Abstract:

This paper describes the development of using Medilink's General Practitioner panel to track attitudes and prescribing intentions over time and using the data derived as a basis for forecasting new product performance. Medilink's 'on-line', interactive, self-completion market research panel of GPs was set up as a national panel in early 1984. The issue of the Government's Limited List proposals provided a platform to demonstrate the value of the Medilink panel in terms of a large sample providing users with 'fast-feedback' of results on a regular survey basis - an ideal research vehicle to track changing attitudes. The first six months of a new product's life is critical in determining its future success - fast feedback is vital for the ethical pharmaceutical manufacturer. For this paper a new product launch was tracked on AGB Medilink. This launch was one of the first major new products to be monitored on a monthly basis by Medilink, for this paper we have examined, and compared the results to IMS, the results of a years Medilink data. Particular attention was paid to aware prescribers and non-prescribers future prescribing intention and their subsequent prescribing behaviour. A relationship was found and a means of forecasting future performance examined. Today's new product monitoring on Medilink includes, as well as products, selected patient data thus providing the essential ingredients for any model to be used to forecast future new product performance.