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The oral diabetic market will more than triple within the next five years, according to a new forecast from consultants at The Plymouth Group, Somerset, NJ.

TIM HANKE Berlex Laboratories Chairperson of the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society CLEARWATER, FL - When Berlex Laboratories began developing neurology products about five years ago, sales rep Tim Hanke began calling on doctors who treated patients with multiple sclerosis.

In another market-study report, the New York-based strategic management consulting firm Datamonitor predicted a significant decline in the global antihypertensive market by the year 2010.

The Certified Medical Representatives Institute Inc., Roanoke, VA, has added three new self-study courses to its continuing education program for pharmaceutical sales representatives.

The first in a series of three articles on creativity in selling.

Plan dinner meetings that tempt and educate.

Our most precious commodity - "face-to-face, one-on-one" selling time with physicians - continues to decline in both quantity and quality. While there are certainly those glorious times when "just a minute" turns into a 15-20 minute pride-of-the-training-class sales extravaganza, many, if not most of our sales encounters are of a less epic proportion.

Know who's who and how they influence prescription volume.

New hypertension medicines - angiotensin II receptor blockers - are among the more popular products gaining acceptance in the managed care market, according to Newton, PA-based Scott Levin's annual spring formulary survey.

Much to the disappointment of the FDA, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and numerous patient advocacy groups, legislators failed to debate or pass the FDA reform bill (S 830) before Congress' summer recess. At press time, discussions were expected to be resumed after the August recess.

Imagine you're with two potential customers. You paste on your best smile, offer your help and information, ask a multitude of questions to gain rapport and then close the sale. But somehow, the customers escape without giving you any kind of commitment. What went wrong?

The Food and Drug Administration announced a proposal that will require that new drugs and biologics be labeled for safe use in children. If approved, the mandate may also apply to some medicines that are already approved and in use.

Rep profile

The FDA loosened restrictions for advertising prescription pharmaceuticals on television and radio.

One major pharmaceutical company unloaded a bevy of over-the-counter products at press time as another announced its plan to sell its entire line of prescription generics.

Although every sales manager's personality and work style is unique, there are similarities in what many expect from the representatives who work for them.

Focus groups give you an in-depth understanding of the variable needs of managed care organizations and healthcare providers.

Follow these seven steps to make meetings more productive.

Your course of actions when doctors say 'no.'

The growth of physician practice management companies.

Two industry leaders recently launched programs to improve patient compliance and persistence with their medications.

The global antidepressant market is the largest and fastest-growing segment of the central nervous system market, according to a new report released by Datamonitor, New York.

Despite a lack of conclusive research results, the Food and Drug Administration alerted physicians that treating women for obesity with a combination of fenfluramine and phentermine may be linked to valvular heart disease.

Women confuse osteoporosis with arthritis, according to an urgent public health advisory from the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

The American Pharmaceutical Association recommended that the FDA follow through on its proposal to improve readability and uniformly format labels for all over-the-counter products.

Excerpts from National Society of Pharmaceutical Sales Trainers president Andy Hartnett's opening comments at the society's annual meeting in June:

The pipeline for new medicines that treat cancer is stronger than ever, according to a new survey conducted by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

What should a rep do six months after a launch? Try a territory management concept called phased targeting.

This final article in our three-part technology series makes predictions about the future of multimedia computers and pharmaceutical sales forces.

How to sidestep sticky sales situations.