DRUG SAMPLING

Drug sampling is one of the most fundamental activities a pharmaceutical representative will need to perform on a regular basis. A drug sample is a unit of drug which is not intended to be sold and is intended to promote the sale of the drug product. Physicians use samples as starter packs for patients after a medical examination or diagnosis of a disease in their offices. The samples may be accompanied by a prescription for the same medication. Sampling may be the single most important factor in a pharmaceutical rep’s success. Once a patient is started on a sample medication and is doing well on it, physicians are usually very reluctant to change. Therefore, it is essential and vital to have a significant and prominent presence in the sample cabinet of a medical office.

Manufactures and distributors are required to have systems to monitor and audit the distribution of their drug samples. They must provide the FDA with the name and phone number of all individuals responsible for responding to requests for information concerning drug samples; and they must maintain lists of representatives and drug sample storage sites.

Samples are usually shipped to the home of the representatives. They are required to insure that the shipments and quantities are correct and sign for receiving them. Meticulous records must be kept of sample inventories. In most cases representatives are required to account for their samples periodically through reports and inspections. The inventory must reflect the inventory and activities previously reported by the representatives.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers also require that representatives store samples in a secure area where people cannot access them without permission and where they will not be subjected to extremes of temperature, moisture and contamination.

Upon visiting a medical office for the first time, the representative should thoroughly examine the sample storage area. In most cases the sample storage area will be a cabinet or a closet area. Various drugs and medications will already have been placed in certain sections. It is important not to disturb or change this order. Physicians and staff expect certain drugs to be in certain specific areas, and any unauthorized disturbance of this order can cause the staff to waste time in search for them. Before accessing or changing anything in a sample cabinet, the representative must obtain permission from the medical staff, specifically the nurse or staff who are responsible for the sample cabinet.

The most effective way and routine way to see a physician is to position oneself at the sample cabinet or closet waiting for them to come out of an examination room or to the cabinet to retrieve samples. No high-pressure tactics should ever be used in such a situation. The pharmaceutical representative should make eye contact with the physician, greet them in a way that invites them to ask a question about your company’s product. Among the best ways to do that is while requesting a signature for the products left. If the doctor is busy or is in the middle of a crisis, the representative should discreetly leave samples, get the signature and leave. If the body language indicates that they have a few seconds, you should go directly into your sixty-second presentation with product, features, benefits and closing.

A sample closet or cabinet is essentially similar to a grocery store shelf. The more visibility you can give your drug, the more it is likely to be used. Even after giving a great sales presentation, the physician is unlikely to go look behind other drugs at the back of the shelf to find your product unless it is truly unique. Ideally, you would want your drug at eye level in the front of the shelf so it can be easily seen and retrieved. This visibility is a great way of reminding the physician about the presentation you made earlier. If all the prime spaces are occupied, ask a staff member if you can place the sample in a particular spot so that they can be found easier. Part of sampling is a jockeying position. In many cases, by the time a representative comes back around in four to six weeks, the sample will have been moved or displaced. It is a good idea to leave samples with product literature on the counter near the sample cabinet because the physician may just decide to try your product on a patient on the same day you spoke with them while the clinical information is fresh in their mind.