eHealth Solutions for Pharma: Strategies for salesforces, marketing, patient compliance and clinical trials

Published by: Business Insights

Published: Mar. 1, 2007 - 138 Pages

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

The changing pharmaceutical marketplace

eHealth solutions for the salesforce

eHealth tools for reaching physicians

Reaching physicians through eCME

eCompliance

eHealth solutions for clinical trials

Chapter 1 The changing pharma
marketplace

Summary

Introduction

Market challenges

Greater involvement of patients in prescribing decisions

Price controls, reimbursement policies and generics

Strong competition in high profit markets

Poor public perception of the pharmaceutical industry

The changing role of sales and marketing

Chapter 2 eHealth solutions for the
salesforce

Summary

Introduction

Key challenges

eHealth strategies for the salesforce

eDetailing

Physician demand for eDetailing services outstrips current supply

Strong growth is expected in the use of representative-assisted

eDetailing sessions

Word-of-mouth as a method of recruitment

eSampling

An inconsistent sample supply makes eSampling an attractive option

for many physicians

In support of ‘on demand’ sampling

Mobile capability and PDAs

Conclusions

Chapter 3 eHealth tools for reaching
physicians

Summary

Introduction

Current approaches to physician-facing websites

Effective website strategies

Professional development

Product and disease information

Continuing Medical Education

Online forums

Patient resources

Patient education materials

Clinical trial information

Disease management and compliance tools

Blogging

Best advice for blogging

Blogs as a market research tool

Building a blogsite

Conclusions

Websites

Blogging

Chapter 4 Reaching physicians through
eCME

Summary

Introduction

Europe

US

Online CME versus traditional CME programs

eCME activity

Geographical differences

Pharmaceutical industry sponsorship of eCME

Meeting the needs of physicians

Moving services from offline to online

Reduction in real-time CME events

Building effective eCME services

Success factors

eCME website visibility

Advertise

Organize

Deliver

Physicians have been disappointed in the quality of many eCME

activities

Conclusions

A continuing role for pharmaceutical companies in CME

Does pharmaceutical sponsorship factor into physicians’ decisions to

use eCME?

Working with the eCME providers to develop educational

opportunities

Chapter 5 eCompliance

Summary

Introduction

Barriers to effective communication in the EU

Barriers to effective communication in the US

Effective communication with patients

Disease management and compliance tools

Text messages and email reminders are the most popular consumer

channels

Compliance programs

Technology to enable eCompliance

Main eCompliance channels

Online channels

Product websites can help boost compliance 1

Email reminders can work in some patient populations

PDA’s - mobile access to online compliance tools

SMS messages provide a direct, personal reminder

Rapid answers to individual questions

Mobile phones as disease monitors

Mobile technology - increasing the options

Other tools

Key considerations for eCompliance tools

Using the right channel to relay the message

The age effect

eCompliance recommendations

eCompliance incentives

Demographic differences

Target conditions for ecompliance

eCompliance services

Chapter 6 eHealth solutions for clinical trials

Summary

Introduction

Market challenges

Clinical trial websites

Physician-facing clinical trial websites

Keeping physicians current

Use branded clinical trial websites to leverage existing relationships

Physicians need an online database for clinical trial outcome data

Conclusions

Index

List of Figures

Figure 2.1: Prescribing decisions of physicians survey

Figure 2.2: How popular is eDetailing among physicians?

Figure 2.3: To what extent should detailing be made available online?

Figure 2.4: Have you used eDetailing in the last 12 months?

Figure 2.5: How frequently do you use eSampling?

Figure 2.6: How effective are detailing sessions?

Figure 2.7: What type of sampling method do physicians prefer?

Figure 2.8: The use of PDAs among physicians

Figure 3.9: What types of websites do physicians use to look for health information?

Figure 3.10: How do physicians rate current online healthcare resources?

Figure 3.11: Adequacy of online information provided in physicians’ native languages

Figure 3.12: Factors influencing physicians decision to use a healthcare website

Figure 3.13: How often do physicians participate in online forums?

Figure 3.14: What role should the Internet play in the physician-patient relationship?

Figure 3.15: What clinical trial information should appear on a healthcare website?

Figure 3.16: Would physicians like to use the Internet to monitor patients?

Figure 3.17: Preferred sources of health information for consumers

Figure 3.18: Driving traffic to blogsites and online forums

Figure 3.19: The involvement of healthcare professionals can drive participants to blogsites

Figure 3.20: What features dictate whether consumers participate in a blog discussion?

Figure 4.21: CME requirements in the US and EU

Figure 4.22: Would pharmaceutical sponsorship of eCME deter physicians from accessing it?

Figure 4.23: Doctors.net.uk

Figure 4.24: Provide a well-organized and searchable interface for eCME

Figure 4.25: Engaging eCME formats

Figure 4.26: Financial support for eCME from pharmaceutical companies

Figure 5.27: Barriers to effective communication in the EU

List of Tables

Table 3.1: Key guidelines for blogging

Table 4.2: AMA identified subject areas in which CME is needed

Abstract

The online channel offers a key opportunity for pharma companies to restructure their sales and marketing model, improving their relationships with physicians and increasing compliance among patients. At the same time, patients are demanding a greater role in treatment decisions and seeking information from a range of online sources, resulting in a new age of consumerism in healthcare.

eHealth solutions for Pharma is a new report that provides an overview of the changing pharma market place, providing solutions on effective three way communication between pharmaceutical companies, patients and physicians. Online strategies such as eDetailing, eSampling, eCME and eCompliance are explored, enabling you to gain best practice advice on the opportunities offered by eHealth technologies.

Use this report to identify ways to increase productivity and improve communications between your company, physicians and patients, and implement eHealth strategies to ensure your products achieve commercial success.

Key findings of the report...

• An immediate opportunity exists for pharmaceutical companies to greatly expand eDetailing services (including technology-enabled rep visits) offered to physicians in all markets surveyed.
• There are three fundamental areas that present opportunities for pharmaceutical companies to provide value-added website features: professional development; patient resources; and clinical tools.
• Pharmaceutical companies that provide eCME activities in combination with access to expert opinions and disease information on their physician facing websites are likely to attract new and return users.
• The eCompliance market has become markedly more evolved, with novel techniques such as SMS reminders and mobile phone diagnosis tools being employed.
• An established relationship with the organization conducting the trial is commonly cited as an important factor in the decision-making process of many surveyed physicians.

Key questions answered in this report

• How can the pharmaceutical sales and marketing department effectively respond to the changing demands of physicians and patients?
• What website content strategy should pharmaceutical companies pursue in order to build effective, long-lasting relationships with patients and physicians?
• How can eCompliance solutions help companies to recruit physicians to clinical trials and promote patient compliance?
• What barriers are there to effective communication between the pharmaceutical industry, physicians and patients, and how are they best overcome?
• What website content would persuade physicians and patients to return on a regular basis?

Top five reasons to order your copy today

• Understand key challenges pharmaceutical sales and marketing teams are facing, and how eHealth technologies and best practice use of those technologies can offer significant improvement in productivity.
• Gain access to more physicians, using strategies outlined in this report including eDetailing, eSampling and websites, maximizing exposure of your products and strengthening communications with physicians.
• Identify how eCompliance solutions can be implemented to improve the clinical trials process, enabling you to recruit physicians and promote patient compliance.
• Analyze the role of blogging and the fundamental impact it is having on the management of communications between pharma companies and patients.
• Evaluate eHealth strategies and gain best practice advice on the use of each of these technologies so that you can effectively implement these into your sales and marketing process.

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