Pharma: Trends in e-detailing

The Smartphone is the 24/7 health assistant. All parties to the health system need to recognize this reality and develop services to match this fact. 

79% of smartphone users have their phone on or near them for all but two hours of their waking day; 63% keep it with them for all but one hour. A full quarter of respondents couldn’t recall a single time of the day when their phone wasn’t in the same room as them.

Great way to connect to patients. This approach should be package in the form of a mobile app and delivered to patients on an e detailing platform

Roche has produced an innovative set of YouTube videos to explain scientific terminology in a fun, visual way.

tthere is no doubt mobile health apps are huge. keyParties in the healthcare space whether it be Pharma or hosptials need to consider developing mobile apps to address their target markets. 

A look at the Pharma spend shows a reduction in normal marketing categories. Multchannel marketing and digital are the big plays to reduce costs and be more effective

key insight

"Doctors and hospitals are hungry for apps that take full advantage of the capabilities of mobile devices like the iPad, according to data from Black Book Rankings, a healthcare IT analysis firm"

2 Take conclusion: This is the real point for Pharma involvement in mobile apps.

"A more optimistic rationale for apps comes from Bob Allen, director of digital marketing at AstraZeneca: “We realized that the majority of our marketing materials will soon be consumed through a mobile device. Therefore, we are responding to the market and the needs of our customers. Investment in other areas still occurs, but ‘mobile first' is the mentality we are quickly adopting.”

"Indeed, for this first generation of biopharma-sponsored apps, it may be difficult to draw a straight line between an app and new revenue, such as incremental prescriptions or refills. “Our thinking is that we should look beyond the pill and provide the best patient care possible,” says AZ's Allen. “Sometimes the information or utility we provide may not directly relate to taking a specific medication, but we feel that our mobile efforts will help to support the needs of patients in some way.”

Why the growth?

"The global mHealth market is primarily driven by factors such as the increasing adoption of smartphones and rising incidences of chronic diseases. The development in smartphone applications has created new and interactive ways of communication between patients and healthcare providers. Use of smartphone applications is expected to revolutionize the mHealth market by improving healthcare delivery and dissemination of medical information"

This is great example of a effective, well layed out, wonderful graphics and useful information web site for the Pharma industry

This is a brilliant approach to development of mobile app. Essentially Pharmas should develop mobile apps which are organized around their disease focus and which gather the best, trusted journel information for a doctor to review. This could be done as a stand alone app or on an e detailing platform

Eli Lilly ($LLY) has invested more in digital overtures to cancer specialists. The pharma giant has sponsored a mobile app for iPhone and Android devices that provides reviews of journal articles, aiming to help keep busy physicians abreast of the latest research in their areas of specialty or interest.

#digipharma, #digitalmarketing, 

The Pharma needs to understand how to use mobile devices to interact with doctors but also patients. In general Pharma do not have an organzied approach to reach patients on mobile devices. Some have health trackers.

The Opportunity

"Each of these touch points presents an opportunity for pharma marketers to engage the patient by providing tips on managing OA, in-context brand information and even drug coupons. Advertising with a multi-screen strategy gives an inherent advantage to brands by placing them right at the point of search, need or care: whenever and wherever patients are most likely to act on a decision"

The best way to reach patients for Pharma is through social media and smartpones. But how on smartphone. Use a mobile app which is used as a point of care device.

This is environment the Pharma's live in. 

Key point:

"The real, and largest, change in digital marketing has ultimately been the growth and rise of tools, technology, and platforms that have allowed us to build and engage with brands and clients using 'pull' marketing compared to traditional content techniques that were focused on 'push'.

For example, the rise of social media is all about content and engagement driven through new technology.

Expect more technological change, innovation, and more investment. Be prepared to adapt, align, structure and optimise if you really want to transform the way you work."

Every hospital marketing staff and senior management needs to understand where the digital world is going. 

Pharma need to carefully integrate video into their doctor and patient plans:

"The overall numbers, industry experts tell us, are that video accounts for 50 to 60 percent of Internet traffic currently. And predictions have it that video will account for 90 percent of net traffic within three years.

The use of video for physician and hospital marketing is a fraction of this total, but more and more providers, facilities and health systems are upgrading their online presence with video as a centerpiece"