Effective pharmaceutical marketing is vital for success, but one group often overlooked by pharmaceutical companies is dispensing doctors. Here, we explore why dispensing GP practices are a key segment, their specific challenges and actionable strategies for tailoring your marketing approach to meet their unique needs. Whether you aim to improve product adoption, strengthen relationships with prescribers, or optimise patient outcomes, understanding this group could be the key to unlocking new opportunities.
A dispensing doctor is a general practitioner (GP) who can both prescribe and dispense medications directly to their patients, under the GMS contract. This often applies to practices located in rural areas where patients often lack access to a pharmacy nearby. Dispensing GP practices can be found across the UK, with approximately 1,000 of the 7,500 GP practices in England classed as dispensing practices. There are also many dispensing practices in Scotland and Wales.
What makes dispensing GP practices so important to pharmaceutical companies is the dual role they play. Unlike other General Practices, they operate as prescribers and dispensers, balancing clinical decision-making with commercial considerations. A clear separation of the prescribing and dispensing roles is encouraged, where possible, to avoid conflicts of interest and dispensing doctors must also adhere to ethical prescribing practices, ensuring prescriptions are based on clinical need.
Understanding this unique dynamic offers pharmaceutical companies a chance to align their strategies and achieve better engagement.
Dispensing doctors face financial and operational constraints distinct from those of standard GP practices. The NHS reimbursement model poses one of their most significant challenges. Dispensing doctors are reimbursed for the cost of medicines they supply, but often at "cost price minus clawback" rather than a margin above cost. The clawback rate is currently around 11% in England and 7% in Scotland, meaning that dispensing doctors must secure discounts from pharmaceutical suppliers to make any profit.
Other challenges include:
How pharma companies can help
Pharmaceutical companies are uniquely positioned to mitigate these issues:
Dispensing doctors are not just another GP audience. Their commercial focus means traditional clinical sales narratives may fail to resonate. If pharmaceutical company representatives lack knowledge of how a dispensary operates or the terminology dispensing doctors use, they risk undermining their credibility.
Tailored approaches align your product's value proposition and their dual priorities (clinical effectiveness and profitability). Successful strategies require aligning the message with language that resonates with their concerns, including reimbursement, clawback, and product discounts. Communicating with dispensing doctors without acknowledging their commercial concerns is like only telling half the story.
Effective marketing to dispensing doctors requires a nuanced approach.
Before building a relationship, ensure your sales and marketing teams understand how dispensing doctors operate, including:
Different team members within a dispensing practice focus on different priorities. For example:
Equip your Key Account Managers (KAMs) with the knowledge and language needed to engage dispensing practices effectively. Training should include:
Work with your teams to assess and refine your product offering:
Regular audits of your distribution model can highlight areas for improvement in your market access strategy.
Invest in a consultancy or insights services to improve your engagement strategy. For example, CHASE provides expert, tailored advice on:
Success with dispensing doctors is built on trust. Regularly engage with both practice staff and decision-makers to maintain strong relationships. Consider offering:
Dispensing doctors represent an important segment for pharmaceutical companies. Understanding their unique challenges and tailoring your marketing and sales approaches can unlock significant commercial opportunities while improving patient outcomes.
Effective engagement starts with the right strategy and tools, and that's where CHASE can help. Our expert consultancy services and sales training for pharmaceutical companies are tailored to improve your market access and ensure your messaging resonates with dispensing doctors.
Contact us to discover how we can help your pharmaceutical teams achieve better results with dispensing practices.
Explore our latest thinking, event updates and industry insights to stay informed.
Discover how the NHS is transforming with the Model Integrated Care Board Blueprint. The document lays the groundwork for how ICBs must evolve to meet needs.
CHASE covers the ABPI 2025 Conference, highlighting key insights from UK life sciences leaders on health, growth and renewal shaping the sector’s future.
UK healthcare and pharmaceutical industries are on the cusp of change, with a series of recent government announcements set to reshape structures and processes.