US pharmaceutical companies spend more than $4 billion each year on drug detailing, distribution and sample management, according to a report, “Pharmaceutical Sales Management: Conquering the New Marketplace,” available at http://www.PharmaSalesManagement.com, from business intelligence firm Cutting Edge Information.

The average sales rep spends close to one-quarter of her time completing paperwork.  Cutting Edge Information found that e-health tools are the easiest way to decrease spending and time lost to paperwork. “Today’s technology makes it much simpler for pharmaceutical sales reps to spend their time on improving sales techniques rather than wasting time on paperwork,” said Eric Bolesh, lead analyst at Cutting Edge Information for the report.

“Pharmaceutical Sales Management: Conquering the New Marketplace” (http://www.PharmaSalesManagement.com) analyzes leading companies’ strategies for saving time and money during reps’ calls, in addition to the ways that technology can help them communicate faster and more effectively.

Cybercitizen Health predicts that, by 2005, there will be 120 million e-health tool users.  Many pharmaceutical companies have launched full-scale e-detailing programs in an attempt to provide physicians with around-the-clock medical information.  E-detailing efforts have saved some companies more than $5 million, according to “Pharmaceutical Sales Management: Conquering the New Marketplace” (http://www.PharmaSalesManagement.com).

Compiled from surveys and interviews with sales executives at many of the world’s top drug companies, including Pfizer, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis and AstraZeneca, the report includes more than 250 metrics including:

* Total sales force, primary care and specialty sales force budgets

* Total sales force, primary care and specialty division headcounts

* European sales budgets

* US and European primary care and specialty sales rep and district manager headcounts

* Initial and ongoing sales rep training timelines

* Territory alignments and product prioritization and weighting strategies

* District manager and sales rep compensation

“E-detailing will never replace traditional sales calls.  However, successful technology implementation can complement existing sales efforts nicely,” said Bolesh.  “Companies that support their sales reps with new technology will improve sales effectiveness and provide physicians more effective medical benefits.”

To download the online summary of this 159-page report, visit http://www.PharmaSalesManagement.com . For more information on this report or to learn about other research being conducted by Cutting Edge Information, contact Jan Blanchette at jan_blanchette@cuttingedgeinfo.com or 919-433-0218.

 
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