Fathimanoud, Correspondent, India Pharma Outlook
KPI | Case Study | Key Insight |
Sales Growth Rate | Lamisil – Novartis | The “Digger” campaign combined TV, digital media and medical journals and was reportedly associated with a 19 per cent increase in global sales. |
Market Share | Cornerstone4Care – Novo Nordisk | The diabetes platform integrated patient and HCP tools and was reportedly associated with an 18 per cent gain in Victoza’s market share. |
Prescription Growth | Cialis – Eli Lilly | The “Cialis Promise” campaign used physician-provided samples and a satisfaction guarantee, contributing to increased trials and prescriptions. |
New Prescription Growth | VOQUEZNA – Phathom Pharmaceuticals | Covered NBRx increased 11 per cent in Q1 2026 versus Q4 2025, indicating growth in new patient starts. |
HCP Reach | Lamisil – Novartis | The campaign used TV, digital media and medical journals to broaden HCP reach across multiple channels. |
Call Frequency | Infiniti Research – Pharma Call Planning | A case involving 500+ sales representatives focused on using data-driven insights to optimize targeting and call frequency. No specific improvement was reported. |
Call Average | Altana – Pfizer | Altana representatives were required to average at least 121 calls per month on target prescribers during the bonus period. |
HCP Engagement Rate | Cialis – Eli Lilly | The campaign's trial-oriented approach strengthened HCP and patient engagement, although no specific engagement rate was reported. |
Digital Content Engagement | Lamisil – Novartis | Digital content was integrated with TV and medical journals, demonstrating how digital channels can complement traditional pharma marketing. |
Campaign Conversion Rate | Cialis – Eli Lilly | Physician-led sampling and a satisfaction guarantee created a trial-to-prescription pathway, although no specific conversion rate was reported. |
Secondary Sales Growth | Global Oncology Pharma Organization | Ecubix’s SCAN solution automated secondary-sales processing using AI-powered OCR, improving data visibility and reducing manual work. |
Prescriber Retention | Gilenya – Novartis | The campaign generated a 34 per cent increase in awareness and was associated with sustained prescribing rates, although no specific retention percentage was reported. |
Brand Adoption | Cornerstone4Care – Novo Nordisk | The platform supported patient and HCP engagement, while Victoza reportedly gained 18 per cent market share, illustrating broader brand adoption. |
Measuring pharma marketing ROI in India requires more than tracking clicks, impressions, email opens, or HCP interactions. These metrics show campaign activity, but they do not always show its commercial impact. The following steps provide a practical framework for evaluating marketing returns without getting lost in individual engagement metrics.
Start by linking marketing expenditure with measurable outcomes such as prescription growth, revenue and market share. A basic ROI calculation can compare incremental returns with campaign investment. Companies should also consider prescribing cycles, market access and other commercial activities that can influence results.
Track HCP interactions across CRM systems, field visits, digital campaigns, webinars, events and content. Bringing these points together creates a clearer view of the HCP journey. It also helps marketers understand how different interactions contribute to engagement and potential prescribing behavior.
High email open rates, clicks, or webinar registrations do not automatically indicate strong ROI. Marketers should connect these activity metrics with outcomes such as prescription growth, adherence, and meaningful HCP responses. This helps to distinguish campaign activity from actual business impact.
Pharma campaigns often combine field-force activity with digital channels, events, portals and messaging platforms. Attribution models can help identify the contribution of individual touchpoints. Companies can use first-touch, last-touch or multi-touch approaches depending on their measurement needs.
Marketing, sales and medical teams need a common view of performance. Unified dashboards can bring together field activity, digital engagement and event data and connect them with commercial outcomes. This is particularly useful when fragmented systems make it difficult to identify where marketing budgets deliver the strongest returns.
A rise in prescriptions after a campaign does not automatically prove that the campaign caused the increase. Incrementality measurement asks whether marketing generated an additional improvement beyond what would have happened without the campaign. This distinction helps account for competition, market access, and other commercial factors.
Metric | What It Measures | Why It Can Be a Vanity Metric | What Marketers Should Track Alongside It |
Impressions | Number of times an advertisement or content appears on a screen. | High exposure does not confirm that the right HCPs saw the message or that it influenced behavior. | Qualified HCP reach and engagement quality |
Click-Through Rate (CTR) | Percentage of users who click an advertisement, email or digital content. | A click shows interaction but does not prove clinical interest, prescribing intent or commercial impact. | Deeper HCP engagement and downstream actions |
Email Open Rate | Percentage of recipients who open a marketing email. | An open does not confirm that an HCP read, understood, or acted on the content. | Content engagement, HCP responses and behavioral indicators |
Website Pageviews | Number of visits to specific webpages. | High traffic does not necessarily indicate meaningful HCP engagement or action. | Qualified HCP engagement, content interaction and conversion actions |
Webinar Registrations | Number of HCPs or users who register for a webinar. | Registration shows initial interest but does not confirm attendance, participation, or impact. | Attendance, participation, content engagement and downstream actions |
Social Media Likes & Followers | Audience activity and brand visibility on social platforms. | High numbers do not show whether the audience includes priority HCPs or influences prescribing behavior. | Priority HCP engagement and meaningful behavioral outcomes |
Also Read: How Can Indian Pharma Strengthen Quality Amid Rising FDA Scrutiny
AI is changing pharma KPI tracking in India by moving performance measurement beyond retrospective reporting. Traditional dashboards often show completed calls, HCPreach, and territory sales. AI-driven analytics can connect these metrics with prescription trends, secondary sales, and territory-level performance.
Lupin’s AI and data-first initiative provides a concrete example of how AI can connect technology investments with measurable business outcomes. The company reported 40 crore in cost savings and 12,000 man-days reclaimed in FY25. Lupin also reported an improvement of more than 10 per cent in manufacturing margins over two years.
Its KPI framework tracks AI impact across six areas: operational efficiency, productivity, quality and compliance, employee adoption, business outcomes and innovation value. Business-outcome measures include prescription growth and supply-chain resilience.
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