The Modern Medicine Show

Slow to Social Network

Pharma sales training groups are slower to get on the social networking and Web 2.0 bandwagon. According to sales and learning executives at Hospira, Abbott, Astellas and others, the big stumbling block is concern about regulatory issues. It is hard to use social networking and share information if it all has to be reviewed by a regulatory and legal team. That takes resources and creates a bottleneck to timely interaction, which defeats the purpose of social networks. Most are taking a wait-and-see approach to social media. There is a consensus that social media will be adopted more slowly than in other less regulated industries.

Pfizer has developed a Web 2.0 set of tools for collaboration and knowledge sharing that has taken off. It was developed for the company’s research and development group, although sales reps can use it, too.

As industry challenges grow in the pharma and biotech fields, as in other industries, sales training groups are moving toward a vision where sales reps have at their fingertips all the information they need. More important, they’re moving toward a vision where sales reps can skillfully and flexibly use their knowledge of particular physicians, diseases, products and the competition to engage in conversations with doctors that lead to results — prescribing a drug or treatment to people who it can really help.