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TODS |
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TODS
Total
Obesity
&
Diabetes
Solutions |
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We manage everything in diabetes & obesity……the possibilities are
endless. |
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Effective Consulting is
an initiative of Diabetes & Obesity Centre and Dr. B.M.Makkar. We
are group of medical specialists with vast experience in the field
of diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome. The group has keen
interest in the latest developments and has the bent of mind to
track and understand the recent advances and apply the same into
clinical practice. Hence we are uniquely placed in the medical
profession as we not only are able to adapt to the fast paced
research to the benefit of our patients but also can help the
industry. This is because we are into active clinical practice with
huge amout of patient interaction on daily basis which helps us
understanding the needs of the patients. And by virtue of this work
profile possibly we are better off in judging the needs in prevalent
clinical practice. In other words, we probably enjoy a unique
ability to translate research into clinical practice in an effective
manner. Keeping pace with the recent advances and using them in the
right manner to the benefit of diabetic and obese population at
large, can be of tremendous use to pharma industry. |
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Marketing/pre-marketing strategies |
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Whenever a new molecule
is launced in the market, usually there is a mad rush in order to be
the first and reap the maximum benefit from the new product. Within
no time a number of companies are selling the same thing and in no
time the price war begins, and also begins the dissatisfaction in
the medical fraternity and a good molecule bumps on the ramp. Just
to examplify, look at what happened to Rimonabant, or for that
matter Sibutramine. Can anyone imagine that with almost 35-50% of
the urban adults being overweight these products are doing
ridiculously small sales. |
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Product positioning/repositioning |
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An important issue in
marketing is how a product is positioned in the therapeutic segment,
and then how effectively it is marketed thereafter. Take the example
of Sibutramine, the initial launch as Reductil about 6 yrs back by
Abbott at a price of Rs. 95/- per tab did not work. Immeditely Cipla
launched Obestat at Rs. 15/- per tab and others followed in a price
range of Rs. 7 to Rs. 15. And it was promoted as “the pill” for
weight loss. But the results in clinical practice were dismal and
soon the product was practically off promotion for most of the
companies. But Abbott relauched Leptos and positioned it nicely and
the sales have been growing eversince, but only of Leptos and not of
other brands of sibutramine. |
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Effective training of Managers on science of medicine |
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Most of the times
the executives/managers from the companies are detailing a lot of
junk about their product portfolios without being able to
communicate the selling points. Being medical professionals and
customers of the industry we enjoy the unique advantage of knowing
what exactly a busy doctor sitting across the table expects from a
company executive/manager. Training of managers/trainers in the
industry on effective communication with doctors can go a long way
in establishing products in target doctors’ clinical practice.
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Planning, designing & execution of effective scientific meetings |
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Conducting
scientific meetings in order to impart knowledge about the products
is nothing new in medical profession. However, most of the times
these meetings end up as cocktail dinners without having any
scientific communication to the target audience. It is more of
obliging doctors by inviting them to dinners rather that having a
scientific agenda. And more often than not the fault lies with the
organisers because they are not clear about the goal, and even if
they are clear about why they want to have the meeting, they are not
clear as to what their target audience should be for that particular
meeting, what they want ot communicate to their target doctors, whom
they shall actually use as a communicator(speaker) to do the desired
job. In short, even if the goals are clear, the means of achieving
the goal are not. We have a track record of planning, designing and
conducting a large number of scientific meetings, usually in
unconventional manner, which have been able to change the product
/company image in the target goups. |
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Planning, designing & execution of effective scientific inputs for
doctors |
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The target for promotion
of any product in the pharma industry is the doctors, a professional
group which neither have time to keep abreast with the latest
developments in the field of medicine nor for the newer
introductions in the market. Lot of scientific inputs are designed
and distributed to the doctors by most of the pharma companies.
Unfortunately more than 90% of the scientific material either goes
to dustbin or is stored in a cabinet before going to dustbin. And
most of the studies that are selected for distribution are already
obsolete by the time they reach a doctors table. In nutshell most of
the money spent on scientific inputs for doctors goes waste. We can
certainly be of help in planning and desinging scientific inputs
which would be of better use and better percieved value for the
target doctors, at the same time will involve lesser cost and be
worthwhile. Scientific inputs are also important area to work on for
building corporate image. |
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Planning, designing & development of CME/educational modules for
general practioners/specialists |
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Whenever a new drug is
introduced in market, most of the doctors in clinical practice are
not in touch with the facts about the drug, and are usually
apprehensive or hesitant in prescribing the molecule. All the
information that they have is the one provided by the medical reps
during their interaction. And whatever scientific literature is
provided in never read in most of the cases. However, most of the
doctors appreciate well conducted CMEs which can help in updating
their concepts and clarify their doubts relating to a particular
disease or molecule. To have value, a CME must be well designed,
goal directed, and must give a carry home message, which most of the
CMEs lack. And usually it is a cocktail dinner in the name of a CME
where usually the speaker waits for audience till 9.30 to 10.00 pm,
and once the speaker begins his talk the audience waits impatiently
for the talk to finish so that everybody can enjoy a couple of
drinks and dinner before it is too late. And more often than not the
speaker is trying to tell doctors the latest developments on a
subject of which even the basics are not clear to the audience. We
can certainly help such situations by designing highly effective and
at the same time low cost CME programs which are able to deliver in
terms of both the knowledge and the percieved value, and are
remembered as good programs for a long time. |
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Planning, designing & execution of clinical studies/programs with
high percieved value |
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A good number of
companies get into conducting studies in target doctors clinics and
paying the doctors according to the number of patients enrolled. In
the garb of that particular study, they make the doctor write their
drug to the patients recruited in that study. This is usually
percieved as a cheap marketing trick by most of the leading doctors
in profession, and the doctors who are participating in these
programs hardly do any protocol based work and just provide the
fictitious data to the companies in order to get that money. And
once the so called study is over, the prescriptions are also over.
One can surely develop high quality studies which not only generate
good data but also give a sense of involvement in real good quality
scientific work to the participating doctors, and at the same time
boost company image rather than tarnishing it. |
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Effective literature development |
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Effective literature
needs to be everything but what is being generally provided to the
doctors on day to day basis as a customery practice and acts as a
source of junk collection in doctors’ clinics and a source of
resource/financial drainage for the pharma companies. To be
effective, the scientific literature should be able latest, concise,
precise, simplified and goal directed. And that’s what we can
develop for you. |
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And anything and everything else that has something to do with
obesity and diabetes………….………………………………we can take care. |
