The Future of eSampling Portals

In a video interview with Pharma Commerce, Mark Jara, founder and CTO of RxS, dives into how the sample distribution process in the pharmaceutical industry has evolved significantly over the years. A major change has been the reduction in the size of sales teams. In the past, organizations had large sales forces with 5,000-10,000 representatives, but that is no longer the case. Technological advancements and changes in product types have contributed to this shift. While products were once ambient (requiring less complex distribution), they are now more biologic and often require cold chain logistics, catering to a smaller, more specific patient population.

This shift in product types means that the traditional push model of distribution—where samples and literature were sent out to healthcare providers (HCPs) by sales reps—is no longer the primary approach. Instead, pharmaceutical companies have moved toward a “right-sizing” of their organizations, streamlining operations and using alternative communication methods. The new model is more focused on the needs of HCPs, who now drive the communication process. HCPs are the ones requesting access to samples at their convenience, based on patient needs.

This shift from a push to a pull model reflects broader changes in the industry, where technology, product specialization, and the role of HCPs in decision-making have reshaped the way samples and information are distributed.

Jara also discusses the value in an online portal that offers logistics flexibility, the inspiration behind developing SampleHub, the future of eSampling platforms, and more.

A transcript of his conversation with PC can be found below.

PC: How do you envision eSampling platforms developing over the next decade?

Jara: The post-COVID world just expanded from a reach perspective, as well as from a technology perspective, where AI is getting into the middle of all this. Data analytics is getting to be part of this, because once you have a platform—or more so a consolidated platform—it gives everybody the ability to do that analytics. Personalization is going to play a big factor so when these healthcare providers do log into these portals, there's going to be a lot more personalization of that, driven by the remote aspects of HCP telehealth these days.

We're certainly going to see where there's no longer brick and mortar. How does a representative go to a non-brick-and-mortar location and have a discussion—a fluid discussion—with an HCP? They're ultimately going to be within these portals, where it's personalized to the HCP and their habits of what kind of products they like. Coupled with telehealth, it's ultimately going to be direct-to-patient as well, because being not brick and mortar also, how do you then provide, or handoff by a healthcare professional, potential sample products to see if they'll be useful for the patient? Try Drug A, and get back to me in two weeks, see what that experience looks like.

It's going to go from the hands of the HCP directly to the hands of the patient at this point, which now minimizes that supply chain. Ultimately, where it used to go from manufacturer, logistics, to healthcare professional to the patient, now, all of a sudden, it's in the hands of the HCP. They're logging in when they need to, when they want to, for a specific patient in mind. You don't see that push-versus-pull mentality. It's all about the patient in this whole process.