Thinking of moving from Pharma to Medical Devices sales?

The number one entry point to medical device sales continues to be pharma reps. The appeal is obvious – the academic background is very similar and the opinion leaders and customers overlap.

There are some key differences and things to bear in mind however:

1. Pharma is science led, Devices are technology led. If you love the scientific aspect, the lab work, chemistry and clinical trials, pharma is probably more for you than devices. In contrast if you have a good eye for engineering and find that materials, electronics and all things moving parts are more your thing you will fit right in with the devices market.
2. Medical devices have incremental improvements and “product lines” in a way pharma doesn’t. When pharma companies develop a drug they know it will be used, as is, for a set period of time and a set application. Devices are continually improved and can have well established brands and product lines running for decades.
3. Regulation around sales is lighter in devices. Pharma is notoriously strict when it comes to what reps can and can’t do. This is less the case for medical devices where a wider pool of opinion leaders are approached, there is often more patient contact and the sales process is often more “traditional” and has a more variable length of sales cycle.
4. Devices are more varied. I know I’m going to get pulled apart by the senior pharma reps for this one but as a rule devices is a more varied industry. The difference between MRI sales and wound care (which by the way is a great entry point for a pharma rep looking to make the jump over) is vast, they may as well be different industries a lot of the time.
5. Medical devices has “generics” too. It’s one of the dirty secrets of the devices industry that a lot of products are commoditised to the point of being impossible to differentiate. Particularly the consumable and disposable market – there are even companies making consumables to fit over manufacturers products. Medical device companies often insist their products are unique; sometimes they are, sometimes they are not.
6. You’ll earn more in devices (sort of). A medreps.com survey found that while basic salaries are on par or slightly higher in pharma, bonus earnings are significantly higher in medical devices. The more technical the device, the higher the earnings also – surgical and imaging being the big winners.

There are more points to cover and I may try to go over these at a later date if there is enough demand.

If you’re looking for a medical device sales role, or to recruit into your team, we should speak.

I can be reached on james.moloney@charterhouserecruitment.co.uk or 01904 629 009.