Why Generic Pharma Companies Need a Comms Partner That Thinks & Works Like They Do
April 28, 2025 |
Generics account for 81% of U.K. primary care prescriptions but just 28% of NHS medicines spending, delivering significant value under growing financial pressures. However, persistent pricing challenges and supply chain disruptions are straining the sector, with over 100 products currently affected by shortages. This environment places new demands on communications and marketing teams, who must maintain trust and visibility despite constrained resources. The article explores why traditional agency models often fall short for generics firms and highlights the need for a new approach to strategic, agile communications that better reflects the realities of the generics market today.
In the UK, generics account for 81% of all primary care prescriptions yet just 28% of NHS medicine spending, demonstrating strategic impact delivered at value.
Yet, the UK’s generics market is under constant price pressure, making margins increasingly tight. Companies are expected to deliver high-quality, reliable medicines at low cost, all while absorbing ongoing pricing adjustments and rebate mechanisms that squeeze budgets further.
Coupled with this, ongoing supply chain issues have led to significant shortages in generic medicines, with the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) reporting that over 100 products are currently affected, which is the highest on record.
These disruptions naturally impact the ability to maintain consistent product availability, but they also challenge marketing and sales teams who must manage stakeholder expectations, protect reputation, and maintain trust, all the while continuing to communicate clearly about products, partnerships, and innovation.
Traditional health communications agencies are built for big pharma clients with matching budgets. Their overheads tend to be higher due to physical offices and associated costs, their processes are often slower due to larger team structures, and therefore generics briefs can be deprioritised in favour of more lucrative opportunities.
When generics firms do allocate budget to marketing and communications, they need partners who can deliver immediate impact, strategic precision, and rapid activation. Traditional agencies often can’t typically offer this level of responsiveness meaning key opportunities are missed.
As one example in smoking cessation, we rapidly mobilised targeted media outreach, topic-led storytelling, and strategic partnerships to achieve extensive UK media coverage. This was possible due to our proprietary ADAPT methodology; delivering at least 25% greater value than traditional approaches without compromising quality or senior input, ensuring strategy remains precise and execution remains agile.
And crucially, we understand the realities generics companies face every day from persistent cost pressure, and ongoing supply chain disruption, and we structure our model to support generics firms through both.
Like generics firms themselves, Fox&Cat excels at delivering impact at value. We’re built for pace, for clarity, and for measurable impact.
If you’re a generics pharmaceutical company ready for smarter, sharper, and more effective communications, contact us today to see how we can help: info@foxandcat.co.uk
This content was provided by Fox&Cat
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