Forecast of changes in the behavior of consumers of defunded drugs for minor ailments

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4 out of 10 consumers of OTC drugs, who previously went to the doctor only to obtain the Social Security prescription, affirm that, after definancing, they will go directly to buy them at the pharmacy (without first visiting the Social Security doctor).

Following the latest Royal Decrees applied in the Pharmaceutical Industry, and specifically focusing on RD16/2012 in which 426 commonly used drugs for 18 mild ailments have been excluded from public financing, the attitude of consumers/patients of these drugs has been modified.

According to several market studies carried out by the market research consultancy Hamilton Intelligence, between 40% and 50% of patients who previously visited their Social Security doctor to obtain a prescription for a reimbursed treatment they declare that, after the new situation of definancing, They will go directly to the pharmacy to buy the drug and will stop going to the doctor to get the prescription.

The situation has changed. The first reactions are more than visible:

First of all, the patientHe begins to abandon the habit of going to the social security doctor to obtain a prescription and makes his own decisions regarding the treatment he is going to buy.

According to studies conducted by Hamilton Intelligence, approximately 6 out of 10 consumers who declare that they will go directly to the pharmacy state that they will ask for the specific drug they usually use and practically the remaining 40% will request the pharmacist's recommendation. The importance that these two players take on is notable: consumer and pharmacist.

So, secondly, the pharmacist acquires a growing role in the recommendation and final purchase of the treatment, having the possibility of offering other alternatives to the buyer and becoming a real health advisor.

And, this situation not only occurs for OTC products but, in general, in a much broader market that is consumer health care or Consumer Health which includes 4 large categories: Personal Care (oral hygiene and dermocosmetics), Patient Care (incontinence and sanitary accessories and others), Nutrition (diet, enteral and infant) and OTC (consumer, semiethical and advertising medications). The pharmacist usually has a greater interest in these categories since they allow him to deposit the entire amount and do not report deductions or delays in collections (from Social Security prescriptions).

And finally, the Social Security sees how the influx in Primary Care Centers could be reduced in those cases where the patient came only to request the treatment prescription. This is basically due to two reasons: definancing and, specifically for the Community of Madrid and Catalonia, the establishment of the euro per prescription, which for some treatments is no longer profitable for the prescription.

Logically, this reduction in visits to the Primary Care Center will not occur in those patients who must also go for controls, follow-ups, first visits or medical consultations.

Faced with this new market situation, pharmaceutical laboratories are refocusing their commercial strategies to cover with guarantees the three universes involved (patient, pharmacist and doctor).

The new role of the patient and the pharmacist as active decision-makers:

Taking into account the new role of the patient and the pharmacist, the analysis of What variables are actionable by the marketing departments of the laboratories to increase sales.

In this sense, two fundamental axes become relevant: communication and price.

lCommunication for the consumer: providing the product with valuable attributes

Until the moment of definancing, drug communication was designed, created and focused on the medical target. For them, technical communication was worked on, based mainly on attributes rational(active ingredient, indication, side effects, dosage, etc.).

After the new situation, communication aimed at the target consumer must be created. For this communication, laboratories must be able to detect the benefits of their product in attributes emotional that allow the consumer to perceive added value and mobilize it towards the purchase and use of it. It's time to generate emotionslinked to the product (for example, linking messages to elements such as: if you take this drug you will feel better and you will be able to enjoy your children more...).

We must get to know the longed for 'insight': the in-depth understanding of the real, latent, unconscious or unmentionable needs of the consumer.

Communication for the pharmacy: sales support

In the same way, the role of the pharmacy takes on greater relevance. The Pharmacy office It is a hot spot where more than 2,000,000 people enter every day and where it is very interesting to invest resources to increase product rotation and turn it into a link between the laboratory and the final consumer. It is important provide resources to the pharmacist for his daily activity and for his pharmacy office. Some laboratories have created websites where they post training courses, advice for pharmacy care, news of interest and many other uses. In addition, they invest in advertising at the point of sale to assist the pharmacist in their recommendation and sales process. The advisory role of the pharmacist is becoming more important every day and the marketing budgets of laboratories are becoming aware of this. It should be remembered that the 40% of consumers who will go directly to the pharmacy without going through the doctor, declare that, once there, they will ask for advice to pharmacist.

The price: optimization of products, prices and formats

And, regarding the price variable, laboratories have until now had a price and format very limited by the pharmaceutical sector.

After the new situation, it is necessarydetermine at what price or in what format to market the product. As is already more than known, neither the purchaser nor the pharmacist makes decisions based exclusively on one factor but rather, before making a decision, they analyze the combination of possible product characteristics (brand, price, format, packaging, number of units, pharmacy margin, etc.). So it is really important to know the consumer (and the pharmacist) and know how they decide and why they would be willing to pay/recommend more and why less.

There are advanced market analysis techniques that allow us to reproduce these complex decisions from simulation models. Through their results, laboratories are able to optimize the characteristics of their products and their price and offer products tailored to the needs of consumers.

Only if the consumer is able to identify a benefit when you use the productwill continue to use it over time, will be willing to buy it and will be loyal to our brand, despite the definancing, co-payment or other healthcare cutback measures that are to come. Likewise with the pharmacist, we must be able to motivate you beyond the usual commercial policies in the pharmacy so that we ensure that our product is in your top of mind and you are willing to recommend it in your daily life.