For 30 years, the world's leading pharmaceutical manufacturers have placed their trust in Produkt + Markt's Healthcare Research Division. But what exactly makes us your perfect contact in this field of research? Managing Director Katja Birke answers this question in an interview.

Ms Birke, what is special about the Healthcare Research division at Produkt + Markt?

What is special about us is clearly that we provide our clients with an all-round carefree package. We have 30 years of experience in Rx market research and have broad expertise in a variety of indication areas and market research along the product life cycle. Particularly noteworthy here is certainly also the continuous, tailor-made support for our clients. Many of our currently 39 employees in the Healthcare division have been with us in pharmaceutical market research for more than 10, 15 or even 20 years and take care of projects reliably and with a high level of commitment.

What distinguishes Healthcare Research at Produkt + Markt?

The Produkt + Markt group now consists of three companies - market research and consulting (Produkt + Markt), telephone data collection (MARKETphone) and our newest family member, information-based CX management consulting (pm+). With pm+, we carry out projects in which our clients and doctors meet, such as advisory boards, co-creation workshops or design thinking approaches. In addition, through pm+ we have built up expert panels for client-specific communities with doctors or even patients, who are strongly committed and are also available for qualitative projects at very short notice. 
 
In the quantitative area, we rely on our own online access pool doc.prompt, which currently comprises 15,000 entries from all specialist fields. The close contact with our doctors pays off: Qualified random samples, high response rates and satisfied doctors.

What are the special issues and challenges that the sector has to deal with? And how do you deal with them?

Since 2005 we have been dealing with the reporting of adverse drug reactions and in the following years we have built up a professional AE management at Produkt + Markt Healthcare.

Another real challenge is the need to meet compliance requirements on the one hand and the clients' desire for real-time results on the other. We already knew this contradiction from quantitative projects, now this desire has also established itself for the qualitative area. And if, from one moment to the next, important areas of the marketing concept are undermined by external factors such as a pandemic, new methods and a high degree of creativity and flexibility are needed to provide immediate insights. Thus, there is actually never any standstill, and the sometimes the buzzword "agile" has not only since last year been firmly anchored in our study processes. 
But despite all our flexibility, we attach great importance to a high standard of quality. With our quality management, we ensure that all specifications and PV regulations are implemented and adhered to in every single project step. 


Which team can the customer trust at Produkt + Markt Healthcare?

Customers can expect a motivated team with many years of experience. As already mentioned, many colleagues have been working for Produkt + Markt in the healthcare sector for well over 10 years. Our clients benefit not only from our methodological know-how and diversity of methods, but also from our knowledge of markets, indications and preparations. Together, our team has over 400 years of professional experience. Our customers have a fixed contact person and, because of the many years of cooperation, also a "knowledge manager" at their side. 

And how have you experienced the year 2020?

Thanks to our Business Continuity Plan, which we have implemented in the company for many years, we managed to move all processes to the home office very quickly when the Corona crisis began. We were able to switch all our studio days to virtual qualitative market research within a few days. Nevertheless, we are now looking forward to the time when personal exchange with our clients and doctors will be possible again.