Healthy Skepticism Library item: 9144

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Lipson DP, Basara LA.
Community pharmacists' perceptions of the pharmaceutical industry: drug company image study
Journal of Pharmaceutical Marketing Management 1996; 11:(1):43-59

Abstract:

To collect data regarding the nature of community pharmacists’ reactions to the vertical integration strategies employed by pharmaceutical companies, a mail survey was conducted of 165 pharmacists in 1994, 104 (63%) of whom responded. The pharmacists’ actions taken in response to companies’ practices included switching a prescription from one company to another (67.3%), informing physicians and patients of company activities, sending written protests to companies (35.9%), and urging local pharmacists and national pharmacy associations to take action (26 and 23.1%); the best and worst pharmaceutical companies were also identified. It was concluded that vertical integration strategies by pharmaceutical companies angered a significant number of respondents and that pharmacists preferred economic retaliation to simple protest.