Drug sample fulfillment architecture

• US 20040236630A1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symmetryrx, LLC
• Original Assignee: Skyscape.com Incorporated
• Inventors: Burrows, Susan T., Hector, Zachary K., Singer, Steven E., Chrobuck, Timothy, Tovrea, David V., King, Scott M., Kost, Cecil
• Granted Patent: US 8,082,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients

Abstract

One of the major components of the present invention is to provide a process to facilitate the fulfillment of drug samples to prescribers in several different manners. With the present invention, a prescriber can request actual drug samples on-line or can order on-line coupons for drug samples to be given to patients who in turn go to a pharmacy to obtain the free medications. As a third alternative, the prescriber can print the coupons in his own office to give to patients who in turn redeem the coupons for free medications at a pharmacy.

Claims

1. A system for promoting pharmaceutical drugs, comprising:

a set of brand rules for guiding a distribution of drug samples of a drug; and

a drug sample fulfillment platform for implementing the set of brand rules to allow a prescriber to obtain drug samples to dispense to a patient without the use of a sales representative.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein drug samples include physical samples.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein drug samples include a pad of pre-printed vouchers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein drug samples include a coupon printed in the office of the prescriber, which is networked to the drug sample fulfillment platform.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the drug samples, which are in a printed form, are redeemable at a pharmacy, redeemed data being generated by the drug sample fulfillment platform for refining the brand rules so as to better guide distribution of the drug samples.

6. A system for distributing pharmaceutical drugs, comprising:

a drug sample fulfillment platform for accessing drug sample services; and

a first set of Web pages coupled to the drug sample fulfillment platform through which a prescriber can access the drug sample fulfillment platform to order drug samples.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a second set of Web pages coupled to the drug sample fulfillment platform through which a sales representative can access the drug sample fulfillment platform to print coupons.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising a third set of Web pages coupled to the drug sample fulfillment platform through which a patient can access the drug sample fulfillment platform to obtain sample vouchers.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the first set of Web pages display a list of drug samples available to the prescriber to order drug samples in a form selected from a group consisting of physical samples, pre-printed vouchers, and print on-demand coupons.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the first set of Web pages display a list of the order history of the prescriber, the list including a date and a drug sample ordered by the prescriber.

11. A system for marketing pharmaceutical drugs, comprising:

a pharma rules sample engine for performing personalization and intelligent brand rule implementation and a marketing sample engine for integrating with drug sample suppliers and Web portals for prescribers, the pharma rules sample engine and the marketing sample engine being based on a set of brand rules and set of prescriber preferences.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the set of brand rules include products, allocation quantity, sample type that is selected from a group consisting of live samples, pre-printed samples, and on-demand samples, and drug strength, and/or from either within or between brands.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the set of brand rules include timing considerations that is selected from a group consisting of sample offer time limit and rolling expiration dates for vouchers from either within or between brands for which a quantity of the drug samples can be ordered.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein a pharma rules sample engine modifies the brand rules so as to change a quantity limit of the drug samples to be distributed to the prescriber.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the marketing sample engine links the drug sample fulfillment platform to one or more supplier of drug samples so as to inhibit a lack of or inconsistent supply of drug samples desired by the prescriber.

16. A drug sample fulfillment platform, comprising:

a drug sample Web site for mating with a portal that is selected from a group consisting of prescriber-oriented Web portals, an e-Detailing service, and a Web site regarding a drug brand; and

a request database for receiving requests of a prescriber through the drug sample Web site for drug samples, the request database responding to the prescriber by allowing the prescriber to print coupons or to print an order form for physical samples or pads of pre-printed vouchers.

17. The drug sample fulfillment platform of claim 16, wherein the request database receives claim information when a patient redeems a print coupon or a pre- printed voucher for physical samples.

18. The drug sample fulfillment platform of claim 17, wherein the request database produces a first report accounting for the number of coupons or vouchers redeemed by patients of the prescriber.

19. The drug sample fulfillment platform of claim 18, wherein the request database produces a second report correlating an allocation of drug samples of a drug to the prescriber with the number of prescriptions written by the prescriber relating to the drug.

20. The drug sample fulfillment platform of claim 19, wherein the request database produces a third report accounting for the monetary amount spent by a pharmaceutical company on a drug sample fulfillment program for a drug and a monetary amount associated with prescriptions written by the prescriber for the drug.

21. A networked system for ordering pharmaceutical sample drugs, comprising:

a drug sample fulfillment platform that comprises a drug sample Web site for mating with a Web portal when a prescriber selects a hyperlink;

k, the drug sample Web site presenting a Web page including selectable options for the prescriber to order drug samples.

22. The networked system of claim 21, wherein the drug samples are in a form selected from a group consisting of physical samples and pre-printed vouchers.

23. The networked system of claim 21, wherein the selectable options of the Web page include a quantity for each drug sample, which is specifiable by the prescriber.

24. The networked system of claim 21, the selectable options of the Web page include a delivery location to which the drug samples will be shipped.

25. The networked system of claim 21, wherein the selectable options of the Web page include an option for printing on-demand vouchers on a printer in the office of the prescriber.

26. A method for selecting prescribers for a drug sample distribution, comprising:

dividing prescribers into one or more segments based on pharma brand manager defined criteria;

within a segment, associating products, allocation quantity, sample type that is selected from a group consisting of live samples, pre-printed, and print on-demand, and drug strength from either within or between brands based on brand rules; and

within a segment, associating timing considerations that are selected from a group consisting of sample offer time limit and rolling expiration dates for vouchers from either within or between brands based on brand rules.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising within a segment, the association of a combination of sample types to be made available to the prescribers, a sample type being selected from a group consisting of physical samples, pre-printed vouchers, and print coupons.

28. The method of claim 26, selecting one or more deciles of prescribers to target the drug sample distribution prior to executing the above acts.

29. The method of claim 26, selecting one or more specialties of prescribers to target the drug sample distribution prior to executing the above acts.

30. The method of claim 26, charging a pharmaceutical company a fee for implementing the brand rules in selecting prescribers.

31. A method for accessing a drug sample fulfillment platform, comprising:

activating a link to access the drug sample fulfillment platform from a Web portal;

creating a transaction that includes a prescriber identifier and a partner identifier; and

mating a drug sample Web site to the Web portal allowing a prescriber to navigate and order drug samples.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising formatting a set of Web pages of the drug sample Web site prior to the act of mating to emulate the look and feel of the Web portal.

33. The method of claim 31, causing the prescriber to register if the prescriber identifier is not found in a request database.

34. The method of claim 31, based on a segment to which the prescriber belongs, determining drug samples that are available to the prescriber, a drug sample quantity limit that is available to the prescriber, a drug sample time limit in which the drug sample quantity limit is available, and the type of sample that is available to the prescriber.

35. The method of claim 34, receiving a selection for physical samples, the act of receiving including receiving a drug selection, a type of drug sample selection, a quantity of drug sample selection, and a delivery address.

36. The method of claim 35, receiving a print request to print an order form capturing the drug selection, the type of drug sample selection, the quantity of drug sample selection, and the delivery address.

37. The method of claim 36, recording the requesting activities of the prescriber in a request database.

38. The method of claim 34, receiving a selection for pre-printed vouchers or print coupons, the act of receiving including receiving a drug selection, and a quantity of coupons to be printed.

39. The method of claim 38, receiving a ship request to ship the pre-printed vouchers or a print request to print coupons capturing the drug selection.

40. The method of claim 39, recording the requesting activities of the prescriber in a request database.

41. The method of claim 40, receiving a request to print a first report that lists registration data of the prescriber, the requesting activities of the prescriber, and the claim data from a claim processor that is indicative of redeemed pre-printed vouchers and print coupons at pharmacies.

42. The method of claim 40, receiving a request to print a second report that correlates drug samples of a drug distributed to the prescriber and with prescriptions written by the prescriber relating to the drug.

43. The method of claim 40, receiving a request to print a third report that accounts for the return on investment for a monetary amount spent on a drug sample distribution program for a drug and the monetary amount received from prescriptions for the drug.

44. The method of claim 40, detecting fraud by comparing the drug sample quantity limit and the time frame in which the drug sample quantity limit is available to the prescriber and the claim data which is indicative of the number of pre-printed vouchers and print coupons redeemed by patients.

45. The method of claim 40, refining the drug sample quantity limit of the prescriber based on the number of redemptions of pre-printed vouchers and print coupons associated with the prescriber.

46. A method for creating a stream of revenue from a drug sample distribution, comprising:

capturing a sample request on a drug sample fulfillment platform; and

charging a pharmaceutical company a transaction request fee for the sample request for drug samples associated with a drug sponsored by the pharmaceutical company.

47. The method of claim 46, preparing one or more reports based on prescriber data, sample request data, and claim data extracted from the drug sample fulfillment platform, and charging a reporting fee to the pharmaceutical company for the preparation of the one or more reports.

48. The method of claim 46, charging the pharmaceutical company a sample redemption fee for each successful redemption of a pre-printed voucher or print coupon by a patient as detected by the drug sample fulfillment platform.

49. The method of claim 46, charging the pharmaceutical company annually a brand service fee for the use of the drug sample fulfillment platform, the maintenance of the drug sample fulfillment platform, and the customization of the drug sample fulfillment platform to comply with the brand rules.

50. The method of claim 46, charging the pharmaceutical company an implementation fee for tailoring the drug sample fulfillment platform for segments of prescribers.