Merck Pharmaceuticals has again been confirmed as one of the UK’s top employers, following the publication of Pf’s Company Perception, Motivation and Satisfaction Survey for 2005.

Conferences

Tim, our representative speaking ‘from the field’, gives his light-hearted angle on the day-to-day issues faced by medical sales professionals.

MOST OF YOU will have been to some sort of company conference this year. It probably involved a few nights sleeping in a box with a bed and a TV in it, in either a hotel near an airport in this country or a hotel abroad ludicrously far from one.

I apologise in advance, but I am about to debunk a popular myth. Going abroad for a conference is not fun, and that’s an end to it. It requires a day travelling there and a day travelling back that could be spent doing something far more productive and enjoyable, like admin or watching paint dry. You see nothing of the country you visit except for one free afternoon, which is usually spent in the local bars, and an organised evening in a restaurant away from the hotel. So much time is spent indoors that it is not until you get home that you remember how great daylight is.

Please don’t think of me as the Grinch who stole conference. I love these annual gettogethers. Each one reduces the cost per event ratio of my dinner suit. And I don’t have to cook or buy food and drink for a few days. Or make the bed.

And it’s not all about saving money and laziness. It is also a chance to meet up with friends made on training courses or at other meetings, a chance to network and make new friends, a chance to let someone else look after the kids and, for some, a chance to wear fancy dress to work.

Medical reps need self-confidence, but to go to a conference dressed as Elvis, a hula girl or a member of the opposite sex in front of your work colleagues shows a lack of inhibition that would make the Village People blush. But we need these delegates: they add a bit of colour to the drab hotel interior. I appreciate their presence immensely. I do, however, refrain from joining in myself. My feelings on this are the same as on many other things in life: I love to watch, just don’t make me do it.

But to go back to my previous point, and I am sorry to bang on about this, everything that makes a conference good can be done in the UK. So I appeal to my conference organisers: give us reps a treat this year – send us to Heathrow. Unless you were thinking of Japan. I’ve always wanted to go there.

The ABPI’s annual report for 2005 shows an industry high on innovation but low on reputation. Clearly the traditional representative has a major role to play in improving public health.

The report highlights access to medicines and informed patients as dominant themes for all stakeholders in the NHS in 2006. These issues, it,says, underline the value of innovation in the UK sector. “Quite rightly, patients have been demanding access to potentially life-saving and life-enhancing medicines. They have even taken their demands to the High Court,” says Vincent Lawton, President, ABPI. “But beyond the issues of access to medicines, this issue has also raised two positive themes: it speaks volumes about the value of medicines and the cutting edge research work that the industry does, and it is a salutary reminder of the value and importance of involved, and informed, patients.” Putting the message across The industry’s reputation remains a major focus for the ABPI – yet, while independent research shows that the majority of the public have a positive view of the pharmaceutical industry, critics repeatedly question its integrity and trustworthiness. To this end, Dr Barker urges the sector to demonstrate its value through communication and innovation. “We must engage in media discussion openly and robustly, and we must pursue our goal of bringing new medicines to patients with pride and determination,” he said. The issue of communication is central to the role of the medical representative, who remains a significant weapon in the armoury of drug companies to deliver information to the medical profession. In its analysis of 2005, the ABPI was critical of aspects of the House of Commons Health Select Committee Report – some proposals from which, it said, risked “artificially limiting” the ability of doctors to receive information about medicines. The ABPI Review cited three claims from the HSC report which, it said, were “fundamental misconceptions” whose inaccuracy called into question measures intended to restrict doctors’ freedom to prescribe and companies’ ability to provide information to the medical profession.

“Modern and innovative medicines are part of the solution to the NHS’s funding situation, and not part of the problem.” Vincent Lawton, President ABPI It countered HSC claims that the UK’s consumption of drugs is “vast and increasing” by pointing out that the UK remains bottom of the European league in spending per head on medicines. Moreover, it dismissed suggestions that the months following a product launch were followed by a “prescribing explosion”. According to the ABPI, the UK has one of the lowest usage rates of new medicines during their first five years on the market. Finally, the HSC report suggested that intensive marketing encouraged “inappropriate prescribing”. In support of the role of the traditional representative, the ABPI responded by saying that while most doctors receive only a handful of representative visits a month, the majority say they value the clinical and product information provided. In a rigorous defence of the value of industry practice, the ABPI warned: “Artificially limiting the ability of doctors to receive information about medicines and restricting further their ability to prescribe medicines already licensed for use – as proposed in the report – would be a step backwards in the National Health Service’s bid to prevent disease and increase access to the best quality treatment.”

The ABPI’s Annual Review 2005: Partners in Healthcare can be viewed at the ABPI website, www.abpi.org.uk

The eagerly-awaited results of the premier poll of the UK medical sales market, where sales professionals become the judges, have arrived. Pf’s fifth Company Perception, Motivation and Satisfaction Survey has been conducted independently by the Royal Statistical Society – and as always, the results make essential viewing. We take a close look at the top performers of 2005. Has your company got the Rx factor? 

The Company Perception, Motivation and Satisfaction Survey is one of the most significant pieces of research in the UK medical sales industry. Constructed by the Royal Statistical Society at the Nottingham Trent University, the survey provides a benchmark of field force remuneration, motivation, satisfaction and recruitment.

This year there were 1,507 respondents to the survey – marginally higher than the previous study in 2004. Yet again, the results provide a stimulating insight into the industry, the general feeling in the field, and what motivates medical representatives. The survey also highlights readers’ Employers of Choice, offering a fascinating glimpse of how pharmaceutical companies are perceived externally. The five-year history of the survey provides a useful benchmark for the progress the industry is making.

The following analysis of the 2005 survey looks at five specific categories – the Rx factors. The final judgements are here.

1. ‘Across the Universe’

The profile of survey respondents was broad, underlining the diversity of individuals who pursue careers in medical sales.

Rx Factor judgement:

2. ‘You’re the One That I Want’

Respondents were asked to score pharmaceutical companies according to their perception of them and how desirable they were to work for (1 = very low, 3 = no comment, 5 = very high). As always, respondents were not permitted to nominate their own company. The final results represent a balance between positive and negative perceptions.

Rx Factor judgement:

This experience is matched by results, with 70% of respondents claiming to have either ‘above average’ sales results or being among the highest sales in their company. The sample, therefore, is of a higher than average quality – which is reflected in the remuneration analysis later in the article.

3. ‘Satisfaction’

Respondents were asked to indicate which aspects of their working environment were important to them, and how satisfied they were with a range of fifteen motivational factors. The four major employment categories revealed the following results:

Rx Factor judgement:

Clearly, sales professionals remain motivated by their salary. Interestingly, they appear less motivated by other elements of a remuneration package such as bonuses, car policy, pensions and share schemes. Equally, respondents find that good working relationships with their direct managers are important; while for front line sales professionals, belief in their products is essential.

In fact, all four major employment categories demonstrated belief in their current products. The industry also seems to be satisfying its sales representatives with regard to pensions, which were a high-profile news topic across all industries throughout 2005. The previous Pf survey hinted at a degree of anxiety over the state of product pipelines. However, it would appear that confidence in R&D has returned, with future product pipelines picked as a leading source of satisfaction across all categories.

4. ‘Money, Money, Money’

The issue of remuneration, and specifically salary, commonly earns the most attention when survey results are published. Clearly, pay structures differ from company to company and are based on a number of complex factors. The Company Perception, Motivation and Satisfaction Survey gathers and analyses remuneration data in a variety of ways. For the purpose of this article, Pf has focused on the median figure for salaries, where ‘median’ is the value in the middle when all values are put in order from smallest to largest. The median figure is different from the average (mean) figure.

It is important to recognise that pharma companies traditionally consider the length of service and quality of results when calculating salary. The following median results need to be assessed in the context of what is a highperforming and experienced survey respondent profile. With over half of the sample (51%) having over 8 years’ experience in medical sales, and 70% of it comprising above average performers and highest achievers, it is only to be expected that the figures for median salaries and bonus payments would be high.

The message for sales professionals who believe they are underpaid, therefore, is to persevere and focus on further improving results – and the rewards will follow.

Rx Factor judgement:

According to the survey, 60% of respondents across all categories consider that their remuneration package is appropriate for the job they do. This continues what appears to be a maturing trend within the sector with regard to how sales professionals are rewarded for their endeavour. In 2003, over half of the market believed they were underpaid. By 2005, two-thirds appear content with their remuneration packages. While we would all argue for more money, this shift in perception is clearly good news for pharmaceutical companies.

5. ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’

Finally, the survey revealed an increase in the number of respondents looking to move companies. While over half of the sample (56%) indicated that they were happy to remain in their current positions, 16% are considering moving companies – which is up from 13% in 2004. Moreover, a further 23% would consider moving position within the same company.

Final judgement:

For the second year running, the majority of sales professionals appear to be happy with their products, their management and, crucially, their salaries. However, an increased number of respondents are looking for their next move – but the lure of big pharma is no longer as powerful as before.

Voting lines for the Rx Factor have now closed. But, as ever, the competition continues.

With steady growth in major markets, flourishing sales in developing countries and more than 2,000 products in clinical development, the future for global pharma looks bright. Pf examines global sales in 2005.

THE EUROPEAN pharmaceutical market outgrew its North American counterpart last year, audited sales figures for 2005 reveal.

Global sales rose 7% to $602 billion, with Europe accounting for a 7.1% increase ahead of Japan (6.8%) and North America (5.2%). However, for the first time, the UK market experienced negative growth (–2.2%).

The annual figures from IMS Health show that the most dramatic growth occurred in emerging markets such as China, Mexico and Russia, signalling an important shift in industry attention towards developing markets.

Price cuts hit UK

The decline in the UK was driven by PPRS price cuts and Category M price cuts on generics. Of the top five therapy classes (see Figure 1), only nonnarcotic analgesics grew in 2005. Sales of cholesterol regulators dropped by 20%, due as much to the fall in the generic simvastatin price as to PPRS cuts. In 2004, calcium antagonists made up the fourth-ranked therapy area by sales and ACE inhibitors ranked sixth. Both have now dropped down due to patent expiries. Equally, NSAIDs have fallen away from their previous position of eighth as a result of the Cox II scares and withdrawals.

The global pattern

The ten major markets, which account for 81% of the total global pharmaceutical market, achieved a growth of just 5.7% in 2005 compared to 7.2% the previous year (see Figure 3). However, developing markets such as China, Korea, Mexico, Russia and Turkey outpaced global performance, all experiencing double-digit growth.

A year of innovation

So what stimulated worldwide growth? While the increasing longevity of the population, rising wealth and new applications for existing products all contributed to growth in 2005, the introduction of innovative new treatments had the greatest impact. (See Figure 4.) Last year, 40% of total market growth was fuelled by the introduction of new products, including 30 new molecular entities launched in key markets.

Notable product launches in 2005 included Byetta®, the first in a new class of medicines for improved blood sugar control in patients with Type 2 diabetes; Lunesta®, which treats insomnia, decreases sleep latency and improves sleep maintenance; and Macugen®, which treats neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

A bright future for pharma?

For many pharmaceutical manufacturers, 2005 was a year of transition as they responded to cost containment challenges, regulatory setbacks and safety issues. IMS Health predicts further changes ahead. Generics, it says, will assume a more central role as patients bear a greater percentage of their own healthcare costs and payers seek to restrict the growth of healthcare expenditures, and price moderation for brands is likely as a result.

“Moderating growth in the top ten markets, along with the focus on generics as a cost-effective alternative to branded drugs, will present challenges to the pharmaceutical industry worldwide,” said Murray Aitken. “But we don’t expect these to stand in the way of pharmaceutical growth. What is critical to long-term success in the marketplace, however, is the need for payers and manufacturers to jointly strike a balance between prevention, treatment and cost containment. This is an urgent imperative with new delivery systems on the horizon to improve patient quality of life and vaccines to prevent disease.”

Despite these challenges, however, the same factors that boosted growth in 2005 will continue to play a part. It will be a combination of surging demand driven by ageing populations and successful innovation in areas of unmet need that continues to fuel the growth of the industry.

Pf spoke to NICE’s Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, who explained how this year’s Prix Galien Awards provide an opportunity for the pharmaceutical sector to be proud of its achievements as innovators.

THE NORTHWICK PARK tragedy has further damaged the pharma industry’s already flawed public reputation. Admitting to a career in the sector is often done more in apology these days than in pride. Pharma no longer appears to be a blue-chip profession. And yet a career in pharmaceuticals is one aligned with innovation, value and public benefit.

When the next winners of the prestigious Prix Galien Awards are unveiled at a lavish ceremony at the Houses of Parliament this September, the victors will have earned the respect and acclaim of the toughest of judging panels. The panel, which comprises leading health technology appraisal experts from across the NHS, is chaired by the most eminent judge of them all: Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, Chairman of NICE. To win the prize, the participants really have to earn it. The fierce nature of the competition underlines the true value of the pharmaceutical industry and how a career within the sector makes an important contribution to public health.

Professor Sir Michael Rawlins has chaired the Prix Galien judging panel for nine years. His passion for new therapies and what they can do for the nation’s health was stimulated much earlier in his career, when he was a clinical pharmacologist. The Prix Galien, he feels, plays an important role in the pharmaceutical industry in that it recognises and rewards innovation that would otherwise often go unnoticed:

“The Prix Galien recognises the technical, scientific and clinical research skills necessary to discover and develop innovative new medicines. I am proud to chair the panel because it provides me with an opportunity to acclaim, publicly, the contributions made by basic and clinical scientists within the pharmaceutical industry.”

What is the Prix Galien?

Contributing to patient welfare

Innovation, says Professor Sir Michael, is at the heart of the pharmaceutical industry. “When innovation is achieved, it meets unmet clinical need.” As such, the Prix Galien judges look not only for the highest quality of discovery and development, but also for therapies that make the greatest contribution to patient welfare.

Previous Prix Galien winners include high-profile drugs such as Herceptin (2002) and Viagra (2000) – the former significantly improving survival times in patients with aggressive breast cancer, the latter bringing the whole issue of men’s health, particularly impotence, into the public eye. Likewise, Meningitec (2000) brought about a 75% drop in cases of meningitis C in young babies and children, while Glivec (2002) provided the only treatment option for gastrointestinal stromal tumours. (See ‘Prix Galien past winners’ below.)

The Awards are held every two years, with the UK winners being put forward for the International Prix Galien. Last time out, in 2004, the Prix Galien medal was jointly awarded: Roche’s Fuzeon and Wyeth’s Prevenar shared the top prize ahead of a strong list of contenders from across the UK industry. Advate (Baxter Healthcare), Crestor (AstraZeneca), Lantus (Aventis), Neulasta (Amgen), Tracleer (Actelion Pharmaceuticals), Velcade (Ortho Biotec), Vfend (Pfizer) and Xigris (Lilly UK) completed the shortlist. “The judges were impressed by the quality of all the shortlisted applications; but overall, Fuzeon and Prevenar were considered to be of special worth for the award of the Prix Galien,” says Professor Sir Michael.

For the participating companies, the result is significant. “The Prix Galien Award represents the output of a rigorous review by a prestigious panel that ultimately recognises and rewards true innovation within the industry,” says Simon Harris, Business Unit Director for Specialist Products at Roche. “Upon winning the Prix Galien we had a broad internal communication programme to highlight the success of Fuzeon in gaining this award. Our employees certainly recognised that they were working for a truly innovative pharmaceutical company that ultimately made a significant impact on patients’ lives.”

Winning innovations

“Fuzeon has given me the chance to look towards the future and have some dreams.” – an HIV patient

To win the Innovative Product Award, a drug must be judged to represent a genuine breakthrough in its therapeutic area and to demonstrate innovation and therapeutic advantages over other treatments already in existence. Furthermore, it must have demonstrated a significant therapeutic effect on patient health.

In the case of Fuzeon, the first patient to be given the HIV treatment attended the 2004 ceremony and praised the drug for giving him the chance to “look towards the future and have some dreams”.

Patients are a virtue

The patient is playing an increasingly significant role in the delivery of healthcare – a fact that Professor Sir Michael is happy to acknowledge. “Patients have several roles,” he says. “Most importantly, of course, they play an essential part in the clinical research as participants and subjects. But they also have other roles: they can (or at least should) contribute to specifying the desirable characteristics of a drug delivery programme; they should be intimately involved in the development of quality of life measures; and they should – to a much greater extent than in the past – be involved in making decisions about the trade-off between benefit and risk.”

The growing role of the patient in the development of medicines in the UK is influenced heavily by the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and the general public. Current public attitudes towards the industry are disappointing. Despite the fact that the industry ploughs around 20% of its turnover back into R&D, its reputation remains at a low ebb. The Prix Galien can help to rectify this by enabling the industry to focus on its strengths and highlight its almost forgotten status as one of the UK’s most innovative sectors.

Professor Sir Michael Rawlins believes that the Prix Galien can improve the wider public perception of the pharmaceutical industry. “I hope it brings to the public’s attention the contributions of individuals, and teams, working in the pharmaceutical industry. What they do is often forgotten and should be made more public.”

Clearly, a career in pharmaceuticals is a worthwhile one. It is, in fact, one of the few industries that can make a genuine difference to society. Be proud of it.

This year’s Prix Galien Awards will be held on 26th September at the Houses of Parliament. For further information visit www.westawaygillis.co.uk

Many of you will have dealt with recruitment agencies during your career but have you stopped to think what life is like in the recruitment industry? We’re delighted to be able to take you behind the scenes at IHS to find out more.

The team behind IHS’ continued growth and success At IHS we are very proud of the first class reputation and position as a market leader we’ve achieved since 2001. Such reputations are not established without a great deal of hard work and dedication by many people. Let’s meet some of the 17 strong recruitment team and find out their backgrounds, their views on recruitment and on working with IHS:
Continual Learning At IHS we take personal development very seriously and are committed to providing all staff with the best possible platform for their future careers. As a matter of course the Company sponsors team members who wish to further their learning. Currently members of the recruitment, finance and HR teams are being supported to take Masters and Diploma courses in Business, Finance, IT, HR, Management and Organisational Change. The Future The next few years promise to be extremely exciting for the Company. An aggressive strategy of organic and acquisitive growth will provide real commercial challenges and opportunities. We are very keen to ensure that the next 5 years are as interesting and impressive as the first 5 years have been!	Why recruitment? Why IHS? The environment is fast paced & the work challenging There is a shared desire to succeed and to do the very best job possible for candidates and for clients There is a continual commitment from the Company to develop the entire team & to reward achievers A highly successful career can be forged within an organisation that is continuing to grow
www.i-hs.co.uk

With growth three times faster than the world market, a unique portfolio of products and an enviable pipeline, it’s no wonder Swiss healthcare company Roche has been voted “Employer of Choice 2005-2006.”*

Two sales representatives tell Pharmaceutical Field what makes Roche a truly outstanding organisation to work for.

(*most desirable employer to work for as voted by readers of Pharmaceutical Field Magazine.)