Educating sales reps during Covid-19
Jim Shea of the CCPE explains the increased interest in professional education for Life Sciences personnel during the pandemic (700 words, 3 mins.)
NPC Healthbiz Weekly is presented to you in cooperation with Peak Pharma Solutions
Many behavioural phenomena have been observed during Covid-19, but here’s one completely overlooked finding: The pandemic may have caused a rise in Pharma reps registering for educational courses.
That observation was recently made by Jim Shea, General Manager of Council for Continuing Pharmaceutical Education (CCPE.) Based in St-Laurent, Que., the organization supports the research-based pharmaceutical industry through rep accreditation and education.
“We were able to continue our mandate [during Covid.] We weren’t scrambling to implement new technology or live training. The most high-tech thing that we do is provide webinars, and those are standard. Things didn't change too much,” Shea (photo below) explained on a recent episode of the NPC Podcast, a program for Pharma executives hosted by Peter Brenders. Brenders is the General Manager of BeiGene Canada. (Listen to the episode here.)
“What I did see happening was people were coming to us and many of them only know us through their accreditation course,” Shea continued. “What was happening is that people were asking about courses and they were pleasantly surprised that they weren't going to have to invest 200 to 300 hours to take one course with us. So we saw increased interest.”
Shea notes that at the start of the pandemic, the increase in registrations included a variety of people, from Pharma reps to head office types looking to invest in themselves.
He added the many of the registrations were coming from savvy industry types who understand the pharma business but were looking to maintain their level on the employment ladder and looking for ways to educate themselves.
“There was an increase where maybe a rep would be asking about market access or marketing or people management,” Shea said. “I'd see managers asking about market access—basically trying to learn something about their next [potential] job or learn something that they might have a blind spot on.”
Shea said he saw a change in the interest in CCPE courses once the focus shifted to how the industry would use technology to keep reps active in the field. The demand for training in new technologies and implementing changes created an internal education for Pharma companies and their reps, he said.
The takeaway: With the approach and structure for Pharma field forces continuing to evolve during the pandemic, Shea believes the best field reps will be those who are able to engage with their customers.
“The best reps [work well with] people,” he said. “No matter how they're interacting with their customers, they've been able to engage. Engagement has become a bit of a buzzword, but quite frankly, engagement as it's being used is very important.
“If in real estate it is location, location, location… certainly in sales, it is all about engagement, engagement, engagement.”
For Pharma reps to future-proof their role, Shea said they would have to prove their value to customers and convince their employers that reps continue to be the most impactful resource for marketing a product.
Further reading: An article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at the transformational effects of Covid-19 on medical education. Read it here.
ANNOUNCING CHRONICLE.ACADEMY’S NEWEST COURSE FOR LIFE SCIENCES PROFESSIONALS
Chronicle.Academy is pleased to announce a new program in Direct-to-Consumer Marketing for Canadian pharma, device, OTC and biotech marketers and managers. Offered in three interactive modules, concluding with a live seminar. As featured in the Vancouver Sun, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette and Toronto Sun. Find out more about this innovative structured learning opportunity by clicking here.
YOUR HEALTHBIZ WEEK 04/20/21
Novartis has inked a deal to make ingredients for Roche's Actemra treatment repurposed for people with Covid-19, according to a Reuters report. Actemra is a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, which is also being tested in various clinical trials to treat Covid-19 associated pneumonia. Novartis will make the active pharmaceutical ingredients for the drug at its Singapore site, which will get the necessary technology and expertise during the second quarter of this year.
Roche announced that Health Canada has granted market authorization to risdiplam for treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in patients two months of age or older. Risdiplam works by helping the body make more of a protein called "SMN protein." Risdiplam increases and sustains the amount of SMN protein in the body, which helps to treat SMA. It is the first therapy for SMA that can be taken at home and is administered once daily by mouth or feeding tube.
Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that nivolumab (injection for intravenous use), in combination with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy, was approved by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer, and esophageal adenocarcinoma, regardless of PD-L1 expression status. The approval is based on the Phase 3 CheckMate -649 trial evaluating nivolumab in combination with mFOLFOX6 (fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin) or CapeOX (capecitabine and oxaliplatin), compared to chemotherapy (mFOLFOX6 or CapeOX) alone.
The Government of Canada announced funding of $46 million to enhance Ontario’s virtual health services. Under the funding agreement, the province will continue to accelerate virtual health care services during the pandemic. In the coming weeks, the province will develop an action plan that outlines how it will invest the funding to expand virtual health services.
UPCOMING NATIONAL PHARMA CONGRESS WEBINARS
The National Pharma Congress Spring Webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12, 2021 (click here to register), and the Summer Webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, June 22, 2021. Be sure to watch the NPC HealthBiz Weekly for updates on the events.
CANADIAN HEALTHCARE MARKETING HALL OF FAME
The Canadian Healthcare Marketing Hall of Fame awards were established in 2002 to honour healthcare marketers who have contributed to our avocation and are an inspiration to others.
More than 100 honourees have been selected during the past 18 years. In the selection committee's view, they stand for a representative cross-section of the qualities that make our business unique and fulfilling. Each week, NPC Healthbiz Weekly will acknowledge one past Hall of Fame Honouree.
2019 Inductee
Rob Seguin
Thrive Partnership Group
Newmarket, Ont.
Editor’s note: Rob joined the Thrive Partnership Group in 2017 as its Managing Partner—a role he currently holds.
Rob Seguin is the first to admit his path to a career in the pharmaceutical industry was unusual. After his honours bachelor of commerce degree in marketing at Carleton University in Ottawa, he was prepared to enter a career in the high-tech industry. However, a meeting with a classmate following his final exam set Seguin on a career path in the pharmaceutical industry.
“Within 48 hours, I went from about to sign on with Digital Equipment, and go into the high tech industry, to suddenly working for Allergan as a salesman. I don’t even have a science degree,” said Seguin.
“It was an unusual start, but 30-something years later, I guess it turned out alright.”
Helping him make the transition from the high-tech field to the pharmaceutical industry was Sheldon Kovensky. Then the vice president of sales and marketing at Allergan, Kovensky thought Seguin was somewhat of an unusual hire.
Born and raised in the small town of Chalk River near Ottawa, Seguin was admittedly “rough around the edges”, but fearless—a characteristic which convinced Kovensky to take Seguin under his wing.
“I think he liked that I was the kind of kid that had to make his own way, like him. I paid my own way through school, worked while I was in university because I couldn’t afford not to.”
“He ended up mentoring me for a good 15 years. He brought me into marketing eventually, after about three-and-a-half years in sales, first in Ottawa and then he moved me to Toronto to do specialty ophthalmology sales”
Looking back on his 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry, Seguin notes how much fun and challenge he enjoyed at each turn. From a marketing perspective, he is most proud of his role in Allergan’s Botox Cosmetic launch.
“I had moved to the head office in the US in 1995 with my wife, Christine, and young family in tow and again, Sheldon helped stretch my abilities by lobbying for Botox Cosmetic to be launched in Canada first, under my group. We were able to showcase Canadian innovation and leadership, from our thought-leader physicians to our willingness to try bold, direct-to-consumer pr and advertising strategies in a more restrictive market, but in a true business partnership with our physician injectors.” The Canadian model for Botox was adopted worldwide and has helped propel the cosmetic use of the drug to blockbuster status.
In 2003, Seguin left the pharmaceutical industry to launch the Productive Leadership Institute, now known as The Thrive Partnership Group, a company that provides consultative and analytics support in the areas of corporate culture, team performance, sales force effectiveness, and leadership development.
“I’d say the biggest thing I learned from the corporate pharmaceutical experience—that I help my clients with now—is the power of great leadership. I see the enormous difference in performance when people are working for ineffective leaders and doing just enough to keep their jobs, versus being “on fire” when they get to work for a leader and in a culture that supports their values and lets them be their authentic selves.”
NEXT WEEK
The 04/27 edition of NPC Healthbiz Weekly will feature Paul Petrelli, General Manager of Jazz Pharmaceuticals, on creating value with physicians, reputation management, and the resiliency of the Pharma industry. It’s easy to get your no-charge subscription and have the issue sent to your phone or inbox each Tuesday at 6:00 a.m. sharp.
Stay safe, stay sure, and stay on your game. We’ll see you again next Tuesday.