By Marite Talbergs, Senior Vice President, and Tom Perkins, Project Manager

In today’s reality it is hard to avoid the notion that social networks are all around us and have a real and impactful influence on our daily lives. In today’s digital world social networks not only include our daily one-on-one interactions but also our virtual interactions via the Internet. From online blogs to status updates, we are constantly inundated with the opinions of others. We click on the links they post about the latest celebrity gossip or sports deals. We look at their photos from their last weekend getaway. We even read news articles they post about current world events, often being exposed to new sources of information outside our daily routines. And while we may ignore the constant noise of some individuals, we are ultimately influenced by a key few whose thoughts and feelings we hold in high esteem. 

Research has proven that what is true for the vast majority of us on a personal level is also a very real phenomenon in the business of health care. Physicians turn to each other for advice on a daily basis and seek out the opinions of those whom they consider key opinion leaders (KOLs).

In Europe, where no direct-to-patient marketing for prescription drugs is allowed, medical consumer devices, such as injection devices (e.g., reusable insulin pens), are the only way to indirectly promote pharmaceutical prescription drugs. In the United States, patients will choose and /or switch their consumer devices primarily based on ease or intuitive use. 

Therefore manufacturers of prescription drugs that are being administered in a medical device have to ensure that their medical consumer devices are as patient or caregiver focused (depending on indication and patient population) as possible – and that is the point where user experience market research activities become important.

In an article written for Pharmaphorum, Bob Rava, Senior Vice President, and Dominic Meyer, Director of International Projects, GfK HealthCare, discuss medical consumer devices as product drivers in prescription drug marketing and how to leverage reusable medical devices to drive prescription drugs sales. They also review market research activities that are helping to optimize reusable medical consumer devices.

Data Download provides highlights of recently released data from GfK HealthCare. This month's selection covers research conducted in the area of diabetes.

We invite you to join GfK HealthCare Nov. 5-8 in Madrid at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 14th Annual European Congress. 

In keeping with the conference theme, Rational Health Care Decision Making in Challenging Economic Times, GfK HealthCare will present a research-based poster highlighting opportunities and challenges for market acceptance and usage of biosimilars.

Click here to read the issue, which includes:

- Getting the Price Right (Part I): Willingness-to-Pay Research Using Direct Price Questioning Techniques
- The Emergence of Biosimilars and Their Impact On The Pharmaceutical Market
- Research Highlight: Oncology

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