Press Release

Morris Plains, NJ, April 19, 2010 – Skila’s Dr. Susan Dorfman, Global Vice President of Marketing, Product Innovation and Alliances, and Dr. Brian D. Smith, founder of Pragmedic and editor of the Journal of Medical Marketing, have been featured at eyeforpharma’s Market Access Europe 2010 Conference in London, focusing on their editorial in the Journal of Medical Marketing’s special market access issue. “Pricing, Market Access, and the Return of Reality” focuses on issues within the healthcare and market access industry, specifically the price mechanism. This mechanism for health-care products is often distorted, making it difficult for healthcare professionals and healthcare administrators to work together to decide on the value of a product. As a result, healthcare systems are not always receiving the value of what they are paying for. Ultimately, the outcome is that less money is available to spend on superior products which will eventually benefit society less.

“Market Access is probably the single most important issue facing marketers in pharmaceutical and medical technology today,” expresses Dr. Smith. “It is crucial to listen to experts explain where the frontiers of our knowledge and practice lie and where the next advances might arise.” Critical factors for market access teams to be successful include the pricing of products, communicating value to payers, and integrating those activities with the rest of the discovery and development process. The significance of these factors are the basis for Skila’s market access business solution, iAccess. “Understanding the value of the investments a team has made in each account and communicating the value of your products is an essential part to determining an accurate pricing mechanism,” says Dorfman. “Skila has designed iAccess with these needs specifically in mind. We understand how difficult this process can be without the right communication. However, with the right knowledge clients can adjust to the realities of a value-driven world.” This editorial, which was presented by Dr. Smith during eyeforpharma’s Market Access Conference 2010 in London, further expresses the needs and concerns for pricing in today’s the market access industry.

About The Journal of Medical Marketing

The Journal of Medical Marketing aims to facilitate excellence in marketing and strategic management in the pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic and other markets in which the customer is a clinician or related professional. Every quarter the Journal contains a range of peer-reviewed papers, including both practitioner studies and leading edge academic research, covering the breadth of the industry. The Journal also provides expert analysis of the changes taking place in the global medical market, and reviews the latest market research reports available in all three industry sectors.

To access the article at JMM visit: Market access, are you really ready?