21.02.2025
General Overview In 2024, there is a moderate increase in promotional activity, indicating market stabilization following the crisis-induced decline in 2022 and active recovery in 2023. This publication analyzes key indicators and trends in pharmaceutical company promotion, as well as their impact on medical prescriptions and pharmacist recommendations.
The analysis is based on data from Proxima Research’s analytical system “PharmXplorer,” specifically the PromoTest and RxTest projects.
The analysis of promotional activity is based on data from the PromoTest project, which covers various promotion channels, target groups of specialists, brands, and marketing organizations. The study includes mentions of promotional activities for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, dietary supplements, medical devices, and baby food.
Monitoring is conducted via telephone interviews using standardized questionnaires. The survey participants include pharmacists, procurement experts, and doctors from 17 specialties, including therapists, general practitioners, gynecologists, pediatricians, neurologists, and cardiologists.
The analysis covers key promotional channels:
The analysis of medical prescriptions was conducted based on data from the RxTest project for 16 medical specialties.
Starting in 2025, the PromoTest and RxTest research will expand to three new cities: Stryi, Kolomyia, and Brovary. Additionally, RxTest reports will be available not only in Qlik View but also in Power BI for more flexible analysis.
In 2024, there were 8.0 million mentions by healthcare professionals regarding all types of pharmacy product promotions, reflecting a 4.3% increase compared to 2023.
The month-by-month trend highlights seasonality—lower activity during the summer and higher activity in colder months.
Medical representative visits remain the primary promotional channel, followed by remote communication. Foreign manufacturers more frequently utilize medical representative visits and conferences, whereas Ukrainian companies actively employ remote communication.
The foundation of prescription (Rx) drug promotion consists of medical representative visits and remote communication.
Compared to the previous year, in 2024, there is an increase across all top-10 medical specialties except for therapists/general practitioners. The most active growth is seen among pharmacists, gynecologists, and pediatricians.
For doctors, conferences and seminars are important promotional channels. Therefore, across all audiences, medical representative visits and remote communication account for a significant share, though the overall promotion mix remains diverse.
Among pharmaceutical companies, Israel’s Teva leads in the number of promotional mentions, followed by Ukraine’s Delta Medical in second place and Switzerland’s Acino in third.
In the pharmaceutical category, the most actively promoted brands are Olfen, Sumamed, and Decatylen.
Sumamed, an antibacterial systemic drug, is the leader in promotional mentions among pediatricians and therapists. Olfen, an anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic drug, is most frequently mentioned among neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, and traumatologists. Forxiga, used to treat diabetes, is most frequently promoted among endocrinologists.
The number of doctor prescriptions in 2024 has remained stable compared to 2023, with noticeable growth in the segment of drugs for cardiovascular diseases and endocrine disorders.
The leading pharmaceutical brands in terms of doctor prescriptions during the study period include the anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic drug Nurofen, as well as the antithrombotic agents Cardiomagnyl and Magnikor.
The ranking of brands based on pharmacist recommendations is led by cough & cold medications Fervex and Decatylen, as well as the antispasmodic drug Spasmalgon.
The overall number of healthcare professional mentions regarding promotions in 2024 increased by 4.3% compared to the previous year. This may indicate stabilization of promotional activity following disruptions caused by the full-scale invasion of Russia.
As before, medical representative visits remain the primary promotional channel. At the same time, the study period shows noticeable growth in remote communication, conferences and seminars, as well as TV and online advertising. This dynamic suggests that pharmaceutical companies are adapting to digital trends.
Among categories, both prescription and over-the-counter drugs hold the largest share of promotional mentions, while dietary supplements continue to expand their market presence.
Today, pharmaceutical companies use a wide range of communication tools, covering both offline and online channels. In this context, not just a multichannel but an omnichannel approach plays a key role—integrating various channels into a unified and coherent system to ensure seamless and effective communication.
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