Does brand equity play a role on doctors prescribing behavior in emerging markets?

The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the fastest growing Industry in the world. The relationship between pharmaceutical marketing and prescribing behavior (PB) is always a debatable issue. The research aims to identify the role of brand equity (BE) on THE PB of doctors. This is a primary research in which structured questionnaires with 21 multiple choice questions are used to collect data from 261 respondents. Research reveals that BE plays a vital role in influencing the doctor's prescription decision in India. Most of the doctors showed loyalty to branded generics due to easy availability, low cost, and satisfactory results on drugs. The niche therapeutic domain practice is the only exception wherein availability of branded generics is limited. The doctors found to be more inclined towards promotional literature, including clinical trial results, which gives an opportunity to revisit the old marketing strategies and tap the untouched therapeutic segments. It would be worthwhile to Pharmaceutical and Healthcare industry to curb the unwanted expenditures spent on the indecent marketing strategies to a certain extent. This research made an attempt to explain the influence of BE on doctor's PB through application of theory of planned behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]