Understanding Sample Usage and Sampling as a Promotion Tool: State of Industry Practice and Current Research - Innovation and Marketing in the Pharmaceutical Industry - page 511

to the national level for each specialty. The data report three main sample drop
measures for each brand:

1. Number of extended sample units 3 for each product form and strength.
2. The mode of sample size for each product form and strength.
3. The average number of tablets, capsules, or grams.

In addition, the data also record three delivery types, including in-person detailing,
service visit, and mail delivery. Most market research applications using these data are
based on projected sample volume and market share for each brand within a market.
One major limitation of the IMS sample audit is that the projection error can be signifi -
cant for some small brands or brands with fewer sample drops. To the best of our knowl-
edge, no physician level modeling analysis has been conducted using IPS sample data.

17.3.2 Scott-Levin/Verispan/SDI Health Data

As one of the main competitors to IMS' IPS, Scott-Levin Associates started Personal
Selling Audit (PSA) in 1993. Physicians reported similar sales rep activities over
time, which normally takes them about 10-15 min per month. PSA has a panel of
about 4,300 physicians from 32 specialty groups. Scott-Levin was acquired by
Quintiles in March 1999 and became a part of Verispan in March 2002. Verispan
was bought out by SDI Health LLC in July 2008.
These data are provided at monthly level and report the following information by
product, company, and physician specialty:

1. Number of details
2. Duration of each detailing call
3. Detailing sequences
4. Number of samples dropped

Similar to IPS, only a portion of PSA panel (about 1,600 physicians) report sam-
ple information.

17.3.3 ImpactRx Panel

ImpactRx started collecting data from its physician panel in 2002. By 2011, they
had a panel of more than 4,100 physicians from 14 specialties. Similar to IMS IPS
audits, ImpactRx panel records a complete audit on promotion details; in addition,
it also collects information on patient treatment, diagnosis, and demographic data

3 Extended sample unit represents basic unit of a sample package such as tablets, capsules, grams,
tubes, and bottles. Since extended units for any products can represent a variety of forms, these
data cannot be logically summed up beyond product/form/strength level.