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Examples of Pharma companies innovating in reaching out / educating HCP's regarding new drugs to market and their treatment process in EMEA.
Hi and thanks for asking about innovative approaches that pharmaceutical companies have taken in educating HCPs on new drugs! The two most useful sources that I found on this topic are from Novartis and the Decision Resources Group. In short, virtual reality, virtual attendance of medical conferences, and digital training platforms have been the latest innovations that Pharma companies are using to reach HCPs. I have listed the results below, organized in the form of a list.
METHODOLOGY
In order to proceed with researching the topic, I first had to assume that HCP meant healthcare professionals, and EMEA meant Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Searching under these parameters, concrete examples of innovative case studies proved to be a challenge to find. After looking for case studies, government reports, and success stories on Pharma companies' websites, I was able to discover 6 examples of Pharma groups bringing innovation to drug marketing and the education of healthcare professionals within the specified geographic area. Because EMEA can include India, I included one Indian company's shift in outreach and educational methods on the list. I also found a seventh example, that of Cipla successfully marketing in Africa despite the company's small size, that may be of some interest. However, because the information is more than two years old and the article focuses on its unusual marketing strategy, rather than any innovations Cipla made in educating HCPs, I did not include it in the list below.
PHARMA OUTREACH
Boehringer Ingelheim, a huge German Pharma company, is beginning to incorporate virtual reality in their outreach to healthcare professionals. In particular, Boehringer Ingelheim is using VR to showcase how Praxbind, one of their drugs, works. At conferences, they have offered cardiologists an immersive experience to better understand the mechanics of the drug. VR is a new but growing technology in the medical field. According to one 2016 study, 60% of physicians are interested in VR's potential for training, and 50% would like to use VR "to learn about new treatments."
The global Pharma company Novartis is changing the way that it educates and reaches out to HCPs. For Novartis, this has taken the form of Vivinda TV, the company's unique virtual conference platform. Vivinda TV was first used in mid-2016, so it is still fairly new. "Using virtual meetings and web-based customer interaction," Novartis is reaching more physicians than ever. The European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology conference, for example, drew nearly 1,800 virtual attendees through Vivinda TV - a vast improvement from the typical 500 - 600 in-person attendees.
Faced with the many logistical challenges to surmount in training and equipping physicians in Africa, the Merck Group has introduced 600 portable labs that can detect counterfeit drugs. These labs will be especially helpful in the fight against malaria, because in some African countries, it is estimated that 80% of the medicines used to treat malaria are counterfeit. HCPs can train to use these labs in just a week, and can use them to test 75 different drugs.
Merck is also installing platforms to reach and train HCPs in rural areas, so that medical treatment and education in Africa is bettered. In some ways, African countries have an advantage over European ones when it comes to installing technological platforms and networks, because there are no old systems to replace. Merck is already using digital platforms to train physicians how to better treat diabetes in Mozambique, Kenya, and Ghana, and they are in the process of installing a similar platform in Nigeria and other African countries.
GlaxoSmithKline is in the process of a massive overhaul as it seeks to improve its image in India. As a part of that process, the company is hiring physicians across disciplines to answer questions at conferences about medical treatments. This is a new step for the company, and in doing so, it seeks to show transparency in its education and marketing, as well as further inform HCPs on GSK's treatment processes.
The use of medical health apps is on the rise, both for patients and for HCPs. Merck Sharp and Dohme, for example, ran a trial using "Closercare," which remotely monitored patients and would catch abnormal readings (see page 20 for the case study). After independent evaluation by a university, the three-month trial showed a 50% decrease in admissions and savings for the patient of up to 20%. Pharma companies are also using social media as a part of their outreach. The website www.patientslikeme.com, for example, is set up by pharmaceutical companies and collects data on side effects from treatments and other information (all with patient consent).
CONCLUSION
Some of the most exciting innovations that pharmaceutical companies are making to reach HCPs focus on the digital world. Virtual reality, digital attendance of conferences, and digital training platforms all show great potential for reaching and educating HCPs on new medical treatments offered by Pharma companies. Especially in Africa, digital training has been an effective tool for physicians to know about new drugs and treatments.
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