Pharmaceutical firms prescribing wireless. (News).

Historically, pharmaceutical firms have been notoriously cautious in implementing new technology. Wireless technologies are no exception. But when the right reasons come along, things have a way of changing. Now, as with companies in many other industries, pharmaceutical companies are looking at wireless as a way to improve business--more specifically, the effectiveness and efficiency of their sales forces.

Sales representatives are the most mobile workers in any company. Because they are always on the move, communication with clients and co-workers often is difficult. In addition, there is a fair amount of down time associated with making calls. Doctors are, after all, busy people, and anyone who has sat in a waiting room knows that appointments sometimes get pushed back. Wirelessly connected sales reps now can use their unscheduled free time to catch up on their messages and place orders, thus increasing their productivity.

Many mobile workers already use wireless phones and two-way pagers, and some even use Research In Motion's BlackBerry devices, but future expectations for wireless go beyond what's available today. A single portable device could, for example, eventually replace notebook PCs, mobile phones and personal digital assistants. For now, however, most users will settle for a quick and secure way to check their e-mail.

Greg Bilsky, head of emerging technologies for Novartis Pharma U.S., believes implementing wireless applications would benefit many employees in his company, but implementation requires overcoming a big obstacle: coverage holes. This applies not only to rural areas where coverage might be spotty, but also to hospitals where wireless devices can interfere with sensitive equipment.

Standards differences among carriers also are a problem. "I have a whole bag full of applications that I'd love to roll out," Bilsky says, "but I'm limited by the coverage."

Many people also worry that proprietary information such as patient histories or case studies could be intercepted over wireless networks. Security concerns are the main reason Internet-enabled PDAs still are not used much in this industry--and probably won't be until they can provide similar security to that of a notebook PC dialing into a company's network. "A user who has a desktop should have the same level of security in a smaller device," says Gernot Gmelin, director of global new technologies for Novartis Worldwide.

Encryption is one solution to security concerns, but most companies likely will wait until emerging standards with higher levels of security, such as 802.11i, are more widespread.

Another wireless technology that could be helpful in the pharmaceutical industry is text messaging. Already widely used within many companies, the potential applications reach beyond the sales force to doctors and pharmacists.

A doctor, rather than writing a prescription, could send a text message that includes an encrypted signature to a local pharmacist, saving a patient's time and cutting down on fraudulent prescription notes and mistakes caused by illegible handwriting. Other potential uses include calling in orders, reminding patients of specific instructions and alerting a physician to an emergency.

So while the medical field is taking note of wireless opportunities, for now, many in the industry are taking a wait-and-see approach. "We want to use the technologies, but we are waiting until the right standards are available," Gmelin says.