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Promoting Pull Through Prescriptions via Value-Added Free Medical Practice Web Sites and Patient Education

Managing relationships with physicians is critical to successful pharmaceutical product positioning. Physicians are likely to respond to marketing and sales programs that offer them real value for their practices and their patients, as the following case study illustrates.

Product Name	The Medical Practice Web Site
Company	Challenger Corporation
Client	Major Pharmaceutical company and leading brand, an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB)
Client Need	Client desired enhancement of brand's managed care contract offering, increased awareness of brand among physicians affiliated with MCO's and establishment of an ongoing communication system with affiliated MCO physicians once brand achieved formulary status.
Solution (Product Description)	Challenger provided free specialty-specific medical practice sites to a targeted list of OB/GYN's, with patient education booklets and information from the agency on hypertension. Using direct mail, Roska Direct, our partner agency in the program, contacted 35,000 IM, Cardiology, and Family Practice physicians with the offer of a free Web site and printed patient education booklets. Web site and patient education booklets positively impacted physician and consumer market. The approach was segmented according to (a) MCO plans on formulary, and (b) by the amount of ARB's written. Challenger processed the written registration forms, email responses and calls to create for each respondent a specialty specific website and related practice marketing materials. Challenger provided Pharmaceutical company sales reps with training on the value of specialty specific Web site and related practice marketing materials. Sales reps promoted the site offer to physicians directing them to sign up for a site.
Results	363 physicians responded wanting to receive a free specific Web site. The program improved physician loyalty by providing real value, provided product differentiation, and increased pull-through.
Comments	"We demonstrated we could collaborate effectively with the client's primary agency to fulfill detailed promotional and backend services to targeted physician audiences. The agency confirmed a measurable percentage growth in allegiant physician behavior and high client satisfaction with our performance." -- Bob Sweeney, Ph.D., M.S., CEO and President, Challenger Corporation