Abstract:   Pharmaceutical marketing malpractices, especially in Pakistan, are unethical ways to get doctors to prescribe drugs. This study examines how morally questionable personal selling malpractices (PSM) such as misleading information, disparaging remarks about competitors, and incentives affect Pakistani pharmaceutical physician prescribing judgments. We gather Pharmaceutical marketing unethical behaviors come under six categories: Misconduct in organizations 2. Physicians, 3. MR & Colleagues, 4. Culture, 5. Work pressure and competitiveness, 6. Job rewards and threats. We believe these unethical influences would cause personal selling malpractices and harm prescribing decisions. Adopted questionnaires surveys were completed by 391 medical representatives (MRs) and physicians in Karachi\'s, with an 82% net response rate. The model was tested using PLS Path Modelling (CFA). The study found that personal selling malpractices affect physicians prescribing. Organization, Physicians, MR-Colleagues, Culture, work pressure, and competition had a positive effect on personal selling malpractices, while job-related, rewards, and threat structure had an insignificant and negative effect. In contrast, MR-Colleagues\' related influence seems to lower the personal selling malpractices. Thus, job rewards and threat structure did not affect personal selling malpractices. The results also show that personal selling malpractices mediate between pharmaceutical industry practices, physician interactions, medical representative and colleague behavior, work pressure and competition, cultural influences, and physician decision influences. Identifying PSM elements and motivations can assist PI stakeholders reduce malpractices, develop professional awareness, and improve public image.

Keywords:   Personal selling malpractices, Pharmaceutical industry, Medical representatives, Physicians, Partial least square path model, Confirmatory factor analysis

Publisher:   ILMA UNIVERSITY

Published:   20 July 2024

Issue:   Issue 1 : Volume 20

E-ISSN:   2409-6520

P-ISSN:   2414-8393