FROM COVERAGE TO CONVERSION: MR ALLOCATION AND PRESCRIPTION UPTAKE IN TIER 2 INDIA

Abstract

India’s pharmaceutical industry is really big. Is expected to reach USD 130 billion by 2030. While big cities have always been the focus of pharmaceutical marketing Tier 2 cities like Indore, Jaipur and Lucknow, are growing fast. They have people with money, better healthcare and more chronic diseases.. The way medical representatives are allocated in these cities is not well planned. This dissertation looked at how medical representatives are allocated how they cover their territories and how this affects prescription uptake in Tier 2 Indian pharmaceutical markets. I used a mixed-method research design that combined survey data and industry analysis. I surveyed 118 practitioners and physicians in Indore, Jaipur and Lucknow. I also used data from IQVIA, AIOCD Awacs and other sources. The study found that medical representative visit frequency is positively correlated with prescription volume. Territory coverage is the predictor of conversion rate. There are differences in prescription conversion rates across the three cities. Lucknow had the conversion rate while Jaipur had the lowest. Based on these findings I recommend that pharmaceutical companies use a frequency weighted territory allocation model provide relationship intensity training for representatives and use AIOCD prescription audit data to reallocate territories. This study shows that medical representative allocation strategy can improve prescription conversion in -metro Indian pharmaceutical markets.