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Abstract

Purpose: Pharmaceutical marketing education is key for developing communication skills in pharmacy students and preparing them for various positions in the pharmaceutical sector. This study evaluates the current status of pharmaceutical marketing education in Arab pharmacy schools and explores innovative methods for its delivery.

Methods: A descriptive study was conducted with a pre-developed questionnaire distributed via email to 166 pharmacy schools across 21 Arabic countries. Analyses were performed using SPSS on the responses received from 29 universities in 9 countries.

Results: Out of the 29 respondent universities, 23 (79.3%) offered pharmaceutical marketing education. Most universities provided the course as required part of the curriculum (n=19; 82.6%). The average credited hours for these courses were 2.7 hours ± 1.6. The average number of students enrolled in these courses was 101 ± 69. Practical sessions are included in less than one-third (30.4%) of courses. Only three university (10.3%) incorporates digital marketing into its curriculum, highlighting an obvious deficiency as other institutions do not address this area at all.

Discussion: Pharmaceutical marketing education in Arabic countries remains limited. To enhance the extent of this education, recommendations include integrating field training to help students apply classroom knowledge in real-world settings. Additionally, digital marketing should be included in the curriculum to equip students with skills relevant to the industry. Currently, only 10.3% of the universities analysed in this study incorporate digital marketing, highlighting the need for broader adoption to align with industry trends.

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