The Hindu Business Line : Ranbaxy foot-soldiers set to change ‘sales pitch’

Mumbai, Sept. 6 Foot-soldiers of Ranbaxy, some of whom have been with the company for over 20 years, are set to change the “sales pitch” they make when promoting the company’s medicines to doctors across the country.

Earlier, Ranbaxy’s medical representatives (MR) were the face of an “Indian multinational”. But now, the 2,000-odd field-force will approach doctors as part of the world’s fifteenth largest pharmaceutical company, says Mr Vivek Sawant, a Mumbai-based Ranbaxy MR, explaining the change in ground-realities after Japanese drug-maker Daiichi Sankyo bought Ranbaxy’s entire promoter stake in a $4.6-billion deal.

Mr Sawant has been with Ranbaxy from the days of its visionary-founder Mr Bhai Mohan Singh. “I have also grown along with Ranbaxy,” he says, recounting Ranbaxy’s development from a fledgling company fighting in the local market to gaining ground internationally under Dr Parvinder Singh and Mr D.S. Brar, and the final change in guard to the promoter-family’s third generation under Mr Malvinder Singh.

Doctors wary

Despite being recognised by doctors as a Ranbaxy MR, Mr Sawant and others in the fraternity had “a tough time” convincing doctors, he says, after the Daiichi deal in June. “We had a tough time for one month, answering doctors’ queries and convincing them that nothing will change,” he said. An assurance they made to doctors, even as they worried over their own future with the company, he added.

Some doctors reacted sharply, as they favoured Ranbaxy’s medicines, given that it was an Indian company, he observes.

After a series of meetings with Ranbaxy’s management over the last two months, the MRs have come to understand that since Daiichi does not have a field-force in India, it will rely on Ranbaxy’s field-force to sell in the country, an MR said. At present, Ranbaxy’s field-force promotes about 500 generic products across 10-odd divisions, he said.

Ranbaxy’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Mr Malvinder Mohan Singh, told Business Line that between Ranbaxy and Daiichi, more innovative products could be offered to physicians, giving them a wider choice to meet patients’ needs. “To further consolidate our leadership position in the domestic market, we will look at expanding our existing field-force in India,” he added.

Ranbaxy’s strength in generics and Daiichi’s research prowess are likely to continue in the same model that makes Novartis and Sandoz co-exist peacefully, observes Dr R.B. Smarta, head of consultancy firm Interlink, who was an MR himself several years ago.

Against this backdrop, the field-forces’ skill in promoting generics will continue to be required, he observes. Innovative products are unlikely to dominate the local market even in 2015, so specialised training to promote innovative products may still be a while away, he observes.

Generics will continue to be the bread and butter for the company, agrees another Ranbaxy MR, on concerns that the flow of generic or chemically-similar products will reduce from Ranbaxy, as the reins of control shift to Daiichi. That is the understanding for now, but we will keep our fingers crossed as changes happen in future, he added.

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