Ethical Issues In Pharmaceutical Marketing

7/30/2019 Ethical Issues In Pharmaceutical Marketing

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Ethical issues in Pharmaceutical Marketing

ADIL KHAN

(11-MBA-35)

under the supervision ofAJAY SHARMA(CO-PROPRIETOR)

SK Pharma (new Delhi)

Summer training presentation

on the project


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CONTENTS

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 2

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEWChapter 3

AN OVERVIEW OF PHARMACEUTICAL

INDUSTRY IN INDIA


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CONTENTS

Chapter4LITERATURE REVIEW: UNETHICAL PRACTICES IN

PHARMA INDUSTRY

Chapter 5

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Chapter 6

DATA ANALYSIS


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CONTENTS

Chapter 7

CONCLUDING DISCUSSION

Chapter8

RECOMMENDATIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF THE

STUDY

9. BIBLIOGRAPHY

10. APPENDICES


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OBJECTIVEOFSTUDY

this report we will discuss the various ethical issues

surrounding Indian Pharma industry with special focus

towards uneth ical market ing p ract ices.

We will contrast the att i tude of Patients and Docto rs

towards certain ethical dimensions.


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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research type- Descriptive

Data collected Primary data

Instrument Structured, non-disguised questionnaire

Analytical tool- SPSS software

Sample size 80 (40+40)


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Data analysis


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1. How important are following criterion for doctors

while prescribing the medicine.

Criteria RankCompany imagePercentage marginPersonal RelationSelf-evaluation of medicinal brand

Rank them from 1-4

1=Most important4=least important


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Rank Patients Doctors Combined

1 Company image Company image Company image

2 Self-evaluation of

medicinal brand

Self-evaluation of

medicinal brand

Self-evaluation of

medicinal brand

3 Percentage margin Personal Relation Personal Relation

4 Personal Relation

With M.R.s

Percentage margin Percentage margin


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2. How appropriate are the following gifts for physicians to accept?

Highly appropriate Highly Inappropriate

5 4 3 2 1

Stationary

(Pen/pad etc.)

Samples

Medical exhibition

Conference fare

Recreation tour


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Stationary Samples Medical

exhibition

conference

fare

recreation

tour

Mann-Whitney U 618.000 641.000 428.000 367.500 508.000

Wilcoxon W 1438.000 1461.000 1248.000 1187.500 1328.000

Z -1.814 -1.617 -3.667 -4.305 -3.146

Asymp. Sig.

(2-tailed)

.070 .106 .000 .000 .002

In above cases Mann-Whitney U test is performed

In first two variables that are for Stationary and Samples ,05(p> .05) hence null

hypotheses cannot be rejected.

For next three variables (Medical exhibition, conference and recreation tour) null

hypothesis is rejected (p


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Test of Hypothesis for overall view of Question no.2

H0= There is significant difference between the overall opinion of doctors

and patients for appropriateness of accepting a gift.

H1= There is no significant difference between the overall opinion of

doctors and patients for appropriateness of accepting gift.

Table 1: One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test, Q.no.2

Aggregate

1-5

N 80

Normal

Parameters(a,b)

Mean 15.81

Std. Deviation 3.019

Most Extreme

Differences

Absolute .128

Positive .081

Negative -.128

Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z 1.144

Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .146

The data distribution is found to be normal so t-test can be performed.


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Table 14: T- test, Q.no.2

If sig>.05 then equal variance assumed row will be considered

Here sig.


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3. Giving/receiving gift is close to bribery

Extremely

agree

Moderately

agree

Neither

agree

nor

disagree

Moderately-

disagree

Extremely

disagree

Mann-Whitney U 420.500Wilcoxon W 1240.500Z -3.750Asymp. Sig. (2-

tailed).000

sig.


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4. In your opinion who is/are responsible in promoting unethical marketing?

Highly responsible------------------------------------------------------ not at all responsible

5 4 3 2 1

Pharmaceutical

companies

Medical Representative

Chemists

Doctors


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Doctors Patients Doctors Patients Doctors Patients Doctors Patients

4(a ) Pharmaceutical companies 4(b) Medical Representative 4(c) Chemists 4(d) Doctors

EA 42.50% 55.00% 10.00% 27.50% 32.50% 60.00% 0 17.50%

MA 37.50% 17.50% 37.50% 25.00% 15.00% 20.00% 12.50% 35.00%

ND 7.50% 15.00% 32.50% 25.00% 17.50% 10.00% 20.00% 27.50%

MD 12.50% 12.50% 17.50% 20.00% 25.00% 10.00% 12.50% 15.00%

ED 0 0 2.50% 2.50% 10.00% 0 32.50% 5.00%

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

Ax

isTitle

Q.4 In your opinion who is/are responsible in promoting unethicalmarketing?


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ANALYSISFROM FREQUENCY TABLES

1. 72% patients believe that Pharmaceutical companies areresponsible in unethical marketing,

2. While 80% doctors also have same opinion.

3. 52 % of patients think that medical representatives indulge in

unethical marketing practices.4. On the other hand only 47.5% of doctors have the same

opinion.

5. 80% of Patients believe that Chemists are engaged inunethical marketing/selling of drugs.

6. Contrast to this only 47 % of Doctors have similar opinion.

7. 62 % patients believe that doctors are also engaged inunethical practices.

8. Doctors obviously are not agreeing to this allegation.


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Test Statistics, Q.no. 4 Pharmaceuticalcompanies

Medical

RepresentativeChemists Doctors

Mann-Whitney U 747.000 715.500 498.000 510.000Wilcoxon W 1567.000 1535.500 1318.000 1330.000Z -.550 -.842 -3.084 -2.887Asymp. Sig. (2 tailed) .582 .400 .002 .004H0 can not be rejected forfirst two variables i.e. pharmaceutical

companies and Medical representative.

We may infer that there is no significant difference opinion both doctors

and patients consider them equally responsible or in promoting unethicalpromotion of pharmaceutical products.

H0 can not be accepted in case of last two variables i.e. Chemists and

Doctors.

There is a significant difference in opinion of Doctors and Patients.


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For over all view of Question no.4 data is assumed to be interval

and test for normality is conducted

4) Who is responsible for unethical Pharma marketing? Overall viewN 80

Normal Parameters(a,b) Mean 14.41Std. Deviation 2.073

Most Extreme Differences Absolute .128Positive .104Negative -.128

Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z 1.146Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .145

Distribution is normal so we can conduct t- test on

this data.


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4) Who is responsible

for unethical Pharma

marketing?

Levene's Test for

Equality of

Variances

t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. T df Sig.

(2 tailed)

Mean

Difference

Std. Error

Difference

Equal

variances

assumed

.717 .400 5.1

50

78 .000 2.07 .403

Equal

variances not

assumed

5.1

50

75.133 .000 2.07 .403

For Levenes sig.>.05, so Equal variances assumed row will be considered.

In this row Sig. (2-tailed)


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5. It is Ok for professional bodies (MCI, DCI etc.) to endorse private brands

Extremely

agree

Moderately

agree

Neither

agree

nor

disagree

Moderately-

disagree

Extremely

disagree

Mann-Whitney U 464.000Wilcoxon W 1284.000Z -3.332Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .001

H0 can not be

accepted as there is a

significant difference

between the opinions

of Patients and

Doctors.


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ED MD ND MA EA

Patient 7.50% 20% 27.50% 32.50% 12.50%

Doctor 22.50% 35% 27.50% 15% 0

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

40.00%

Q.5 It is Ok for professional bodies (MCI, DCIetc.) to endorse private brands


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6. Doctors should write only generic name/ chemical name while prescribing

medicine.

Extremely

agree

Moderately

agree

Neither

agree

nor

disagree

Moderately-

disagree

Extremely

disagree

Mann-Whitney U 796.500Wilcoxon W 1616.500Z -.035Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .972

Here sig>.972, H0 cannot

be rejected.so we can

say there is nosignificant difference

between the opinion of

doctors and patients.


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ED MD ND MA EA

Patient % 12.50% 27.50% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00%

Doctor % 15.00% 27.50% 15.00% 5.00% 37.50%

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

40.00%

Q.6 Doctors should write only generic name/chemical name while prescribing medicine.


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7. Do you agree that pharmaceutical companies inspire you for unethical promotion of

their products?

Extremely

agree

Moderately

agree

Neither

agree

nor

disagree

Moderately-

disagree

Extremely

disagree

Mann-Whitney U

686.000

Wilcoxon W 1506.000Z -1.143

Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .253

Here sig.>.05, H0 cannot be

rejected.


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ED MD ND MA EA

Patient 0.00% 5.00% 22.50% 37.50% 35.00%

Doctor 12.50% 22.50% 7.50% 17.50% 40.00%

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%30.00%

35.00%

40.00%

45.00%

Q.7 Do you agree that pharmaceutical companiesinspire Doctors for unethical promotion of their

products?


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8. Frequent samples help you to determine quality of medicine for prescription.

Extremely

agree

Moderately

agree

Neither

agreenor

disagree

Moderately-

disagree

Extremely

disagree


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Interpretation (Question No. 8)

80% of Doctors maintains that frequent samples help in

determining the Quality of medicine for prescription.

Only 7.5 % of Doctors have opposite view.


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9. Medical representatives satisfy your queries about new promotional drug.

Extremely

agree

Moderately

agree

Neither

agree

nor

disagree

Moderately-

disagree

Extremely

disagree

9) Medical representatives satisfy your queries about


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Interpretation (Question No. 9)

55% are agree with above statement.

Only 27.5% are not agree.

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00%

ED

MD

ND

MA

EA

ED MD ND MA EA

Q.9 15.00% 12.50% 17.50% 45.00% 10.00%

9) Medical representatives satisfy your queries aboutnew promotional drug.


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10. Mostly, doctors provide samples to their patients free of cost.

Extremely

agree

Moderately

agree

Neither

agreenor

disagree

Moderately-

disagree

Extremely

disagree


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10.00%

30.00%

20.00%

30.00%

10.00%

0.00%2.50%

5.00%

60.00%

32.50%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

SD MD ND Ma EA

Patients % Doctors %Interpretation from frequency table (Question No. 10)

92.5% of Doctors says that they provide samples free of cost to

patients while only 40 % of patients are agree with this.

40% of Patients have not received any sample from any doctor or it

may be just their opinion.


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Test of Hypotheses Q.no.10

H0: There is no significant difference between the two groups about

above statement

H1: There is a significant difference between the two groups about

above statement.

SamplesMann-Whitney U 336.000Wilcoxon W 1156.000Z -4.725Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .000

We have s ig .


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RECOMMENDATION

strong legislation

supported by the norms and values of the society

strong enforcement of existing rules and regulations

Health education Consumer awareness


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RECOMMENDATION

pharmaceutical industry should also restrict itself up

to ethical marketing

Pharmaceutical companies must adopt the

concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility and

Sustainable Development.

The Sales Representative should be able to provide

accurate information, without exaggeration of the

capabilities, and be able to inform of the property


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LIMITATIONS

a case study of Aligarh region only

Small sample

Non-probability sample

Reluctantly of respondents Segregation of specialties

Other demographic segregation


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THANKS

Documents

Ethical Issues In Pharmaceutical Marketing