Impact of Pharmaceutical Companies' Promotional Efforts on the Drug Choices Made by Doctors in the Egyptian Market

Abstract

The pharmaceutical business is founded on the interaction between doctors, medical representatives, and patients. This study seeks to investigate the true influence of pharmaceutical promotional tactics on doctors' drug choice in Egypt covering an array of promotional tools used by companies. The study utilized structured questionnaires, collecting data from doctors, medical representatives, and patients. A quantitative research approach was employed using a descriptive survey design to investigate the impact of pharmaceutical promotional practices. Data collection relied on a self-administered questionnaire, gathering information on demographics, promotional tools used by pharmaceutical companies, and doctors' perceptions of their influence. Statistical analyses, including the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test, One-Sample T test Chi-Square test, were used to analyze the data. The study findings highlight the importance of ethical and informative marketing strategies within the Egyptian pharmaceutical landscape. While medical representatives are well-educated and interact frequently with doctors, educational materials and practical items, not financial incentives, hold the most impact over prescribing decisions. Public perception of pharmaceutical promotion is shaped by diverse media sources, with patient demographics influencing the effectiveness of specific promotional tools. This study ends with practical recommendations for pharmaceutical companies seeking to enhance their marketing practices ethically and effectively. These recommendations include internal strategies such as educational content creation, ethical practices, and transparency initiatives, as well as external strategies such as the development of smart mobile apps for doctor engagement and targeted communication strategies designed for in-person interactions with doctors. These findings provide useful guidance to the pharmaceutical sector in developing future marketing strategies and opportunities.