THE INFLUENCE OF PHARMACEUTICAL INJECTION PACKAGING DESIGN ON SALES

摘要

The Indian Pharmaceutical Industry will witness a very high growth rate expecting to reach US$ 50 billion by 2015. In terms of purchasing power parity India ranks 4th in the World with an addition of 59 million households to growing middle class concentrated on its four major metro cities. The growing Indian market has strategic importance for the world pharmaceutical industry in terms of improvements in healthcare. The prescription of the doctors is based on the packaging design that differentiates the product in a crowded market. The role of technology in designing an attractive, communicating and utility packaging is of strategic importance to success in the market. In this paper we analyze the pharmaceutical injection package designs that are on offer in the market in the Indian market. This study identifies the package design that needs technological improvement based on the perception of the doctors of the culturally diverse Indian market. The study is based on the perception of 400 Indian doctors in the four major metro cities that have distinct cultural identities. The sampling was randomly selected covering the general practitioners and specialists. This study gives the direction for technological improvements in effectively differentiating the pharmaceutical injection in the market. The study showed that 41% of specialist doctors from Mumbai who are mostly influenced by the Western culture consider pharmaceutical packaging design of the injection as extremely important while prescribing. The study analyzed four types of injection package design and there was significant perception for the technological improvement of the packaging design for 'loose injections' sold in the market. This study has important implication for innovation and technology in terms of what specific packaging design needs improvement based on the perceptions of the doctors in order to stand out in the market. As the cultural aspects are considered this study gives a direction for the technology in terms of its acceptance and success for the global organization.