In the field of strategic brand management in pharmaceutical market research, Anja Wenke, Head of DocCheck Research, is an expert who knows the field well, because she knows all the target groups that are to be addressed, the subject areas, regulations and also limitations: In Germany, there must be no advertising for prescription drugs (RX drugs) that is directed at end consumers, i.e. patients, so that the well-being of patients is protected and strengthened. Marketing strategies for health professionals are also only to be used in accordance with strict rules. Marketing activities are therefore very limited. This also applies to OTC preparations, although here the rules are not as strict if the legal framework is observed. Prescriptions and recommendations for these products are therefore issued by doctors and other health professionals such as pharmacists and PTAs. In addition to medicinal products, medical devices are also subject to strict regulations. This does not apply to consumer health products that are available for over-the-counter sale and are otherwise not subject to strict advertising requirements. This product group includes food supplements (NEM), care products and cosmetics as well as wound care products. However, as marketing strategists found out, this demanding target group for these products can only be influenced by competent pharmacy staff and doctors in a personal conversation. People who are supposed to buy all these products want to recognize a practical use and an ideal therapeutic application as well as receive personal answers to side effects and interactions. Doctors and pharmacists use a variety of information materials from which they gain their insights and answers. In addition to personal clarification in the area of complex knowledge management, digital media use is also on par. Decisive for the customers‘ willingness to buy is the willingness of doctors to prescribe and the recommendation behaviour of pharmacists and PTAs, this is what the marketing analysis showed. However, the pharmaceutical market is a highly competitive market with many restrictions and prohibitions. Compliance is also a decisive factor, i.e. all parties involved act within the framework of the specified compliance and conformity with the rules. When it comes to drug safety, the cooperation between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry plays a very important role, because all unknown undesired side effects and interactions must also be reported by pharmacists to the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) as „adverse drug reactions“, abbreviated as ADR. Pharmaceutical market research serves as a link to systematically query, detect and quickly report such problems; a highly complex procedure with a high susceptibility to errors. Patients research all the necessary health information, usually via the Internet or with the help of patient organisations, for questions on rare diseases. The field of market research does not find easy access here. Doctors tend to react with scepticism to digital achievements, such as useful health apps, according to a survey in the DocCheck Panel. However, the digitalisation pressure of the entire sector is high, as informal discussions with doctors are currently no longer available to the field service.
