Advice You - Business

We realize choosing a marketing consultant can be a tough decision to make. We also realize that making the wrong choice can cost your business a lot

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

of extra money! Because of this, we have outlined a few key areas to consider when selecting a new consultant or a consulting company. To assist you i

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

your selection process, use the following considerations as your last “gut check” before making a commitment.

1. Not all consultants are leg

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

timate.
Make sure the consultant you’re considering has a good reputation and appropriate credentials. Do your homework and check their

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

eferences.

2. You will be working very closely with your chosen consultant.
Be sure you see yourself and your organization wor

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

ing well with this person or firm. Do they “fit” into your culture and work environment? Do they seem comfortable with your people? Do your people f

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

el comfortable with them?

3. Not all consultants will track their own success or failure.
Advertising and marketing agencies ar

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

the last holdout for unchecked spending couched in the myth that ‘Marketing is not traceable.’ is trend is changing in your favor. Bottom line: dema

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

d a ROI tracking method on your investment from your consultant.

4. Your consultant may not “dig deep” to find ways to be cost conscious and

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

ave you money.
You should demand as an example: they discuss ways to save printing or design costs by using one marketing piece for seve

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

al functions. Another example, they should be able to delegate work to junior level people or to your people.

5. Not all consultants will tel

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

l you the truth, even if it hurts.
Look for a consultant with integrity. Likewise, be ready to hear that the brochure you created has ro

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

m for improvement. The last thing you need is a consultant that agrees that everything is just fine as-is.

6. The best consultants are not f

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

natic die hards for only one marketing philosophy.
Great consultants continue to educate themselves in all areas in order to give you th

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

best tools, techniques and methods available. If the consultant you’re considering assures you they have the “One best system”, watch out!

7

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

Consultants may try to make you dependent on them - be wary!
Good consultants share how they do what they do – excellent ones teach you

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

how to do marketing yourself and work themselves out of the job.

Deciding on the right consultant is very important for your company. No one can cons

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

der every possible question or scenario that may arise in selecting a good consultant and we trust this material is a helpful beginning to your select

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

on process. We encourage you to contact us with any questions - we’re available to help.

“It seems that about 50% of those calling themselves “con

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

ultants” don’t really know what they’re doing, but almost 90% of those buying consulting services don’t know how to tell the difference!” – unknown

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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Advice You - The 7 Things You Should Know Before You Hire A Marketing Consultant

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