| The main purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the effect that pharmaceutical marketing communications in Puerto Rico has on physician's prescribing practices, and to determine if the communication and promotional system used represents an apparent ethical conflict, keeping in mind that Research and Development should prevail over marketing tactics. The population under study was physicians mainly situated in the Western area of Puerto Rico. The research methodology involved three phases: first, exploratory research; second, a qualitative primary data collection based on in-depth personal interviews, and third, a descriptive method based on a cross-sectional study. Four hypotheses were formulated and tested using Meta Analysis, two were rejected, one was accepted, and in a fourth hypothesis, the researcher could not find enough evidence to accept or reject it. Based on the theoretical approaches examined and the results from empirical research, the researcher can affirm that pharmaceutical marketing communication impact or influence the way that physicians prescribe. Findings suggest that the most prescribed drugs are the pharmaceutical's promoted drugs while the most used source of information to learn about drugs is provided by drug representatives, an action that creates an additional conflict. From the marketing perspective, findings reveal that the communication systems utilized are not the most adequate and that pharmaceutical companies should decrease their marketing costs and encourage more research and development programs in Puerto Rico and worldwide. Recommendations and guidelines of what should be the appropriate interaction between medical practitioners and drug representatives are included. |
