2011 Volume 21 Issue 2 Pages 189-203
Prescription drugs are characterized by the fact that doctors make decisions regarding prescription drugs to be purchased, using their professional expertise on patients' behalf. This decision-making process is different from that of general consumer products. In the product selection of prescription drugs, other than the manufacturers (pharmaceutical companies) who develop and produce products and the consumers (patients) who use and consume the products, doctors are involved as the persons who actually select them. Then, given the relationships among these three groups of people, do pharmaceutical companies' CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities lead to an increase in sales of prescription drugs in either the short or long term?
In this study, we analyze the impact of pharmaceutical companies' CSR activities on doctors' decisions regarding prescription drugs in an exploratory approach. We conducted qualitative research by interviewing with six breast cancer specialists. To clarify what kinds of CSR activities are preferred, we also conducted interviews with six breast cancer patients and their advocates, and compared patients' views on pharmaceutical companies' CSR activities with doctors' views.
The main finding from this study is that pharmaceutical companies' CSR activities rarely affect doctors' decisions regarding prescription drugs directly. It is also shown that usefulness is considered most important for prescription drugs in specialized medical fields while the reputations of the pharmaceutical companies are regarded most important for those in non-specialized fields, and that pharmaceutical companies' CSR activities contribute to enhancing their reputations. Furthermore, it is found that patients' views on pharmaceutical companies' CSR activities are different from doctors' views.
