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COVID-19 and the Pharmaceutical and Medical Sector in Poland, Part 1: Impact, Relations with Healthcare Professionals, and Clinical Trials

Impact, Relations with Healthcare Professionals, and Clinical Trials

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The DLA Piper report “The COVID-19 pandemic and the pharmaceutical and medical sector in Poland” is based on the feedback from a survey conducted among DLA Piper’s clients and business contacts from the pharmaceutical and medical sector, including producers of medicines, food supplements and medical devices, as well as healthcare service providers. It is the first report that brings together the views of key players in the pharmaceutical and medical industries, describing how they see the current state of affairs on the Polish market and possible future trends, along with their recommendations as to what actions they would like to see taken in the sector. The key findings are summarised in our four briefings, the first of which focuses on the overall impact of the pandemic as well as relations with healthcare professionals and clinical trials.

Overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the medical and pharmaceutical sector

Respondents clearly indicate that the pandemic will reshape the medical and pharmaceutical sector. Over 85% of respondents are convinced of this, with over 60% of respondents saying “definitely yes”.

Of course, these results are not surprising, but they clearly confirm the importance of the pandemic for the functioning of the sector.

Relations with healthcare professionals

Shift to remote interactions

The pandemic has digitalised professional relations. We asked our respondents whether this change will persist in 2022 and in the years to come.

Over 80% of the respondents believe that face-to-face meetings with healthcare professionals will be held online - with half of this group believing it will be “much more frequent”.

It should be noted that these meetings do not refer to “office” relationships where remote meetings were already common before the pandemic, but rather interactions with healthcare professionals which used to take place in the traditional form.

Decreasing budgets for sponsorship

More than half of the respondents agree that corporate budgets associated with sponsoring attendance at scientific conferences will decrease in the years to come, compared to the time before the pandemic. Only about 15% believe these budgets will increase.

Reduction in employment of sales representatives

Half of the respondents believe that the employment of sales representatives in Poland will decrease in the coming years compared to 2019. According to almost one third, there will be no changes. A statistically negligible group believes that employment in this field will increase.

Respondents therefore agree that the pandemic will not have a positive effect on the employment of sales representatives in Poland in the years to come – they believe that it will decrease. However, the vast majority of respondents who expressed this view do not think that the reduction will be significant.

Clinical trials

Longer clinical trials but chances of greater efficiency

The respondents answered two questions about clinical trials and the pandemic: Are clinical trials taking longer during the pandemic? Will the use of digital technologies in clinical trials during the pandemic make the process more efficient in the long term?

Nearly two-thirds of the respondents indicate that clinical trials take longer during the pandemic. 

However, digital technologies are developing rapidly and the pandemic has only accelerated this trend – especially in the areas of communication, sales and online service. According to more than three-quarters of respondents, the use of digital technologies during the pandemic will bring greater efficiency in clinical trials in the long term.

Based on the DLA Piper report “The COVID-19 pandemic and the pharmaceutical and medical sector in Poland”.

By Andrzej Balicki, Partner, and Jolanta Dabrowicz, Senior Associate, DLA Piper

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