Indian Pharma Industry Calls For Digital Transformation: Experts
With the advent of digital technology in the medical industry ranging from the medical tests, prescriptions and record-keeping to physician’s pro role in medical practice, the experts in pharma marketing calls for the need to transform itself from traditional to digital landscape.
In India, greater numbers of pharmaceutical companies are moving away from traditional marketing, the Sun Pharma has already started adapting digital platform by launching their mobile app called RespiTrack. Similarly, Abbott Healthcare has introduced several tools like Knowledge Genie, an app for heart and liver specialists, says expert.
“To understand how the digital transformation is occurring in pharma marketing, we would need to look at both the patient’s side and healthcare professional’s side. A survey reveals that over 85 percent of patients said they were confident in their ability to take responsibility for their health and knew how to access online resources to help them do so. They feel empowered by the vast amount of health information available online and on apps,” said Atul Sharma, Founder & MD, Healthscape Consulting.
“In a digital world, the ability to engage with patients as they make such evaluations could be key to the success of a pharma industry. Likewise, for Healthcare Professionals, the latest data now suggests that over 60% of physicians are now digitally driven who routinely use digital mediums for engaging with the pharma industry,” said Sharma.
Talking about the significance and the need of embracing digital technology in marketing for better outcomes, Salil Kallianpur, Founder & MD, ARKS Knowledge Consulting, said: “Digital platforms helped consumer products to increase their market by almost 50%. Recently, Pharma marketers looked excited in employing digital marketing, but they were not able to extract maximum output.”
The emerging digital foray has tremendous potential, and digital marketing is supposed to become the core of marketing campaigns for the ‘Pharma Marketing.
“In the times when most Pharma Companies are embracing artificial intelligence and digital platforms in their processes, healthcare marketing also needs to be revamped, which is one of the biggest expenses in their P&L. If a company has not changed the traditional marketing beliefs yet, this is the right time to do so and march along with the emerging digital trends,” said Dr Harshit Jain, Founder & CEO at Doceree.
Digital Healthcare platforms also need to realise their potential and come together to provide digital healthcare marketing – the much-needed impetus. Individual preferences powered by artificial intelligence will ensure that the right information reaches the intended user” added Jain.
