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You may not have the funds to build an e-commerce system on the scale of Amazon, but there are several lessons you can learn from them that will

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

help you sell more, online and offline.

Make it easy to buy. Amazon pioneered One Click Ordering, where customers’ shipping and credit ca

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

d information is stored for future purchases. They make it easy to buy without pulling out your wallet and inputting a lot of data. Can you set u

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

accounts or keep customer billing information available so they can buy with a phone call or a signature?

Get others to sell for you. Am

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

zon.com Associates was the first online affiliate program. Associates link from their Web sites to Amazon.com, and they are paid commissions for

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

he sales they refer. Today, more than 900,000 Web sites send customers to Amazon.com. You can implement your own affiliate program with inexpensi

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

e software, or by using one of many services that will administer your program for you. Offline, reward customers who send new business your way

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

ith free products or services.

Show related products. While shopping at Amazon, you will see suggestions such as “Customers who bought th

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

s item also bought . . .” Make displays of related products in your retail location, group products and accessories in your catalog, and list pro

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

uct suggestions on Web pages.

Provide customized information. Amazon remembers what you buy and even the products for which you have shop

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

ed. Your shopping habits are used to provide personalized recommendations when you arrive at Amazon.com. You may be able to use features in your

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

online shopping cart to make upsells based on the item purchased. Send e-mails or postcards to customers who bought certain products when you hav

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

a new product or service that might interest them.

Encourage the growth of community. Customers can post reviews to any product page on

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

mazon.com. Want to recommend a favorite product, or warn others about a dud? Post a review. Although the system isn’t perfect, you can get a lot

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

f good information from customer reviews, and the availability of this information encourages customers to shop at Amazon. A user group or online

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

forum can make customers feel a part of your community.

Do what you do best. If you visit Borders.com, you will discover that it is run b

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

Amazon.com. Borders decided that they did not want to reinvent the wheel when it came to e-commerce, and turned over their Web site to Amazon so

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

they could focus on their brick and mortar stores. You can learn from both sides of this relationship. If something doesn’t fit with your core bu

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

iness, outsource it. If there is something you do very well, consider offering the service to others, even your competitors. Everyone wins.

Alth

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

ugh you may not (yet) be a giant, you can learn lessons from the giants such as Amazon.com. Apply them to your business and increase your profits

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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We’ve heard all the slogans: companies promise to treat their customers like royalty. It's clear that for many companies, customer service never transforms from a slogan into a way of doing business. But any business can become a champion of customer service. Here are 5 ideas that will help your company focus on total customer satisfaction.

Becoming the topmost leader in a corporate environment is tough and entails lots of commitments and responsibilities. You have to devote your time, effort and skills and expertise in the work you are doing to gain credit from your current line.

Managers are overwhelmed with information, much of it coming from the people who report to them. The answer is in their own hands.

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