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Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics · Research topic

Open research questions in Pharmaceutical industry and healthcare

32 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 509 Pharmaceutical industry and healthcare papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • This scoping review addresses a critical gap in pharmaceutical marketing research by mapping the variables of commercial detailing-a field that, unlike AD, lacks a standardised measurement framework. We enhanced the study's rigor by adhering to the PRISMA-ScR checklist and utilizing the JBI framework for data extraction and appraisal [26]. The review spans a comprehensive timeline (2014-2025), capturing both traditional face- to-face interactions and modern e-detailing trends, such as those governed by the UCPMP 2024. By integrating multiple theoretical lenses - Agency Theory, TPB, and ELM - the study provides a robust conceptual explanation for physician decision-making across diverse global contexts [17]. Despite its rigor, the review faces several limitations. The inclusion of non-medical prescribers, such as nurses and pharmacists, may introduce variability in how detailing influence is processed. Furthermore, the reliance on self-reported data introduces a risk of subjectivity bias; many clinicians exhibit an "illusion of invulnerability," believing they are immune to marketing while their peers are susceptible [2]. We also identified a persistent evidence gap regarding the lack of direct links between communication markers and objective pharmacy claims data. Finally, the focus on specific national directives, such as India’s UCPMP 2024 [24], may limit the global generalisability of some regulatory findings.

    Mapping the Influence of Commercial Detailing on Prescribing Decisions: A Scoping Review · 2026 · DOI

  • This study has several limitations. The sample size was limited, and participation in both mentor sessions and surveys was voluntary, which introduced potential selection bias. The post-session response rate was lower than the pre-session response rate. The surveys were anonymous and not linked to an individual, preventing paired analysis. The survey instrument was developed specifically for this educational evaluation and did not undergo formal psychometric validation. The mentor sessions were conducted by an individual with professional experience in Medical Affairs, including the MSL profession, which may have introduced presenter bias. Additionally, the study assessed immediate self-reported changes in awareness and interest rather than long-term outcomes, and no longitudinal follow-up was conducted to determine whether changes in career interest were sustained over time. The descriptive design precludes causal conclusions. Longitudinal follow-up across multiple cohorts would strengthen the understanding of sustained impact.

    Alternative Clinical Careers for Physicians: A Mentor-Focused Study of Medical Science Liaison Career Awareness During a Wilderness Medicine Program in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies shame-inducing content in aesthetic surgery social media advertisements (21% prevalence globally) as a concern raised by Turkish managers, but lacks analysis of whether the Turkish regulatory framework explicitly addresses psychological manipulation techniques or emotional exploitation in healthcare marketing. Evaluation of how existing regulations address specific persuasive tactics in aesthetic healthcare advertising is needed.

    Advertising Ban in Healthcare: A Qualitative Study from the Perspective of Private Hospital Managers in Türkiye · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper notes that 12% of the Turkish public prefers completely unrestricted healthcare advertising versus 68% preferring controlled advertising, yet patient-level data on how healthcare advertising actually influences treatment selection, procedure overuse, and medical decision-making in the Turkish population remains absent. Direct patient studies examining the impact of hospital advertisements on healthcare utilization patterns are needed.

    Advertising Ban in Healthcare: A Qualitative Study from the Perspective of Private Hospital Managers in Türkiye · 2026 · DOI

  • The qualitative data from 12 managers is susceptible to social desirability bias, as participants may align responses with professional ethical standards rather than revealing actual practices. A mixed-methods approach combining qualitative interviews with quantitative analysis of actual hospital advertisements on social media platforms would strengthen findings on real versus reported advertising behavior.

    Advertising Ban in Healthcare: A Qualitative Study from the Perspective of Private Hospital Managers in Türkiye · 2026 · DOI

  • Findings on the distinction between legitimate hospital information provision and manipulative advertising lack objective content analysis metrics. Development of standardized criteria to differentiate informational content from promotional advertising in the Turkish healthcare context is needed, particularly for evaluating compliance with ethical boundaries in hospital communications.

    Advertising Ban in Healthcare: A Qualitative Study from the Perspective of Private Hospital Managers in Türkiye · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper references Schenker et al.'s assertion that rigorous evaluation of regulatory efforts is lacking to determine if stronger regulations can mitigate harmful aspects while preserving competitive benefits. No empirical comparison of healthcare advertising regulatory models (permissive, controlled, or ban-based) in different jurisdictions has been conducted to establish which approach most effectively protects patient safety and informed decision-making.

    Advertising Ban in Healthcare: A Qualitative Study from the Perspective of Private Hospital Managers in Türkiye · 2026 · DOI

  • Social media platforms are identified as the 'weakest link' in the advertising ban legal framework due to algorithm-driven content blurring information-promotion boundaries, yet no empirical analysis of Turkish regulatory enforcement mechanisms or compliance audit procedures for social media healthcare advertisements exists. Rigorous evaluation of regulatory efforts on digital platforms is needed to determine whether stronger enforcement or complete prohibition is appropriate.

    Advertising Ban in Healthcare: A Qualitative Study from the Perspective of Private Hospital Managers in Türkiye · 2026 · DOI

  • The study's scope was restricted to private hospital managers in Türkiye, excluding perspectives of public hospital administrators and independent healthcare professionals on advertising ban implementation. Comparative analysis across these stakeholder groups is needed to understand how advertising regulations affect different institutional contexts and professional roles within the Turkish healthcare system.

    Advertising Ban in Healthcare: A Qualitative Study from the Perspective of Private Hospital Managers in Türkiye · 2026 · DOI

  • Strengths and limitations of this study : This study investigated the level of knowledge and awareness among 474 pharmacists in Jordan, who are employed across diverse sectors within the field of pharmacy.

    Assessment of knowledge and opinion towards microneedles technology among jordanian pharmacists · 2025 · DOI

  • A key barrier to introducing a new course that could close the gaps was insufficient time in pharmacy curriculum (n=33; 60%), while availability of ready-to-adopt course materials was considered as a helpful enabler.

    Identifying the teaching content on substandard and falsified medical products in global pharmacy education as critical public health issue · 2021 · DOI

  • Actions taken in June 2009 by the AMA House of Delegates suggest the value of accreditation and credit systems in the US should be studied with regard to costs and benefits that might further align CME with patients' interests and physicians' incentives.

    It is time to study the costs and benefits of regulating continuing medical education in the United States · 2009 · DOI

  • Originality/value Recent estimates suggest that over half a million people are in paid employment in the UK voluntary sector; however, relatively little is known about HRM within this sector.

    Comparing HRM in the voluntary and public sectors · 2005 · DOI

  • Although direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) has generated substantial controversy, little is known about its effects on consumer and physician behavior.

    Effects of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising on Medication Choice: The Case of Antidepressants · 2004 · DOI

  • <h3>ABSTRACT</h3> Despite various surveys of consumer attitudes toward direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising, little is known about the effectiveness of specific advertising campaigns.

    Media and message effects on DTC prescription drug print advertising awareness · 2003 · DOI

  • Still, knowledge is scarce on how treatment staff understand the impact of this assessment method on disciplinary roles, work prioritizations, collaboration with other stakeholders, and meeting service users’ needs.

    Staff Interpellation of Drug Testing in Youth Substance Use Treatment: Enactments of a complex Biotechnological Object · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the development of regulatory agreements appears challenged by the fact that such agreements are not required by regulatory agencies overseeing medical products and have no standardized templates, agency or industry guidance.

    Standalone Regulatory Agreements for Product-Development Collaborations in the Medical Products Industry · 2024 · DOI

  • Even though marketing and consumer researchers with both quantitative and qualitative orientations have recently joined forces to tackle these emerging topics, healthcare and medical decision making remain understudied substantive areas.

    Emerging Marketing Research on Healthcare and Medical Decision Making: Toward a Consumer-Centric and Pluralistic Methodological Perspective · 2022 · DOI

  • Therefore, we state that the identification of the choice determinants of aesthetic medicine services is a promising yet still under-researched area of study.

    Determinants of purchasing decisions of innovative aesthetic medicine services in Poland · 2021 · DOI

  • There has been limited research in the drugs field that has taken “participation” as an object of study in itself and through critical examination attempted to open up new possibilities for its remaking.

    Recasting Participation in Drug Policy · 2018 · DOI

  • Reader responses to the catalog, a book-like publication promoting medical tools, appliances, and pharmaceuticals, have been chronically understudied, as have professional reading practices within medicine more generally.

    (Re-)Reading Medical Trade Catalogs: The Uses of Professional Advertising in British Medical Practice, 1870–1914 · 2012 · DOI

  • Most of the book is concerned with the former, which means that questions of resistance to prescribed drugs are not explored except in Michael Barr and Diana Rose’s chapter about antidepressants.

    Pharmaceuticals and Society: Critical Discourses and Debates · 2010 · DOI

  • Originality/value The authors have provided a contribution to an under researched field through the examination of the challenges facing voluntary sector drug treatment providers in recent years.

    Voluntary sector responses to increased resourcing challenges · 2008 · DOI

  • Calls for a ban are premised on empirical evidence for harm that is inconclusive at best, and emerging literature in economics suggests that detailing may well be socially beneficial.

    Drug Reps and the Academic Medical Center: a case for management rather than prohibition · 2008 · DOI

  • Self-regulatory codes of conduct are used to control the promotional practices of the pharmaceutical industry, but the effectiveness of these codes in controlling pharmaceutical representatives' presentations has not been examined.

    Self-Regulatory Codes of Conduct: Are They Effective in Controlling Pharmaceutical Representatives' Presentations to General Medical Practitioners? · 1998 · DOI

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32 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 509 Pharmaceutical industry and healthcare papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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