Revising the role of the rep
Brian Canestraro walks us through how changed customer preferences are shaping sales approaches (340 words, 2 min)
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15TH ANNUAL NATIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL CONGRESS
Registration is now open for the 15th Annual National Pharmaceutical Congress.
In celebration of the 15th year of NPC, this year’s theme is Fifteen Big Ideas Driving Pharma Forward Post-Covid. This year’s conference will be held virtually on October 20 & 27, 2021.
Use our promo code “HEALTHBIZ” for 30 percent off the registration price.
“Compared to the early days of the pandemic,” Brian Canestraro, General Manager of Intercept Pharma, said the industry’s post-lockdown approach to customer engagement “is nothing short of transformative.”
“The significant amount of change that’s been going on across the industry throughout the pandemic [has been] a result of very early efforts across industry partners to understand customer channel preferences,” Canestraro (photo below) said during the 2021 NPC Summer Webinar.
While marketers are looking forward to seeing customers face-to-face, Canestraro believes a significant proportion of customers will continue to prefer to access information via digital channels.
Citing a private survey of over 250 HCPs conducted by ZS Associates, Canestraro noted that nearly 31 percent of customers expect to continue to meet with company representatives primarily via video call and that 18 percent plan to access promotional collateral digitally. “Customers have liked some of the newer experiences they’ve had over the course of the pandemic,” he said.
“In the post-lockdown world,” Canestraro said, “it will be important for [industry] to understand the mix of engagements—face-to-face, video calls, webinars, and emails—that will make the most sense to [each customer].”
“Ultimately, what we will see is a shift to a much more customer-centric, bespoke approach,” he said. “We’re going to have to become very comfortable attracting and evaluating engagement through different channels.”
Canestraro suggested that the customer-centric model will elevate the role of the rep. “They are positioned to observe changes in customer behaviour and needs sooner than anyone else,” he said, “and to not only capture but also maintain the customer’s attention throughout the execution and planning life cycle.”
“But these roles will need to be filled by people that exhibit a slightly different skill set now that we’ve seen this play out,” Canestraro noted. Successful reps will need to work well with technology, have a high level of emotional intelligence and strong communication skills, and be strong collaborators.
“This role is going to become increasingly important as a connector between customers and companies,” Canestraro said. “It’s time to revisit the value of reps.”
Further Reading: Countless surveys of HCPs have been conducted during the pandemic, and the trend is clear—digital engagement is here to stay.
THIS WEEK 10/12/21
Baylis Medical Company Inc. announced it reached an agreement to sell its cardiology business to Boston Scientific Corporation. This includes the NRG Transseptal Platform, the VersaCross Transseptal Platform, as well as the company’s transseptal sheaths and dilators and ventricular tachycardia solutions. Baylis Medical’s affiliate, Mississauga, Ont.-based Baylis Medical Technologies, is not part of the transaction and will remain a separate entity.
AbbVie announced that Health Canada has approved the use of the JAK inhibitor upadacitinib (RINVOQ) to treat patients 12 years of age and older with refractory moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD). RINVOQ has been approved for AD patients who are not being treated with a systemic AD treatment or when those therapies are not clinically appropriate. The Health Canada authorization is supported by data from a large Phase 3 clinical trial that included more than 2,500 participants with moderate to severe disease.
JAMP Pharma announced the launch of JAMP Dimethyl Fumarate, a generic version of Tecfidera. The therapy is a treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) that helps reduce the frequency of symptoms and can delay the disability progression.
Nutripur Inc. is recalling one lot (lot GC2210-1, expiry 08-23) of GENIUS Kids and Teens soft gel capsules because the product may contain Staphylococcus aureus. Consuming the contaminated product may result in abdominal discomfort or pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Children, adolescents and people with weakened immune systems may be more vulnerable to these adverse effects. These capsules are over-the-counter supplements advertised for children and teenagers to support brain and eye health, concentration and mental function.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Season Five of the NPC Podcast explored Pharma’s purpose, process, and people with a diverse list of guests across eight episodes. Podcast host Peter Brenders spoke with guests on clinical trials, laws and regulations, investments in life sci, manufacturing, working with the Canadian government, and implications of Covid-19. Did you miss an episode? Catch up now!
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 vocation and inspire 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.
2016 Inductee
Ed Dybka
Mississauga, Ont.
Editor’s Note: Ed is currently General Manager at Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals Canada.
Ed Dybka says it has been a humbling experience to be the President and CEO of AstraZeneca Canada Inc., since January 2015. “It is an exciting and challenging experience given that you have accountability for the leadership of a great, large organization and to bring a lot of really important medicines to Canadian patients,” said Dybka. “It has been an honour, especially for someone who started in Canada as a sales representative 28 years ago, to be able to get to the position of president of a big pharma company in Canada. [It’s] something I never dreamed about when I started my career.”
His involvement in healthcare began when he was completing a Bachelor of Science in toxicology from the University of Toronto and simultaneously working at Glaxo Canada as a student. Leveraging his time as a student, he was able to get a role as a sales representative, which was a memorable time in his career because he could see the therapies he was selling get into the hands of patients who needed them. “After being in the field and selling, you start to see your medications being used based on the education and the information that you provide as a sales representative,” he said. “I thought it was quite a privilege to have an impact on patient care in that role.”
After holding more senior roles, Dybka held several executive positions at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Canada from 2004 to 2012, including vice president of Marketing, sales, public affairs, and reimbursement. In 2012, Dybka led the start-up Almirall—a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of respiratory diseases that were affiliated with Almirall, based in Spain. “that was an important stepping stone in my career and a great experience starting up a company in Canada,” he noted.
Dybka said another career highlight was recently launching two new-generation cancer medications—LYNPARZA (ovarian cancer treatment) and TAGRISSO (lung cancer treatment)— at AstraZeneca. “Both types of medications are ‘personalized’ or ‘precision medicines,’ if you will, where the patient must have a certain genetic make-up or biomarker, and based on this, select patients are candidates for these two medicines. These more tailored medicines are very promising in terms of being able to extend people’s lives, and they represent the future of pharmaceuticals.”
Dybka is also a director on the Board of Life sciences Ontario and has served on other boards, including the George Hull Centre for Children and Families, the Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board, and the Canadian Pharmaceutical distribution network. The other important areas of his life are his family, sports, and his cottage. He lives with his wife and two children in Toronto and is an avid Blue Jays baseball fan.
NEXT WEEK
In the 10/19 edition of the NPC Healthbiz Weekly, words of wisdom from Eisai GM Pat Forsythe on post-Covid productivity and mental health. 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 week.