Pharmaceutical firms build databases to fight own-label

Pharmaceutical companies are developing customer databases as their brands lose out to own-label and generic prescription health products.

Manager of the health sector at ICD Marketing Services, Alyson Jackson, says every major pharmaceutical company in this country is investigating sampling programmes and building databases to promote those products which can be sold without prescriptions over the counter (OTC) to consumers.

Jackson also says that price cutting from Asda and the potential threat from retailers like Sainsbury’s launching their own mail order operations means pharmaceutical companies are having to look at ways to raise brand awareness.

He adds that manufacturers such as Warner Wellcome, Roche Products, Lamberts Healthcare and Smith-Kline Beecham are all involved in building databases and developing sampling programmes.