Abstract:

The main arguments of this paper are threefold:- 1. Firstly, that although the concept of ‘global’ marketing of pharmaceutical products has many attractions, its application should be examined with extreme caution. In particular, that the onus of proof that a global brand can be successfully-created lies with its protagonist. 2. That a major obstacle to the development of global brands (or markets) lies more in substantial national differences in healthcare cultures and policies than in differences in marketing structures. That, while pharmaceuticals companies have excellent systems to track the size and composition of their markets, they devote less attention to the structure within which their markets operate.