PHARMA DIGITAL MARKETING

1. www.pharmabiz.com 16 June 2020

Pharma cos launch Pharma App to market products and educate
doctors about new drugs in the wake of lockdown crisis

On the lines of the medical apps being used by healthcare

professionals and chronic patients to avail information on medicines
and doctors’ services, the pharmaceutical manufacturing companies
worldwide have started launching Pharma Apps to educate doctors
and hospital administrators about new drugs and promote them in the
absence of medical representatives who are kept at bay by medical
professionals due to the present pandemic crisis.

It is learnt that the new strategy is implemented to market company

products through e-promotion activities. Products will be sent to the
doctor or the hospital directly by the manufacturers on placing of
orders online.

According to reports from various healthcare industry sources, using

mobile technology hundreds of multi-national and other pharma
majors in India are resorting to digital routes to reach out to
physicians and hospitals directly to share information on new
products. The Pharma Apps rolled out by manufacturers contain
information on new products, their efficacy and side-effects related
matters and commission offers to doctors and hospitals. This digital
form of marketing strategy is adopted by the companies for boosting
their marketing in the wake of inability of sales representatives to visit
doctors in clinics and hospitals. Manufacturing companies with
various therapeutic segments bring out separate apps on each product
and share it with doctors who become their ‘prospective direct clients’
without field staff.
 2. https://www.orientation.agency/insights/pharma-marketing-
trends-from-2020-to-2021
PHARMA MARKETING TRENDS: FROM 2020 TO 2021
August 18, 2020
DIGITAL MARKETING IS MORE IMPORTANT
THAN EVER

major healthcare systems are becoming digitally driven, meaning that

they have overt digital health strategies and policies, are creating the
technical infrastructure to deliver digital health strategies and
services, and are using the data collected by the healthcare system to
evaluate outcomes and shape future strategies. This has also trickled
down the supply chain and into the B2B world, even before the
COVID-19 pandemic.

EVOLVING COMMERCIAL STRATEGIES

Marketers do not operate within silos; they operate within a

commercial team. And as face-to-face opportunities - throughout the
entire pharma industry - are ever-declining there is a need for
marketing to help sales representatives open dialogues with the target
market. Organisations will need to review their commercial strategies,
which may mean building a new customer-centric strategy that
includes all commercial team members or create entirely new
environments for sales representatives to engage with HCPs and other
decisions makers, to be able to thrive. Often, and an area which we
have been working with our clients, a CRM focus is a great avenue
where data is turned into insights that then drive marketing messages
and tactics to become more relevant. Such a strategy should integrate
with the digital marketing strategy.

FEEDBACK AT WILL: PATIENT AND CUSTOMER

SURVEYS

To become more customer-centric often means collecting new data on

those customers relative to current products and services, and
therefore, the new commercial strategy. By publishing a system that
allows your users to give feedback, you are able to quickly segment
and serve more relevant content and marketing messages (and care,
products, services and advice) to that user, as well as better serve
content in the future. Providing that your feedback system is designed
with your future strategy in mind, you could unlock so much potential
about your target audience, as well as your beliefs that often blindly
drive marketing campaigns. Pharmaceutical organisations often
struggle when it comes to utilising consumer behaviour to improve its
marketing, as well as care, products and services. A close study of
consumer behaviour can help pharma companies to create awareness
and drive sales, essentially driving the new commercial strategy.

8. TAKING ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS TO

NEW LEVELS

Quantzig discusses the emergence of the electronic health record.

They state: “Electronic health records have become one of the most
booming pharma marketing trends for pharma companies in 2020.
These records help in developing targeted marketing campaigns and
improve engagement rates if analyzed accurately.” Patient
engagement can only increase if greater focus is placed on the patient
(or HCPs depending on where in the supply chain you operate) then
naturally more opportunities for closer connections will emerge.
Improving support via a dedicated portal, as well as increasing the
touchpoints on preferred platforms can be managed if health records
(or CRM records) are better managed and used.

9. CUSTOMISATION AND/OR PERSONALISATION

Personalised medicine is expected to become one of the most

favoured pharma industry trends in the future. In theory, drugs will be
customized based on the patient’s examination reports and medical
records. But we're a while away from this - don’t expect this in 2021.
But a focus on collecting and storing more data has signalled the
beginning. What has started, however, is personalisation within
marketing campaigns. Delivering personalised messaging with
automated campaigns based on medication or disease state that
educate patients, offering helpful reminders, as well as checking in on
progress at key times. Subtle touches as such will be required from
the providers and can be introduced further down the chain which
marketing managers will naturally be asked to oversee.

3. Covid 19 pharma marketing strategy and spend survey

results
https://www.pm360online.com/covid-19-pharma-marketing-
strategy-and-spend-survey-results/ April 27, 2020

Sales Rep Access

Personal promotion is still the bedrock of pharma marketing, as

brands seek to provide 1:1 communication and detailing to key
treatment decision makers.

Although sales rep access to physicians has diminished over the

last two decades, many HCPs nonetheless state that pharma sales
representatives are one of their most-valued ways to learn about
treatments and new launches. 

“How has the pandemic impacted in-person sales rep access?”

 63%: “Rep access is near zero at this time” while another

 12%: “Rep access is reduced by 25% or more”
 10%: “Rep access is reduced by 25%-50%

Telehealth Utilization

With in-person patient visits substantially down, does this imply

increased use of telehealth through video consults and similar
virtual means? Turns out the answer is yes. Consider the answers
to our question: “Are you aware of an increase in the number of
patients engaging with their HCPs via telehealth, video
consults, and similar technologies?”
  62%: Telehealth engagements have “increased greatly”
 19%: Telehealth engagements have “increased somewhat”

Pharma Marketer Impact: Telehealth Video Utilization

Given the reduction in both in-person sales rep and face-to-face

patient visits, we were curious to see if pharma marketers were
doing anything to encourage patients to use telehealth and video
technologies to meet with their physicians and receive
prescriptions based upon these remote consults.

Our results confirmed our hunch: That’s exactly what’s occurring

now. When we asked the question “Has your company done
anything to encourage more telehealth or video consults?”

 48%: “Yes”
 13%: “No, but we’re planning to”
 11%: “No”

Increased Investment: HCP vs. DTC

But where is most of that increased investment happening? We

drilled down further “Which of your audience-focused
marketing investments has it impacted more – HCP or
Patient/Consumer (DTC)?”

 49%: HCP
 23%: DTC
 12%: “Both equally”

Marketing Budgets

Spend is literally the bottom line of pharma marketing

commitment to media, so the answer to  “How has the pandemic
impacted your 2020 marketing and media budget?”  reveals the
most about what’s on everyone’s mind and their feelings about
the quarter ahead:

 12%: “Reduced over 50%”

 27%: “Reduced 25-50%
 27%: “Reduced by less than 25%”
 12%: “Increased by 25%” or more

4. Sun Pharma Global Consumer Healthcare announces digital

launch of Pepmelt antacid campaign
Pepmelt antacid TVC goes viral across digital mediums
MUMBAI – MARCH 11, 2016