Emma Vinton, marketing and communications manager, Quantum Pharmaceutical
When people can鈥檛 take the medicines that their GP would usually prescribe, they often don鈥檛 realise that there is another option. Emma Vinton鈥檚 job is to make sure they do. She is the marketing and communications manager at Quantum Pharmaceutical, a company that makes and supplies unlicensed medicines based in Burnopfield, County Durham.
Known as 鈥榮pecials鈥�, these medicines are hand-tailored for individuals who might be unable to swallow a tablet and therefore need liquid medication, for example, or are allergic to an ingredient in the standard formula.
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Compared to licensed drugs, specials are a hard sell. Sales reps normally persuade GPs to prescribe their products but with specials this isn鈥檛 allowed. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 be seen to be leading them to prescribe unlicensed medicines,鈥� says Emma. 鈥淕Ps always look to see whether there is a licensed product available before going down the specials route.鈥�
Instead, Emma鈥檚 role focuses on promoting the company鈥檚 services, making sure that doctors know specials are available and that pharmacies know what to do with the prescriptions for these bespoke medications when they come in. That means you have to be creative, she says, finding new ways to let customers know you are there.
In practice, this could be could mean analysing the results of customer research and designing new educational tools for customers, to volunteering at a local hospice that Quantum is raising money for.
Specials help people who thought they had run out of options, and for Emma this makes the job extra-rewarding. 鈥淚 know the things I do are going a long way in preventing people suffering any further.鈥�