The core concept of pharmaceutical marketing has been defined by many authorities with their standard protocol that is most important for our study as follows;
A. Meaning and Definition of Pharmaceutical Marketing:
“Pharmaceutical marketing is marketing of pharmaceutical formulations or fine chemicals into the market” i.e. the branch dealing with marketing of pharmaceuticals areas like manufacturing, sale, distribution, isolation, identification, action and reactions of drug with analysis and development of new drugs.
B. Meaning and Definition of Drug:
“Drug is a chemical substance having capacity and capability to alter the function of a cell, tissue, organ, system, or human body”.
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Drug is a substance useful to prevent, cure, or diagnose the disease.
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C. Meaning and Definition of Medicine:
“Medicine is a combination of drug or active ingredients along with diluents, solvent, additives, binders, lubricants, preservatives, and flavors in a suitable dosage form for convenience and comfort for a patient”.
D. Meaning and Definition of Allopathic Drugs:
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According to Drugs and Cosmetic Act, the definition of Allopathic Drugs is “Allopathic Drugs include all substances, other than food, intended to affect the structure or any function of the human body (including contraceptives) and all substances, employed for the destruction of insects and notified on this behalf by the Central Government, which cause diseases in human beings or animals are also deemed to be the drugs for purpose in this act”.
E. Direct-Indirect Marketing Concept:
Prescription based drugs marketing in pharmaceutical marketing is indirect marketing because decision-maker in this case is the physician and actually buyer or customer is the patient. OTC (Over the Counter) drugs are covered under direct marketing since customer has authority to purchase their brand of choice from the chemist shop.
Most of the drugs are marketed on prescription basis e.g. Anti-Hypertensives, Antibiotics, Anti-epileptic, Anticancer, Anti-HIV etc. while directly marketed OTC drugs include Anticold preparations, Analgesic, Antipyretics etc.
In indirect marketing pharmaceutical products are promoted through medical representatives that are implementing company’s strategies and policies into the market while direct marketing of OTC drugs requires media advertising.