www.fdanews.com/articles/149927-pharma-blog-watch
Pharma Blog Watch
October 3, 2012
Drugmakers and Coupons (World of DTC Marketing blog)
“In the past few years, coupons and discount cards have become nearly ubiquitous for prescription drugs,” blogger Rich Meyer writes. Currently, there are 395 medications that offer such incentives. A similar analysis in 2009 showed only 86 medications with any incentive. “What can drug marketers do?” Meyer asks. “First they need to conduct studies that clearly show that patients who get branded drugs are more compliant and thus reduce long term healthcare costs.” Drugmakers are proving to insurers patients prefer branded drugs to generics, but “in the end it’s not about insurers, it’s about what patients want and that’s the bottom line,” Meyer adds.
“In the past few years, coupons and discount cards have become nearly ubiquitous for prescription drugs,” blogger Rich Meyer writes. Currently, there are 395 medications that offer such incentives. A similar analysis in 2009 showed only 86 medications with any incentive. “What can drug marketers do?” Meyer asks. “First they need to conduct studies that clearly show that patients who get branded drugs are more compliant and thus reduce long term healthcare costs.” Drugmakers are proving to insurers patients prefer branded drugs to generics, but “in the end it’s not about insurers, it’s about what patients want and that’s the bottom line,” Meyer adds.