APAC Issue 8 2018

18 APAC / Issue 8 2018 , Pharma reps enjoy broad reach and unusually high influence among physicians in Japan – as do pharma websites, data from DRG Digital and Manhattan Research show. Nearly three in four Japanese physicians report seeing pharma reps in the past month, according to the DRG Digital | Manhattan Research Taking the Pulse® Japan study of 499 Japanese physicians – and 60% of Japanese physicians say pharma reps influence their prescribing decisions. That makes those reps far more influential than in China, where just over a third of physicians’ rate reps influential, or Australia, where fewer than 1 in 4 doctors say reps influence their treatment decisions. Sales trainers seeking a best-in-class model to emulate in Japan might look to Takeda – physicians rate Takeda tops overall for quality tablet rep meetings. “The rep-physician relationship isn’t exactly collegial in Japan,” says Jeff Wray, Director of Europe and APAC Research at DRG Digital. “There’s a power dynamic, and physicians are Pharma Reps and Websites Carry Clout with Physicians in Japan Direct sales and digital content stand to give pharma an edge in this key global market, according to data fromDRGDigital | ManhattanResearch’s Taking the Pulse ® Global 2018 study. the boss. Meetings are less a conversation than an elevator pitch, where the rep has a narrow 5-10 minute window to present information. But that information is valued highly by the physicians, we found.” Pharma websites also see high reach and influence with these physicians. While websites for healthcare professionals from third-party publishers are slightly more influential than pharma websites, the gap is narrower than in many markets, with 48% of Japanese physicians rating pharma sites as somewhat or very influential and 82% visiting pharma websites at least monthly. This reflects, in part, the absence of a credibility gap, with 52% of Japanese physicians deeming professional info found on pharma websites credible and 54% saying the same for third- party HCP websites. Ensuring a consistent digital experience across digital devices and properties is an important measure of digital excellence, and the study found plenty of white space for brands to differentiate here – Pfizer and Takeda were the only companies cracking double digits for consistency, with Takeda drawing relatively high marks from GPs and Ob/Gyns, Pfizer from cardiologists, neurologists and pulmonologists. When it came to quality provision of medical education, cardiologists placed Pfizer, Bayer and Takeda in a three-way tie, while Celgene and Novartis demonstrated strong pull with oncologists across a number of measures. “You can see these companies’ investment in digital resources reflected in specialists’ responses,’ said Wray, “That’s especially important in a market like Japan, where providers really rely on websites from pharma for information about their products.” The Taking the Pulse® Global 2018 studies from DRG Digital | Manhattan Research provide insights into physician attitudes and behaviours in 15 global markets spanning the APAC, Latin American and Middle Eastern regions along with Canada, with data available for up to 10 specialties. Taking the Pulse® studies also cover physician behaviour across the U.S., the EU 5 and the Nordic countries. In addition, DRG offers custom analytics, powered by a proprietary data stack drawing on real world data and social behavioural data, as well as multichannel intelligence assessments performed by expert analysts and providing actionable insights on the digital landscape surrounding a therapeutic area.