Title : How Covid-19 has affected the pharmaceutical industry
Abstract:
The World Health Organization and countries worldwide have acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a fast-evolving situation and a terrible threat to people of all ages. In the face of such an alarming situation with a heavy toll on healthcare services and vulnerable individuals, there can be no doubt that the precautionary principles set forth needed to guide decisions when concerning the pharmaceutical world.
Home-offices became a new world for all. It was a difficult switch to become used to. Staff staying at home would never be the same as having them in the next cubicle, office or on another floor. Communication was different, impersonal, long distance – even if within the same city. The “personal touch” was gone. There was no interaction, sharing of work or even life family events. Longer hours were consumed on work – burnout, resilience and mindfulness.
The pharmaceutical world has also suffered!
No doubt the pharmaceutical industry had to change its way of doing business. Staff was sent home, all meetings were carried out remotely and online, no visits were made to key opinion leaders, no advisory boards were carried out, focus groups were not done as usual. Medical representatives, medical scientific liaisons were kept from visiting physicians. Clinical research came to a standstill for a while.
A new adjustment to schedules, longer hours, working from home with spouses and children sharing closed spaces, no time for sports, gyms or restaurants may living difficult and hard to bear. Psychological burdens became apparent, frustrations rose, burnout surfaced and resilience often came to the rescue.
In this presentation, we will review the different changes and work modalities within the pharmaceutical field.
