Assessing export opportunities for generic medicines

What is shaping pharmaceutical

Pharmaceutical and medical-device companies need evidence from doctors, pharmacists and patients, gathered with verified respondents, strict confidentiality and careful questionnaire design.

• Prescribing behaviour is shaped by evidence, experience and access
• Pharmacies influence brand substitution and adherence
• Patient journeys reveal unmet needs between visits

A generic medicines manufacturer, working in South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Malaysia & Indonesia. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.

Organisation

A generic medicines manufacturer

Sector

Pharmaceutical

Team engaged

Market Research

Services

Research consultancy, Business panel, Financial modelling

The manufacturer wanted to prioritise export markets but faced different registration requirements, competition and pricing in each country.

• Deliver on the brief: assessing export opportunities for generic medicines.
• Understand the views, needs and behaviour of distributor.
• Uncover the motivations and barriers people do not state in a survey.
• Give the client evidence it can act on within 8 weeks.

The work focused on 30 distributor.

• distributor30

Audiences we typically reach in pharmaceutical

Physicians and specialistsPharmacists and chemistsNurses and allied HCPsPatients and caregiversHospital procurement teams

Coverage: South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Malaysia & Indonesia. Markets: South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Malaysia and Indonesia.

• South Africa
• Egypt
• Morocco
• Malaysia
• Indonesia

A qualitative design, built to uncover motivations, decision processes and the language people actually use.

1. 1Brief
2. 2Desk research
3. 3Distributor interviews
4. 4Market model
5. 5Insight

We combined regulatory desk research with interviews with distributors and experts, assessing demand, registration timelines, competition and pricing, then scored markets.

Research consultancyBusiness panelFinancial modelling

distributor

30

• Business respondents were screened on role, company size and involvement in the decision before being invited.
• Online respondents were drawn from verified panel members who matched the screening criteria, with quotas on key profile attributes.
• Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.

• The online survey was mobile-friendly and offered in respondents' languages.
• Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.
• Secondary sources and client data were compiled and cross-checked before modelling.

• Digital fingerprinting and duplicate checks
• Attention, speed and straight-lining checks
• Review of open-ended answers
• Recordings and transcripts for every session
• Re-screening of qualitative recruits
• Logic and range checks on the final data
• Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures

• Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
• Journey and decision mapping
• Market model built from secondary data and primary evidence

• Two markets offered the best balance of demand and registration feasibility.

Regulatory timelines can matter as much as market size.

• Build on the core insight: regulatory timelines can matter as much as market size.
• Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: two markets offered the best balance of demand and registration feasibility.
• Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.

• The manufacturer began registrations there first.

What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.

• Insight report and management presentation
• Cleaned data file and data tables

• Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
• A natural follow-on question: how do pharmacies influence brand choice?