About 650 jobs will be saved at Pfizer’s R&D plant in Sandwich, Kent (pictured) – 300 more than previously announced in June.

So far, 800 staff members have left their positions at the Discovery Park, with a further 700 expected to leave by the end of 2012, with 250 employees relocating to other UK sites, said the company.

The pharmaceutical company announced in February that the research and development facility in east Kent will close, which employed 2,400 people.

The site was then obtained by the Government in August and named part of its Enterprise Zone, to encourage the creation of more jobs and to cut taxes.

Despite Kent County Council commenting that it would take ten years for the site to recover the gap left by the pharma giant, interest has been shown in the space, including from former Pfizer employees who established a new company at the plant in September.

Pfizer said it would continue its phased exit by 2012 and would review the retained operation within a few years as part of its business planning.

Despite huge investments into CRM systems some pharma companies still struggle to get all of their staff to embrace and fully interact with them. Pf’s Iain Bate explores why, and what the future holds for technology in the industry.

There’s no doubt that technological developments have changed the way we live and work from year to year – maybe even from month to month in the 21st Century. But has the world of healthcare been travelling in the slow lane of the intergalactic highway?

The potential that technology offers to pharma, and the general world of healthcare, is enormous. But is the pharmaceutical industry, and its staff in particular, using it to maximise the returns of billion-dollar investments?

It would seem that technology is the ‘buzz word’ on the lips of a few of healthcare’s major players at present. The DH recently invited people to nominate their favourite health-related mobile phone ‘app’ – be it for keeping fit, to locate a hospital or chemist, or helping to manage an illness. Creative minds were also asked to design their own health app with a panel of DH judges deciding on their favourite from the most popular entries.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley says it’s the Government’s intention to give people better access to information using modern technology and the exercise is a “unique opportunity for the NHS and those who develop apps to not only showcase their work, but to bring to life new ideas and realise true innovation in healthcare”.

As part of the DH’s technology revolution, patients may also soon be offered online consultations with their GPs using programmes such as Skype. Clearly the Government is embracing the convenience technology offers to patients, but are other sectors in healthcare as interested? It would seem there is still some way to go.

 

In two minds

Pf ’s 2010/11 annual Company Perception, Motivation and Satisfaction Survey suggests that not all respondents are completely convinced by the power of technology in the workplace. Although the Survey – which relates to 2010 and the early part of this year – found that nearly 90% of respondents have access to a CRM system, only 43% find time to use it in the field and more than a fifth of people fail to accurately record post-call reports with important clients.

Questions have to be asked as to why, despite multimillion pound investment and training by pharma companies, there remains a percentage of staff that still ignore the power and potential of the technology at their finger tips.

Results from the Survey reveal there’s no difference in uptake by key account managers, primary and secondary care representatives, those in primary care roles only, firstline sales managers and secondline sales managers and the use of CRM technology between differing age groups – although surprisingly 10% of respondents in these positions with less than two years of experience said they did not have a CRM system, compared to just 5% more experienced colleagues.

The launch of the iPad in March 2010 promised to revolutionise the way sales representatives, and those in similar roles, use CRM systems in the field. However, nearly three-quarters (70%) of respondents from the Survey are still presently sent out with laptops containing their customer-relationship systems.

When quizzed on what they’d change about the hardware which houses their system, the majority of respondents said that their CRM was too awkward to carry, with poor running systems an issue and that batteries ran out too quickly. Apple claims its second-generation iPad now enjoys ten hours of use away from a plug socket in the field.

Yet the switch to the latest convenient tablet devices may not necessarily be about high levels of investment, it may be down to maximising value for money as Paul Shawah, Vice President, Multi Channel Strategy, Veeva Systems explains. “I would say the life cycle of devices within the industry is generally about three years, sometimes a little bit longer,” he said. “When a company invests in new technology they typically depreciate that over that period, so they don’t want to replace it in the field for that time to maximise their investment.

“However, with the introduction of game changing technology like the iPad, this has changed. We see a number of our pharmaceutical customers are justifying the business case to move to the iPad even before their tablets are fully depreciated. This speaks to the business benefit that pharma expects to achieve from the iPad and the related applications only available on that device.”

A convenient shield

Despite technology eliminating mundane process in the workplace and offering the potential to assist employees and improve their efficiency at work, it has historically been used as a shield to mask poor performance and abused as a means to waste company time – a recent online survey by AOL found that nearly half of Americans (44.7%) rank surfing the web as their primary activity during the two hours they ‘waste’ each day at work.

But it would seem that a high number of respondents do value the opportunities CRM offers. Almost two-thirds (64%) said they always enter correctly the amount of customer sales they make into their CRM. But 21% admitted they fail to always report face-to-face meetings with clients. More surprisingly, over a fifth of participants said they do not always record the number of products they had sold to clients.

The lack of honest accuracy is surprising considering the amount of time spent using CRM systems each day. A third said they spend between one and two hours a day on their system with a fifth spending three hours or more on their CRM. During their time using the management system, more than half (55%) said that call reporting was the most useful feature.

Although respondents were less impressed with the KAM abilities of their software with only 19% believing it to be the most useful facility. When questioned about what they would change given the chance, 45% said they wanted an improved database, over a quarter (28%) called for their system to be overall more useful, and 18% said they would prefer their CRM to be easier to use.

 

The next level

But what of the future of CRM systems? Will they be easier to use and have improved customer databases? David Round, General Manager, UK, Cegedim Relationship Management, says the regular interaction we now have with technology means we’ve all come to expect the latest developments.

“End users are significantly more ‘technology-savvy’ than their counterparts of even five years ago,” he explained. “If anything, the challenge for companies is to ensure that they provide their end users with the types of technology that they use as consumers. It’s also important to focus on the usability of your software to ensure maximum use. Technology companies – and pharma – must work together to develop a better understanding of the interaction, to ensure it meets users’ needs in the field.”

One main reason that users have become more ‘savvy’ is down to the use and interaction with social media. Whether at home or at work, websites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and most recently Google+ have driven an increased use of various forms of technology – especially on devices such as smartphones or tablet devices which reps are calling for in the field.

Pharma companies, both in the US and UK, have flirted with the idea of fully embracing the power social media harnesses, but at present are restricted by the PMCPA’s Code of Practice and by the FDA – who has again delayed the publication of its guidance.

The FDA says it is “difficult to provide a timeframe... due to the extensive work and review process, or ‘Good Guidance Practices’, which ensures that FDA’s stakeholders are provided well vetted guidances articulating FDA’s current thinking on a topic”.

Although the FDA may be unsure on how to direct healthcare companies, David Round believes the introduction, both professionally and personally, of social media has had an impact on staff and their expectations.

“For the modern professional person, much of their everyday life is conducted online – for example on shopping, utilities, insurance or booking a holiday – and many users then want the same level of capability from the tools they use in their job,” he added.

Dan Goldsmith, General Manager, Veeva Europe, agrees there has been a significant shift in the way we operate and interact due to our experiences online through tagged posts or hash-tagged searches. But although the 800 million users on Facebook – more than half which ‘log-on’ every day – and 175 million people on Twitter have no problem saying hello to friends, pharma finds it more difficult reaching out to people.

“Social media create a new avenue for healthcare dialogue and will only continue to pervade our lives,” said Dan. “Consequently, I believe that pharma faces two challenges. The first is to decide how to participate in the online dialogue with stakeholders and then to create those interactions through the channels we’re all familiar with, such as Facebook and Twitter.

“The second is to figure out how to leverage the model of social dialogue internally to support stronger collaboration and more focused communication among employees. Already, we see some companies taking advantage of the latest social business tools to connect employees with one another and to access and share information in real time.”

Clearly CRM solution providers understand the potential modern technology and social media platforms offer to companies. Whether pharma and its workforce get fully up to speed on the intergalactic highway sooner or later remains to be seen.

Sanofi plans to cut hundreds of jobs in its sales and R&D departments in the US over the coming months.

The job losses come as the company prepares to lose patent exclusivity on key products and fully absorbs Genzyme following its acquisition in February 2011.

The sales jobs cuts would be focused on Sanofi’s cardiovascular and oncology groups, aiming for cost savings of $2.9 billion per year, said CEO Christopher Viehbacher.

More than 9,000 jobs have been cut at the company over the last several years, including approximately 3,800 sales employees in the US.

The staff reductions in mature markets have been similar at many other pharmaceutical companies, adding vacancies in emerging markets.

According to Mr Viehbacher, Sanofi has added more than 3,700 pharmaceutical jobs in emerging markets since 2008.

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which has one of the largest cellular pathology workloads in the UK, has chosen Leica Microsystems’ BOND platform to provide staining capabilities across its three hospitals.

The Trust has installed a total of 10 new Leica BOND systems (pictured), which offer increased throughput and improved staining consistency.

The BOND family is well established as a platform for cellular and tissue analysis in medical pathology, combining sensitivity and productivity.

“Following a comprehensive tender process, Leica Biosystems was able to offer the best solution for our needs, combining good staining quality with high throughput,” said Donna Horncastle, Laboratory Manager for Cellular Pathology at Hammersmith Hospital.

“We have been very impressed with the staining quality of the platforms. These systems also offer considerable efficiency savings – allowing staff time to be used more effectively – and we no longer rely on batch processing of samples, therefore improving turnaround times and streamlining our workflow.”

Chris Rhoades, Leica’s Global Product Manager for BOND Instrumentation, commented: “We are thrilled to have been chosen by Imperial College NHS Trust and look forward to working with them in the continued delivery of cost-effective and efficient clinical and research services.”

Based in Germany, Leica Microsystems is a leading global provider of scientific instruments. The company’s Biosystems Division, also known as Leica Biosystems, supplies histopathology laboratories with an extensive range of products.

With financial experts warning of another global recession it’s a worrying time for both healthcare professionals and those currently without a job.

The Government in its ultimate wisdom last week revealed plans to eliminate certain discrimination laws in an attempt to make it easier for employers to do away with unproductive workers and replace those with a willingness to work.

But while the principle may sound simplistic, one boss’ judge of a productive medical representative doing their upmost to sell a dated product may be different to the person struggling to succeed in a crowded and competitive marketplace.

Instead of casting aside one unproductive worker for another, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has called for the Government to scrap its intention to remove certain discrimination laws and instead focus on those with healthcare jobs, for example, to increase their skill set to improve productivity.

The CIPD’s calls aren’t exactly rocket science – yet they do make sense. Questions have to be raised why so many employees are unhappy with the level of productivity of their workforce. The reason may be closer to home.

More than a third of the workforce in the UK has managerial responsibilities. But how many of those dedicate time to improving the skill sets of their staff? Whilst training days or programmes may not provide immediate results the long term skills gain can yield rewards for years to come.

The key to unlocking productivity levels may not be with those set for the axe, but those wielding it in the first place.

In the pharmaceutical industry one of the biggest challenges is to manage large events which require certain levels of privacy, whilst also ensuring they are hosted in professional and accessible venues. Simon Hunter shares his knowledge on how to make the most of your venue and event.

A high profile venue is a prominent, well known, iconic space which has a range of facilities to offer, and a reputation for hosting annual industry exhibitions or summits for international brands.

Discretion and privacy are key attributes of hosting events at high profile venues. If there are well-known guests present or sensitive intellectual property being shared – a new scientific discovery or drug, for example, then this kind of venue is ideal.

 

Experience pays

Other advantages of high profile venues include a proven track record in hosting different sizes of events in-house. For example, Chelsea Football Club manages fixtures attracting 42,000 guests who need to be managed onsite and this translates to the events team and experienced in-house security. The higher profile the venue or the bigger the event brand, the more strategies will already be in place which can help.

With regards to security, trust the staff and the in-house teams; they will have the benefit of experience organising private events, managing arrangements for high profile guests, and advising on the best way to utilise facilities. A good venue will take you through all stages of the event and should ask in advance of any special requirements, schedules or VIP attendees.

Ensure that all channels of communication are left open during the event itself so that staff  know of any last minute alterations. This will also guarantee that event organisers look professional, with the additional help of the venue’s catering, service and after-care.

 

Deciding outcomes

Knowing your audience and the objectives you want to achieve from any event will be a great help in selecting a venue. It is therefore vital to outline these clearly before approaching any venues for suggested briefs. Following this, there are some useful points to bear in mind which will make selecting a suitable venue easier.

Consider the components of your event to make sure you select somewhere that can accommodate them all. For example, consider whether the event will be an annual conference with a gala dinner and accommodation; whether you need separate facilities for VIP guests; and the possibility of needing to bring in equipment for demonstrations or exhibitions.

Venues which offer numerous events spaces, like a music venue, accommodation, restaurants and an exclusive spa can be ideal for organisers wishing to combine many activities within one event. It will also reduce the need for a separate transport budget to transfer guests from between conferences and seminars, for example.

Every event organiser should be constantly focussed on how to get maximum results for minimum cost. Look for a venue that whilst impressive, offers a range of packages and choose the one that suits your audience and your budget.

 

Simon Hunter is the Head of Venue at Chelsea Football Club.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley claims the Government has “fought together” in its efforts to introduce its proposals set out in the Health and Social Care Bill.

Speaking to delegates at the Conservative Party Conference, the Health Secretary says he has battled against criticism from Labour and left-wing unions who have misunderstood his plans.

Mr Lansley said there had been “misinterpretation, misinformation and misrepresentation” about the Bill but the reforms remain “the right thing to do” for a better NHS.

He admitted that brining change has “not been easy” and the Government has always been“absolutely clear” over its plans.

“We are committed to the values of the NHS,” the Health Secretary said. “To a comprehensive, high-quality service for all, free at the point of use and based on need, not ability to pay. The Health Bill will safeguard those values.”

The Bill will also “improve quality, reduce health inequalities, empower patients and staff, improve local accountability and strengthen public health services”, he added.

The Health Secretary said to “reassure people” that the Bill is right for patients and the NHS, the Government consulted “the country’s top experts”, the NHS Future Forum, to address concerns and offer their recommendations. He said that amendments have now been made “so that competition is on quality, not price; to ensure the continuity of services for patients; to support education and training; and to strengthen integrated care”.

He ended his address by outlining his and the Prime Minister’s commitment to the NHS. “While I am Secretary of State, the NHS will never be fragmented, privatised or undermined. I am personally committed to an NHS which gives equal access, and excellent care.”

The NHS reforms have faced a continual wall of criticism, its most recent from the BMA, which said that the Bill “poses an unacceptably high risk to the NHS in England”.

An emergency stockpile of 2 million flu vaccines has been set up in preparation for the UK flu season.

Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer for England, said that the extra supplies will “smooth things out”, in contrast to the shortages reported in certain areas of the country last year, with older jabs being used to fill the gap.

This winter’s stock consists of 16.7 million vaccines compared to 14.7 million last year.

Once again, there will be no promotion of the jabs in England, but Scotland and Northern Ireland will raise awareness through advertising. Professor Davies said that she relies on charities, health workers and pharmacies to spread the word.

Professor David Salisbury, the Government’s Director of Immunisation, warned that it would be taking a risk to miss the vaccination this year: “You need it just as much as last year.”

He warned there was no evidence that last year's vaccination would still offer protection and criticised healthcare workers for avoiding the shot, saying they were “selfish” for neglecting the importance of their patients’ health and of those around them.

Professor Salisbury claimed that healthcare staff are being encouraged to get the shot, but also said that hospitals need to make it easier for workers to get vaccinated.

Last year, 35% of healthcare employees were vaccinated with the flu shot, an increase of 26% from the year before.

The jab will protect against swine flu (H1N1) as well as the H3N2 and Flu B strains. These are the same three viruses that were covered by the vaccine last year.

Read more of the story on the BBC website.

There’s a lot of talk at the moment about getting in the ‘real world’. The ambitions of the NHS reforms, which this month survived a Commons vote and are now headed for the Lords, have drawn criticism from inside and outside the health service as not being practical in the real world of patient care.

In turn, the ABPI, along with countless others, has cited the reforms’ ambitions to deliver world-class outcomes as a major driver in the need to augment the current clinical trial model to make provision for the collection of ‘real world’ data. But, say commentators, developing real world data means the industry must ask its customers real world questions, rather than simply work to its own agenda.

For medical sales professionals, this is your selling environment – and the real world you face every day is clearly in a state of flux. But out of confusion can often come clarity. The messages that you take to market need to be shaped in the round. It is no longer acceptable for sales professionals to simply inherit brand messages from their colleagues in marketing – they must help inform value propositions and commercial strategies by sharing the important information they glean from the real world dialogue they have with their customers.

And by challenging the age-old customer perception that the NHS cannot and should not work in partnership with industry. The NHS must be made to realise that it cannot deliver the required improvements in quality and patient outcomes on its own. In this regard, NHS customers too need to get in the real world. And it’s the job of the pharmaceutical sales professional to help get them there.

Chris Ross, Editor

If I were a rich man
PS. The latest results of the Pf Company Perception, Motivation and Satisfaction Survey show that, despite a median basic salary well in excess of the national average and annual total remuneration packages that make the profession among the best-rewarded in the UK, a high volume of medical sales professionals remain dissatisfied with their salary and want more. Of course, we all want more, it’s human nature. But in an era characterised by cuts, job losses and high unemployment, the Lionel Bart’s Oliver approach of requesting more seems relatively misplaced at the present time. Perhaps pharma’s sales people should consider getting in the real world too? It’s just a thought.

Pfizer is to invest $200 million at its Grange Castle biotechnology manufacturing site in Clondalkin, County Dublin.

The new investment will see Pfizer introduce two new processing suites to expand its current production and product testing capabilities.

Frank D’Amelio, Chief Financial Officer, Pfizer, says “Ireland is a prime location for this major investment” after a “long history in pharmaceutical excellence”.

The biotechnology manufacturing facility is already one of the largest in the world and produces two of Pfizer’s main products, Prevnar and Enbrel.

More than 1,100 staff are currently employed at the site. Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny says that the new investment highlights “the tremendous contribution to Ireland’s life sciences industry since it (Pfizer) first established here in 1969 and this investment is a further demonstration of the company’s continuous commitment”.

In total, Pfizer has 4,300 staff employed across the country in eight separate locations in Cork, Dublin, Kildare and Limerick. Its latest investment means the company’s outlay now exceeds $7 billion in the country.