The number of global pharmaceutical sales jobs fell by nearly two per cent (1.8%) last year as the industry faced a challenging twelve months, according to new research.

An audit by Cegedim Strategic Data (CSD) found the number of sales representatives fell from 421,223 in 2010 to 413,565 last year.

However, the decline in medical sales positions would’ve been far more had it not been for an increase in pharmaceutical sales jobs in emerging markets such as China or Brazil.

CSD research found that the US had the most pharmaceutical sales representatives (73,762), despite losing 7% of roles compared to the previous year.

China followed with more than 65,000 sales roles after it continued to enjoy double-digit job growth creating an increase of 18.6% in jobs last year. Japan ranked third with 54,236 jobs, despite seeing a decline in pharma jobs of 10%.

France saw the biggest decline in sales jobs in Europe as roles notably declined by 12%. Jobs were also down in Germany by 2% and in Italy by 1.7%. But markets in Spain and the UK remained relatively stable.

The news was much better in Brazil where field force levels increased by 3.5% in 2011 and saw the country have the fifth most pharmaceutical sales jobs of any country.

The audit also found that sales reps preferred detailing to healthcare professionals as the main channel for communicating promotional and clinical messages, and that sales representatives accounted for more than 60% of global marketing investments in 2011.

Pfizer has been crowned the leading pharmaceutical company for their presence on Facebook and Twitter, a new study has found.

Cegedim Strategic Data (CSD) found the pharma-giant had the third-most ‘likes’ on Facebook and had more followers on Twitter than industry rivals. Novartis were ranked overall in second with Merck & Co in third position.

Christopher Wooden, Vice President, Promotion Audits for CSD, says the audit highlights how the industry is improving its social media footprint.

The study was conducted worldwide and focused on the top 100 pharmaceutical companies in terms of traditional sales force and marketing channel spending. CSD then identified the top 30 pharma companies for their presence and healthcare-focused activities on Twitter and Facebook.

Behind Pfizer, Novartis was ranked seventeenth for ‘likes’ on Facebook and overall fifth on Twitter for its number of followers. Merck – which came first for the number of pages on Facebook – ranked tenth for the number of ‘likes’ it has received, third for the number of ‘tweets’ it has made on Twitter and fifteenth for its followers.

CSD found that J&J is second for the number of ‘likes’ on Facebook with Roche occupying the same position for its number of followers on Twitter.

“The CSD social media audit shows clearly that most major life science companies are establishing a presence in social media – but coverage, methods and sophistication do vary significantly,” said Christopher Wooden.

“In broad terms we see an attempt by companies to reach out and create a positive, on-going message about their contribution to better health. The ability to target that message and encourage constructive dialogue through social media will bring value to companies developing this new channel.”

The majority of physicians find visits from sales representatives useful and of value to their practice, new research has found.

Figures from Cegedim Strategic Data (CSD) revealed that 93.8% of physicians worldwide see value in appointments with only 6.2% of the opinion that appointments are “not at all useful or of value”.

Bruno Sarfati, CEO, CSD, says the results highlight the importance sales visits still hold, although there are still “gaps to be filled” to fully convince all physicians.

CSD analysed data from 11 key pharmaceutical countries, including both mature and emerging markets, based on more than 5.6 million product detailing mentions.

It found that at the end of last year, traditional detailing spending represented 61% of audited marketing channels worldwide.

Of the respondents who valued sales calls, a third (33.3%) described them as ‘very useful and of value’, with a further 60.5% saying they are ‘somewhat useful and of value’.

Almost all of US physicians (97.9%) found some value in calls from representatives. Physicians in Russia and Brazil were the most impressed with nearly half (47.7% and 46% respectively) finding visits very useful, although only 17.1% of Japanese physicians believed this to be the case.

The study also revealed there to be no distinct difference between established and emerging markets, despite an increase in the number of sales and marketing positions in developing regions.

As part of the study, CSD also investigated which of the top ranked international companies in total promotion spending provided the highest level of satisfaction. Eli Lilly came out of top, followed by Johnson & Johnson with Novartis in third. Pfizer, which spent the most money, came sixth.

Bruno Sarfati said the overall results were positive but new working methods may have to be introduced in the future. “The results of CSD’s study show that physicians still value visits from sales reps,” he said.

“A recent qualitative study showed that physicians are looking for rep interactions which are tailored to their daily practice. In the current industry environment it is inevitable that changes will be made to the way rep calls are conducted as we know it today.”