Abstract:

Not more than three decades ago it would have been arduous to describe the role of the Medical Department in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Frequently confined to esoteric tasks and committed to distilling any medical information which could have definite promotional value, the Medical Director or Adviser was regarded by his Marketing counterparts as a watchdog. More than anything else superb ignorance not uncommonly summarised their mutual relationship. It can be reasonably assumed that in those same days, the valuable contribution of market research was not properly acknowledged and that the advice of market researchers was requested only when problems surfaced.