Team Discussion
What do I mean? Well, this popped up the other day: ASDA (part of the WalMart group) is about to start selling asthma relievers at £7 for two. I can imagine a row of blister packs behind the pharmacist’s counter – the drug is the same, how are you going to choose?
Anyone over 16 can buy their own, which raises the prospect of image-conscious teens and beyond selecting whatever suits their mood or dress. It will be interesting to see the effect on manufacturers and pharmas now that there is a need to differentiate your product on the shelf. All the skills and knowledge of the fast moving consumer goods industry will be required. Not just the needs, but the wants, of end-users will have to be taken seriously, perhaps for the first time, which in itself may influence the mind-set if not the techniques of device design teams.
I wonder what the response will be of the industry, especially the regulators, to market success of the least efficacious (but gorgeous) device? What will that mean as device design budgets get lean and stretched? Do you put the money into the engine and efficacy, or do you invest in the aesthetic and packaging? Which will drive success?
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