Part I of this article covered what to avoid when giving a business gift. If you missed it, I suggest you go back and take the time to r

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

ead it.

Now onto Part II: Giving corporate or business gifts can help you stay in touch with prospects and clients. It can also help you show appreciation

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

for someone's business, establish new relationships, mend relationships, obtain referrals and build customer loyalty. Follow the guidelines below to ensure that your busine

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

ss gifts are effective:

Good Choices for Corporate Gifts:

• Gourmet and snack food items that can be shared easily within an office. Cheese, cra

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

kers, sausage, chocolate treats, cookies, flavored coffees and teas, mixed nuts, specialty nuts, gourmet popcorn and trail mix are all good choices. When these items are pl

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

aced in a classy gift basket, they will leave a lasting impression.

• If a gift is for an individual (not a group), include in the gift something that p

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

rtains to their hobby, collection or area of special interest. Doing this lets the gift recipient know that you put some thought into what they would like.

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

• Examples would be golf, theatre, sports, reading, collecting Hot Wheels, decorating, needle crafts, hiking, etc...

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

ote>

• I once created a custom gift basket for a gentleman that performed civil war reenactments. It was obvious to him, and others that saw the

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

basket, that it was made especially for him. The gift basket was a thank you gift from his mortgage consultant. The mortgage consultant got several referrals and new loan

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

as a result of having the gift basket delivered to his client's place of work.

• Apparel with your logo discreetly placed. Polo shirts

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

, sweatshirts, ball caps and light weight jackets are very popular choices and will generally be worn by the recipient.

• Pro

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

otional items such as calendars, mugs, tape measures, letter openers, pens, paper weights, note pads, etc... Try to give items that are useful and of high quality so they l

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

ast a while. Also, any item that the recipient will sit on their desk or in their office is a good choice because your name and contact information will always be in front

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

f them.

• Tickets for a sporting event. Some companies give out pairs of tickets and others rent a sky box at sporting events so they can entertain a g

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

roup of business associates. Food and beverages are generally provided therefore making this a favorite among most recipients.

• Gift card

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

for Starbucks, movie theatres, home electronic and computer stores, dinner restaurants, etc...

• A good book or DVD on business strategy or team develo

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

pment. (If you know the values or priority business issues of the recipient.)

The giving of corporate or business gifts happens on a daily basis. Make sure you

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

s are business appropriate, of high quality, timely and personalized when possible and you will see a positive impact on your business. The bottom line is that appropriate

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

business gifts Make People Smile and Make Them Feel Appreciated and that is the Secret to business success. Happy giving

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products