How to differentiate in Branded Generic Pharmaceutical Market?

Moment a pharmaceutical product goes off patent, there is a bee line of pharmaceutical companies line up to launch off patented product in branded generic market.

Usually, it is being said that fundamental rule is that be the first 5 to launch the Brand in off patented molecule and create a niche for the brand in market. However, does this approach guarantees the success of a brand. Answer is NOT Necessarily, as there are paraphernalia which are instrumental for the success of a brand. Let us talk about those paraphernalia.

1. Availability of the brand at retail or Chemist level:

I have interviewed a number of clinicians to understand that what makes them write a particular brand. Of course, they talk about Company being Standard, Person representing that brand and behavior of the person representing that brand. However the biggest concern remains in the mind of clinician is the availability of the brand at chemist level. No clinician wants that that their patient should undergo stress of finding a particular brand to honor his or her prescription.

2. Unique Selling Propositions and Associated Benefits:

There has been a saying that Everybody thinks that Somebody will do it, but No body did it. Marketing team strategize and try to distinguish a brand in a pool of branded generics with certain Unique Selling Propositions and associated benefits with their brand. However, it has been observed that Execution of designed USPs & Benefits are not percolated deep down and distinction goes for a toss. Possible reasons are:

a) Representative may talk of USPs but not associated benefits.

b) Representative may see their brand's USPs & benefits are similar to competitors and their communication may not make a difference. Everybody thinks that somebody is already doing it and my doing will not make a difference and as a result, likeliness is no body does it.

c) Manager who are responsible of execution of communication in a defined way, are not paying heed to communication made by the representatives and they also become complacent in not making representatives to deliver desired communication.

d) Representatives may explain USPs and benefits for once or twice and consider that Clinician will remember their communication for life time, which is a myth, as Clinicians are bombarded with multiple brands on daily basis and they tend to forget the communication. That's the reason that Brand Management is about repetition of similar messages over and again to get entrenched in the mind of customers.

3. Keeping communication Apt and succinct:

Time is precious and one who values it, is valued. If representatives of Pharmaceuticals have not rehearsed their given communication in stipulated frame of time and they take longer to express themselves in given situation, customer loses interest and the brand is not registered in their mind.

4. Know your Product Well:

Clinicians know that Pharma representatives are not doctors and their expectations from a pharmaceutical representative is to know mechanism of action of their brand, approved indications, dose and dosage of the brand in different indications, possible adverse effects, contraindications, price of their product and how their brand scores over other brands available in the market. That's the reason Clinicians expect from representatives to not only have the molecule knowledge but therapy knowledge as well.

5. How do Pharmaceuticals become a partner to Clinicians in helping their patients:

Medical field is evolving every day and their have been advancements every day which need to be updated at the level of Clinicians to provide best care to their patients. Further, how a pharma company is catering to patient awareness and helping clinicians in updating their knowledge and skills to provide best care to their patients. Companies which can support clinicians in better diagnosis and quality products to improve quality of life of their patients are valued by the Clinicians.

List may include many more aspects and this may not be an end, however few factors which matter, I have tried to enlist them above and may be informative.

Let us make Branded Generic Success.