E-Folder - Business

Do you have customers or do you have clients? Someone asked me yesterday to explain the diff

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

erence. He claimed that it was just semantics and that basically customers were clients and

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

ice versa. I was surprised that he felt that way, because there is a distinctively important

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

difference between the two.

So exactly what is the difference between a customer and a clie

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

t? Let's look at a couple of examples of each, and you will understand why having clients is

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

better than having customers.

If you walk into a convenience store and buy a cup of coffee,

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

are you a customer or a client? You are a customer, of course. If you go to a lawyer's offi

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

ce and hire the attorney to represent you, are you a customer or a client? In this case, you

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

are a client. Some might discern that the difference is whether you provide a service or a p

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

roduct. But no, that is not it either. Here is another example. If you go to a car wash an

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

get you vehicle cleaned (a service), are you a customer or a client? In this case you are s

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

ill a customer. If you go to an insurance agent and purchase a life insurance policy (a prod

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

uct), are you a customer or a client? I would call you a client. So the difference is not w

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

ether you provide a product or a service.

The difference is the relationship
tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen
> you have with the person buying from you. Clients make a commitment to buy your product or
t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel
service from you on a long term basis. A customer is a hit and run type buyer. If you cater
ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
to customers, you have to be continually searching for them. Clients on the other hand don'
y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products
need to be replaced as often, and they will generally pay you more for your product or servi
.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de
ce.

If you strive to turn your customers into clients, you will work less and earn more. Wi
elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip
l the next person who buys from you be a customer or a client? You decide.

To Your Success

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

Tags

Links

E-Folder - Turn Customers into Clients and Prosper

Related Articles: