The informative and persuasive components of pharmaceutical promotion

The objective of this paper is to review the literature on pharmaceutical promotion, highlighting the areas of contention. We examine the traditional methods used to promote pharmaceutical products and ask the question, ‘If the objective of promotion is to inform, persuade and remind the customer about why they should consider a particular product or brand, why is the promotion of pharmaceutical products so contentious?’ We draw upon the results of an exploratory case study that examined healthcare practitioner and pharmaceutical sales representative attitudes towards pharmaceutical promotion, and conclude with some thoughts on how information-based and persuasion-based pharmaceutical promotion can coexist.

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