Promotional spending dropped 6.4% between Q1 2011 and Q1 2012, according to Encuity Research

Encuity Research (Newton, PA), the rebranded service acquired by Campbell Alliance (Raleigh, NC) this spring, has begun publishing a quarterly Promotional Trends Report that draws on its syndicated and primary research tools to measure promotional activity in pharma. The just-released data show that year-over-year spending by pharma has declined to $7.32 billion in Q1 2012. The longer-range trend shows that annual spending has declined every year since 2008, when it was at $35.2 billion; 2011’s figure was $30.1 billion.

Although much has been said about the decline in rep detailing, spending has held fairly steady, at $9.7 billion in 2011, and with year-over-year quarterly spending actually up (to $2.44 billion) in Q1 2012 from Q1 2011’s $2.38 billion. Most of the year-over-year decline is centered on DTC advertising and sampling.

The Promotional Trends Report showcases Encuity’s capabilities in measuring promotional activity by channel, key opinion leader trends, promotional message tracking and sampling activity, to the brand level. Michael Turner, Encuity GM, points out that the company, formed from assets separated from IMS Health when it acquired SDI Health at the beginning of the year, has a 22-year background in this data-gathering. “Now, we can complement our data with the consulting services of the larger Campbell Alliance organization, as well as our parent, inVentiv Health, in meeting industry needs,” he says.