The pharmacist's role in the Egyptian pharmaceutical market

Purpose - Pharmaceutical companies' marketing strategies have traditionally targeted only physicians and, more recently, consumers. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of the pharmacist as prescriber, influencer, switcher, and dispenser of pharmaceutical drugs in one developing country, Egypt. Design/methodology/approach - The authors surveyed pharmacists in Cairo, Egypt. The pharmacists were asked to estimate the percentages of patients who came in with a prescription, with only a box or a recommendation for a medicine and with only symptoms, and whether he/she switched the patient to another medicine. Pharmacies were classified as to the social class of the pharmacy neighborhoods. Cluster analysis was used to further classify pharmacists as "Influencers" and "Non-influencers". Findings - Overall the pharmacists influence 39 percent of all purchase decisions for pharmaceuticals with higher levels of influence in lower social class neighborhoods. Approximately one out of four pharmacists was classified as an Influencer. Practical implications - In developing countries, the pharmacist plays a key role in which medicines patients ultimately purchase. Marketing activities directed toward the pharmacist may provide an important opportunity to maximize the pharmaceutical firms' return on marketing investment. Originality/value - Few studies have looked at the marketing of pharmaceutical drugs in developing countries. This paper is unique in that it examines the role of the pharmacist in these markets, thus providing an important addition to the understanding of the challenges to the industry in these countries and important implications for pharmaceutical marketing strategies.