The pharmaceutical industry grows more and more digital every day, but companies are still struggling to manage their internal and external material compliance, especially when it comes to approved content, briefing and withdrawals.

By failing to fully implement and monitor the activities associated with field sales and marketing operations, you increase several business and compliance risks; from failing to meet product marketing statutes, falling short of industry standards or violating anti-bribery laws. Beyond the strict financial penalties which can be incurred, you also need to consider the impact of reputational loss with regulators, patient groups and your customers from non-compliance.

We all know how difficult and time consuming it can be to email briefing documents, chase‑up receipt of acknowledgment and ensure all team members have understood the action.

It is also no longer good enough to simply demonstrate a briefing note was sent: you must prove it was read and, most importantly, understood. When you add the challenge of distributing content to different devices and platforms you can never really be confident that everyone has access to the latest approved content they need. It then becomes even harder to know if withdrawn or non-compliant content is still in circulation.

As a growing pharmaceutical company, it is critical to have a system for managing and auditing material compliance built into your growth trajectory.

Without a system in place, you will struggle to fully address these challenges.