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The Certified National Pharmaceutical Representative (CNPR) online training program was developed in partnership with the National Association of Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives (NAPSR). This unique training program will prepare students for a new career as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative and for national certification through NAPSR. As a registered student of the CNPR program, you will automatically become a member of NAPSR and will be eligible to sit for the CNPR national certification exam at no additional cost.

The CNPR is a federally trademarked certification which can be obtained by acquiring the necessary knowledge in pharmacology, medical terminology, physiology, and regulations for selling pharmaceuticals. This CNPR Training Program was developed in response to a rising need for entry-level pharmaceutical sales representatives. This course was designed for individuals who want to gain entry into the pharmaceutical industry but who lack the required pharmacology and medical education. The CNPR examination is dedicated to increasing the professional level of NAPSR members and to developing meaningful and ethical standards fully accepted by its members and members of the pharmaceutical community. The goal of the training program is to develop knowledge in clinical pharmacology, physiology and medical terminology. This knowledge will greatly enhance an individuals understanding of the pharmaceutical industry and its selling process as well as increase the applicants hiring potential.

The goal of the CNPR Training Program is to prepare candidates for a career in pharmaceutical sales. All pharmaceutical sales representatives must be familiar with:

  · General Medical Terminology
  · Anatomy and Physiology
  · Clinical Pharmacology
  · Managed Care
  · Pharmaceutical Terms, Abbreviations, and Definitions
  · Drug Sampling Rules
  · PI Descriptions
  · Effective Pharmaceutical Selling Techniques
  · Therapeutic Classes and Categories

The National Association of Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives understands the technicality involved in the pharmaceutical selling process. Our Advisory Board of pharmaceutical industry experts recognizes the challenges encountered in the day-to-day activity of selling to physicians and the clinical and pharmacology knowledge of your product and your competitors' product expected by physicians. The CNPR Training Program is designed not only to prepare you for a career in pharmaceutical sales but to make you a more attractive candidate to pharmaceutical companies.

CNPR members must be willing to participate in continuing education and must agree to uphold the NAPSR Standards of Ethical Practices and Certification Program Rules. The certifying examination requires the candidate to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of federal regulations and the pharmaceutical industry. The objective of the NAPSR program is to set standards accepted within the profession and to assure the public that the organization acts in the best interests of the pharmaceutical sales industry and the public.

Upon registering, you are given an initial six months to complete the program. Should you need more time, you may request a 6-month extension at no additional charge.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of the NAPSR course, students will:

  · Understand all pharmaceutical terms, definitions, and abbreviations needed to sell pharmaceuticals.
  · Have the necessary medical terminology required to sell to physicians and pharmacists.
  · Know the pharmaceutical industry, major product lines, and therapeutic categories.
  · Understand the FDA's role in the industry, laws enforced by the FDA, Hatch-Waxman Act, and regulatory compliance in drug labeling and promotion
  · Comprehend Medicare/Medicaid issues and how they affect the selling process.
  · Understand research & development of new drugs, stages and timelines of new drug development, and clinical trials.
  · Know patent/patent extensions, generic drugs, US drug distribution channels, manufacture/distributor relationships, and distributor/retail relationships.
  · Gain knowledge of government reimbursement programs, drug discount cards, major concepts and components managed care, main stakeholders in the managed-care marketplace, drug marketing and group purchasing organizations.
  · Grasp the concept of pharmaceutical sales territory planning and information gathering, importance of call planning and record keeping, appointment calls/impromptu calls, strategies for no see offices, and downtime strategies.
  · Have the knowledge to effectively use sales brochures and support literature, how to sell new products versus established products, prepare for hospital calls, security concerns of a hospital, and sampling rules in hospitals.
  · Be prepared to properly comment on competing pharmaceutical products, effective drug sample positioning, citing clinical studies and trials, closing sales, exhibit preparation and to communicate with a district manager.
  · Be prepared to take the CNPR certification exam.

 
  · Introduction

  · The pharmaceutical industry
  · Why is there growth?
  · Technology
  · Healthcare Demand
  · Food and Drug Administration
  · Pharmaceutical Marketing
  · Geography of pharmaceutical sales
  · Various job descriptions
  · Compensation

  · A day in the life of a pharmaceutical representative

  · Marketing products to physicians
  · Time Management
  · Continuing product education
  · Path to additional educational material

  · The Research and Development Process

  · Growing need for more complex data and research
  · Policy implications
  · The impact of higher R & D costs
  · Dynamic Growth
  · Pharmaceutical Research Spending
  · Benefits of government-industry partnerships
  · Value of pharmaceutical marketing
  · Why US R & D has increased
  · Increased scientific opportunities

  · New medicines mean strength for U.S. economy

  · Pharmaceutical R & D Boost the U.S. economy
  · Impact on R & D
  · Research and Development Terminology

  · The anatomy and clinical pharmacology

  · The cell
  · Classes of Nutrients
  · The body's major systems
  · Basic clinical pharmacology
  · Main routes of drug administration and drug delivery
  · Terms & Abbreviations

  · Package Insert Information

  · Description
  · Clinical Pharmacology
  · Indications and usage
  · Contraindications
  · Warning/Cautions
  · Adverse Reactions
  · Drug abuse and dependence
  · Overdosage
  · Dosage and administration
  · How supplied

  · Drug Distribution-Supply Chain

  · Wholesalers - Distributors
  · Wholesaler's role
  · Largest Drug Wholesalers
  · Distribution terminology

  · Drug Patents

  · What is a patent?
  · How long is a patent granted for?
  · Difference between patent and exclusivity
  · How long is exclusivity?
  · Generic Drugs
  · FDA's criteria for equivalence
  · The FDA's Orange Book
  · Orange Book rating
  · Single Source Drug products
  · Multi-Source Drug products
  · ANDA for generic vs. patent infringement
  · Generic drug first-to-file exclusivity
  · Hatch-Waxman Act
  · Drug Patent terminology

  · Drug Sampling

  · Drug sample storage techniques
  · Federal regulations
  · Storage of pharmaceutical products
  · Recalls on drug products

  · Drug Development and Preclinical Studies

  · Pharmacodynamics
  · Pharmacokinetics
  · Transport Mechanism
  · Absorption
  · Distribution
  · Toxicology
  · Animal Texts, In Vitro Assays, and In Silico Methods

  · Clinical Trials

  · Definition of Clinical Trial
  · Ethical Considerations
  · Clinical Trials
  · Regulatory Requirements

  · Drug Discovery

  · Vaccines
  · Recent Vaccine Research and Clinical Activities
  · Human Immune System
  · Cytokines
  · Hormones
  · Gene Therapy
  · Gene Therapy Trials
  · Stem Cells
  · Bone Marrow Transplant
  · FDA Approval Process Time Frame

  · Brand Medicine

  · Branding in the Pharmaceutical Industry
  · Brand Medicine
  · Why Branding is Important
  · Building Brand Values
  · Building Brand Strategy
  · Brand Positioning
  · Brand Personality
  · Brand Values
  · Pharmaceutical Brand Name Development

  · Clinical Development and Pharmaceutical Marketing

  · Healthcare Environment and Trends
  · Clinical Development and Branding
  · Branding Values and Vocabulary
  · Direct-to-consumer Branding – The US perspective
  · The Growth of Managed Care
  · Acronyms

  · Managed care

  · Managed care formulary
  · Drug utilization review
  · Pharmacy benefit manager
  · Managed care concepts
  · Drug formularies and policies
  · Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement

  · Ethical Regulatory Guidelines

  · AMA Guidelines on gifts to physicians
  · Background
  · PhRMA Code on Interactions

  · Pharmaceutical selling skills

  · Getting in to see the physician
  · Preparing for the sales call
  · Finding information
  · Information gathering
  · Building a relationship
  · Enhancing the client-rep relationship
  · Territory planning
  · Medical office calls
  · Making the medical office call
  · Local exhibits and displays
  · Exhibit fundamentals
  · Building a relationship with your district manager
  · Traits of pharmaceutical sales superstars
  · Hospital calls

  · Pharmaceutical Terms, Abbreviations and Meanings
  · Therapeutic Classes and Categories