Mohamad Elarab

Capstone Exercise 1


1-The purpose of marketing Direct-to- consumer drugs is the fact that companies have the
potential to change the patient. Consumers see these advertisements and become convinced that
they need this specific drug. Instead of going into a doctors office and describing symptoms,
consumers are selecting their own drugs brand and requesting prescriptions from doctors.
Patients often believe that the drugs they see in advertisements are the only or best solution,
when in fact the doctor knows that there may be a cheaper or more effective treatment available.
Consumers see these ads on television or online which display with great visibility; when a
patient use a specific drug he/she becomes in a better and healthy situation.


2- I think the current pharmaceutical marketing strategy Direct-to-consumer has more negative
effects than positives ones. The ads may encourage the overuse of the drug being advertised.
This strategy may strain the physician- patient relation when the patient try to hide or modify
information to obtain his/her desired drug. One advantage for the consumer is the competition
among pharmaceutical companies to scramble to lower retail prices but here we are not talking
about late model cars on clearance but about drugs that only specialists know if it is beneficial to
the patient so price is not the important issue. Another advantage for direct marketing is that may
strengthen the relationship between the physician and the patient by opening and improving new
communication channels.

3-Many drug companies provide physicians with free samples that the physicians may give to
patients free of charge. Some ethical issues connected with this practice may arise when
physicians or their assistants try to sell these drugs to patients. Another issue is that physicians
should offer these samples to low income people(the uninsured) most of the time ,instead they
choose to give away these samples to patients with higher income but with good relations with
clinic( friends,relatives,contractors).Violating marketing ethics by decisions that negatively
impact society are often unethical. (Levens,46).The availability of samples might even influence
physicians to prescribe drugs that would not otherwise be their first choice but the
pharmaceutical companies want the physicians to know about the drugs that may be sometimes
they dont need them for prescriptions.



4-Yes .It is very important issue that legislation controlling pharmaceutical consumer-direct
marketing would be implemented soon, I am not attacking pharmaceutical companies for any
reason, after all they are for-profit organizations, but a new legislation would assist the consumer
or the patient in their treatement.Disclousre on the side effects of the advertised drugs should be
correct and available to physicians and patients. Another issue is that samples raise the cost of
health care, as companies recoup marketing costs through higher prices and increased sales
volume. We need to make sure from a clear perspective that the consumer not ending up paying
for marketing and free samples!



5-I would propose improving the public image of my company by recommending to the board of
director an effective strategy to subsidize prescription drugs prices and establish direct
distribution channels to some of the poorest communities in the western hemisphere (central and
south America).These drugs would be For export only- and not to be used within the United
States. An effective campaign with media and online coverage would enhance the corporate
social responsibility notion and application within my organization. After all major
pharmaceutical companies are Multinational Corporations. Another reason, is that many citizens
of these countries live and work (legally and illegally) in the United States and they are
consumers of these companies.


Reference:
Levens, Michael. Marketing:Defined ,Expained,Applied. 2nd ed. Prentice Hall, 2012. 371. Print.