More than half of physicians impose moderate-to-severe pharma rep access restrictions

More than half of physicians impose moderate-to-severe access restrictions on pharma sales rep, according to the spring 2015 AccessMonitor report from global marketing firm ZS.

This is largely down to unstable market conditions and changing in medical education. The report considered how often more than 400,000 physicians and other prescribers meet with sales reps who visit their offices. Physician access has been in decline since ZS’s first report in 2008, where 23% of physicians place moderate-to-severe restrictions on sales reps visits, compared to last year’s 53%.

Pratap Khedkar, leader of ZS’s global pharma practice, said: "The pharmaceutical industry is in the middle of a fast, steady decline in physician access – and we expect this pattern to continue for the foreseeable future. Even traditionally rep-friendly physicians now limit sales rep access. Interestingly, oncology was considered rep-friendly in 2010 with 75% of oncologists labeled as 'accessible.' Now, the tables have turned: Seventy-three percent of oncologists are labeled as 'access-restricted’”.