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When Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) advertising first became mainstream, pharmaceutical
companies used this tactic primarily to motivate patients to obtain
a prescription for the advertised product from their doctor. The good
news is that DTC advertising has clearly met expectations in this area
with survey data showing that most physicians will write a prescription
for a product requested by a patient as long as he or she believes it
is a reasonable choice for that patient.
While this is certainly a positive trend, encouraging patients to visit
their doctor to get a prescription is simply not enough today. With
fewer new drugs approved each year, pharmaceutical companies must also
focus on increasing revenue from their existing products.
In a DTC Perspectives article titled,
The Doctor and DTC, GfK U.S. Healthcare Companies Group CEO,
Richard B. Vanderveer, Ph.D., discusses how physician promotions and
DTC communications can help in this regard by focusing on patient adherence,
or getting a patient to regularly take a medicine as directed, and for
as long as directed, by the physician. While this concept helps increase
the use of drugs in the long run, improving patient adherence in chronic
therapy areas is especially challenging but must be overcome for the
sake of both patient health and drug profitability.
As part of a more holistic, long-term strategy, Dr. Vanderveer advocates
in the article that consumer-directed communication must play a role
in driving patient adherence and should be carefully integrated with
physician communication to achieve the best possible results for all.
He offers the following key principles for the industry to consider:
Principle One:
Make Improving Patient Adherence a Corporate Initiative.
Pharmaceutical companies should make patient adherence a major departmental
objective by developing a true body of knowledge about patient adherence
and how it can be enhanced.
Principle Two:
Conduct Definitive and Ongoing Research to Understand Adherence.
Longitudinal patient level data, patient segmentation research and
research with physicians play a critical role.
Principle Three:
Integrate Physician, DTC and Direct-to-Patient Communications Programs.
While typically separate initiatives, such programs must be carefully
integrated if they are to work optimally. In addition, pharmaceutical
companies should consider investing more in Direct-to-Patient (DTP)
campaigns that promote adherence than DTC campaigns that attract new
prescriptions.
Principle Four:
Pick Appropriate Partners with Which to Work.
Patient Advocacy Groups, managed care, pharmacies and other agencies
can help facilitate communications with doctors and patients.
Principle Five:
Maintain Meaningful, Ongoing Contact Between Physicians and Their
Patients.
Pharmaceutical companies should help physician practices establish
a system of interactive, personalized communications with patients
to improve adherence.
To download the complete article, The Doctor
and DTC, click the link on the graphic image above.
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