioned in the article as her sales have increased since the change.

A semi-related article on the resignation of the CEO of WebMD cites the reduction in pharmaceutical advertising as a cause of the dip in WebMD’s revenue compared to the previous year. Taken altogether, this paints a picture that the pharmaceutical industry is reining in advertising expenses, which just may help Big Pharma lose its portrayal as a shark preying on innocent doctors and consumers.

It’s a smart move if the pharmaceutical industry wants to gain the trust of doctors and consumers, which, in turn, will lead to increased sales. With the industry caught at an impasse due to the loss of revenue from generic competition, it can’t afford not to evolve its image. In the end, whether they appear to be the good guys or the bad guys, Big Pharma companies provide big innovations to improve the lives of millions of people.