Pharmaceutical Contract Sales Outsourcing Market

Changing dynamics of the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries has led to innovation and modifications in the pharmaceutical sales model. Many small- and medium-scale pharmaceutical companies are outsourcing their sales and marketing operations to contract service providers known as contract sales organizations (CSO). Changes in market access, reimbursement policies, and industry competitive environment are key factors that are driving the expansion of contract sales organizations in the pharmaceutical industry. The contract sales organizations (CSO) offer varied services, ranging from telemarketing to sales training, to field management and sales force deployment. CSOs offer customized services to their clients such as dedicated sales or syndicated sales, which make them the preferred choice for managing result-oriented commercial partners for numerous pharmaceutical companies.

Increasing R&D and other operating costs in pharmaceutical industries are forcing many medium and big pharmaceutical companies to outsource their sales operations, as it offers cost controls, better results, and flexibility in terms of operations. CSOs offer expertise in terms of market access, healthcare authorities, and key account management on local level, which has led to the rise in number of CSOs in recent years and is estimated to continue in the near future. According to an independent survey in the U.S., 8% of pharmaceutical representatives were outsourced in 2011, which has risen to 11% in 2015, while in Europe, around one-third of pharmaceutical representatives are from CSOs. However, few CSOs offer their sales and marketing services to multiple companies operating in the same specialty, which may lead to a conflict of interest. This is a major concern among pharmaceutical players. Moreover, the increasing digitalization of marketing and sales of pharmaceuticals is anticipated to restrain the pharmaceutical contract sales outsourcing market.

The global pharmaceutical contract sales outsourcing market is segmented on the basis of sales model, service type, territory or area of coverage, and geography. In terms of sales model, the global pharmaceutical contract sales outsourcing market can be segmented into dedicated sales model and syndicate sales model. The dedicated sales model is found to be more attractive among specialty drugs manufacturer and big pharmaceutical companies. In terms of service type, the global pharmaceutical contract sales outsourcing market can be segmented into personal promotion, non-personal promotion, and other services. The personal promotion services segment can be further sub-segmented into sales force deployment, vacancy management, key account management, physician education services, and others. The non-personal promotion services segment can be sub-segmented into telesales, medical call centers, online marketing and sales, e-sampling, and others. Similarly, the others services segment can be sub-segmented into sales training, field management, medical science liasoning and others. The non-personal promotion segment has been widely adopted by most pharmaceutical companies for telemarketing and online and digital marketing and sales of their pharmaceutical products. In terms of territory or area of coverage, the global pharmaceutical contract sales outsourcing market can be segmented into country level and multinational.

In terms of geography, the global pharmaceutical contract sales outsourcing market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Europe is estimated to hold a prominent share of the global pharmaceutical contract sales outsourcing market and is anticipated to expand at a high growth rate due to price constraints for pharmaceutical companies. Asia Pacific is projected to follow Europe in terms of growth rate due to increasing expansion of international pharmaceutical companies in this region and need for CSO to handle the varied market dynamics across the countries in Asia Pacific.

Major players operating in the global pharmaceutical contract sales outsourcing market include Ashfield Commercial & Medical Services (UDG Healthcare PLC), Publicis Touchpoint Solutions, Inc., inVentiv Health, Inc., QuintilesIMS, PDI, Inc., Granard Pharmaceutical Sales & Marketing, Vanguard Pharma Inc., GTS Solution, MABICO S.A., and Sales Partnerships, Inc.

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• North America (U.S. and Canada)
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• Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)

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