Changes in the NHS have had the greatest impact in the pharma market over the last year
Pharmaceutical companies must become more strategic to capitalise on new
New research from Health Direction, the NHS business intelligence specialists, has revealed that changes in how the NHS operates have had the most impact in the pharmaceutical market over the past year, according to 81% of pharmaceutical industry professionals at director-level and above.
The research has also shown that almost half of those surveyed (45%) see the opportunity to build relationships with new sectors of the NHS as the single greatest opportunity for the pharmaceutical industry in terms of engaging commercially with the NHS over the next two to three years, provided they employ the correct approach and liaison methods. 27% of respondents are also hoping to become more 'sophisticated' in terms of engaging commercially with the NHS over the next two to three years.
Duncan Alexander, managing director of Health Direction, said: "We conducted this research to find out how the important players in the pharmaceutical industry are looking to engage with the NHS in a time which has seen unprecedented levels of change in terms of the way the NHS operates and purchases.
"The pharmaceutical industry has, until relatively recently, been straightforward in its approach to the NHS, tending to treat the organisation as a single purchaser. However, as the NHS Plan with its key doctrine to "Re-Shape Care around the Patient"(1) is implemented, along with the NHS Improvement Plan with its emphasis on "Choice"(2), a complex set of networks and decision-makers are evolving as the NHS makes better use of the skills and dedication of an expanding workforce of clinical and non-clinical health professionals."
Significant other findings include: - 55% see the new Pharmacy Contract as 'very important' to the way their organisation will approach the NHS - another 40% see it as 'important'; - 33% have hired more sales representatives as a result of changes in the NHS - a further 48% have devoted resource to hiring more healthcare development or NHS Liaison Managers for this reason; - While 50% of those surveyed think that the NHS has become 'more commercial' in terms of its buying patterns, a further 30% perceive the NHS as 'less flexible' in its buying patterns; - Nearly a fifth (19%) argued that the new NHS doctrine of 'Choice' would make no difference whatsoever to the way their organisations markets its products and services; - 10% of those surveyed thought that loss of confidence in the industry had had the most impact, while just 5% thought that the failure of high-profile drugs was the biggest issue.
Duncan Alexander, concluded: "What our study suggests is that, while pharma professionals clearly recognise the evolving nature of the NHS, many of them have some way to go in terms of identifying the best approach to engage with the NHS in a targeted and structured way. 47% of those we spoke to did not have a dedicated business intelligence strategy for dealing with the NHS. We'd suggest that that is a situation which needs to change if the industry is to maximise its opportunities to support the NHS in its future development."
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