Healthy Skepticism Library item: 17942

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: Electronic Source

Silverman E
One More Way To Minimize The Sales Rep?
Pharmalot 2010 Jun 7
http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/06/one-more-way-to-minimize-the-sales-rep/

Full text:

This may be a way to bypass the sales rep. Pfizer has, apparently, become the first big drugmaker to offer a phone app on iPhones and other mobile devices that is being promoted to physicians. The goal is to encourage docs to send questions directly to the drugmaker or, more specifically, medical liasions. Presumably, adverse events could also be reported this way.
To make this happen, Pfizer struck a deal with Epocrates, which offers doctors access to medical info online and on mobile devices. The “Contact Pfizer” feature is now available in the Epocrates drug profiles of around 40 Pfizer meds and, soon enough, docs will be able to e-mail Pfizer to ask about various drugs. The companies cite a recent poll showing 64 percent of docs own a smart phone and that will rise to 81 percent in two years. Of course, this is no substitute for free samples, but all sorts of info can be pushed through these devices, so why spend face time with a rep?