The Effect of Unethical practices in Pharmaceutical Personal Selling on Physicians Prescription Decision: A Comparative Analysis based on Medical Representatives’ and Physicians’ Perspectives

Abstract

Malpractices in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in Pakistan, are lamentably prevalent, as they involve the deployment of unethical marketing techniques aimed at persuading physicians to prescribe their medicines. The primary objective of this research is to uncover the ethically questionable aspects of personal selling practices in the Pakistani pharmaceutical sector. Data was gathered through the utilization of adopted questionnaires from a total of 391 MRs and physicians who are employed in the bustling city of Karachi. The hypotheses were tested using PLS Path Modelling (CFA) and Multi Group Analysis (MGA). The findings suggest that the choice to prescribe the medication could be influenced by certain unethical practices observed in the personal selling process. The MGA findings also highlight the impact of disparaging remarks about competitors on physicians' decision-making within their group. Additionally, providing incentives has been found to significantly influence the decisions of physicians in the MRs group. Furthermore, physicians have a greater understanding of the impact of making disparaging remarks about competitors compared to MRs. Similarly, MRs are more conscious of the effects of providing incentives than physicians. In addition, this study found that there is a notable distinction in the impact of certain unethical practices on the prescribing decisions of medical representatives and physicians. The findings may not be universally applicable, for the intricacies of the topic matter are manifold. Identifying dimensions of unethical practices and their drivers can potentially aid PI stakeholders in mitigating their impact, enhancing professional awareness, and elevating public image. This study, a rarity indeed, examines the perspectives of multiple players on malpractices sub-dimensions.