Cases - Business

In the dynamic new world we live in, we might almost be forgiven for thinking that we are enslaved by technology and run

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

over on the information highway. Yet, the other way of looking at it is how technology and all those doses of free-flow

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

ing information have empowered us, in ways previously unimaginable.

Nowhere is this new power bestowed on us more prono

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

unced than in the world of business and marketing. The Internet has given a whole new impetus to viral and word of mouth

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

marketing; in fact, one could say that it has led to the resurrection of these age old marketing methods. Today, news a

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

bout a company or business- both good and bad- flows so quickly and with such momentum that it has the potency to create

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

or destroy businesses.

Businesses that don’t listen to what their consumers are saying and how the society rates them

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

re bound to fail, sooner rather than later. In fact, consumer feedback and its impact on branding has become a recurring

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

theme amongst marketing thinkers recently. A growing number of books and case studies highlight the correlation between

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

the success of companies that are in tune with their customers’ needs and feedback, or the rapid decline or fall from g

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

race of companies that do not take customer feedback as seriously.

Most companies do have their own mechanisms to gathe

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

r customer feedback in an organized and structured manner, but unfortunately many of these feedback mechanisms are desig

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

ned to tell the companies what they really want to hear. Companies would be foolish to ignore the subtle signals from th

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

e market or the muffled voices of disillusioned customers floating around the Internet.

Such public feedback forums cer

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

ainly have their skeptics and critics who question the creditability of comments that are not moderated. Anyone can say

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

anything about anyone and get away with it, they say. Yet, these skeptics need to understand that the general public see

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

ms to have an uncanny knack of discerning right and wrong, and separating the genuine from the fake. Simply put, despite

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

the susceptibility to manipulation, there seems to be a kind of auto-correction in operation that ensures that business

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

es can ignore their consumer sentiments voiced over public forums at their own peril.

Companies would do well to realiz

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

e and accept at least the spirit of the statement: Business is for the consumer, by the consumer, of the consumer.

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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Cases - The Power of Open Consumer Feedback

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