Doctor-patient encounter communication

For the last five years, Glenn MacEachern has lead the commercial development and launch of Schwarz Pharma’s orally disintegrating tablet franchise of brands, including Niravam, a medication for the treatment of anxiety and panic disorder. Here, Glenn explains how he used doctor-patient encounter (DPE) communication to launch Niravam.

“DPE can be a very effective way to communicate to patients and physicians”
-Glenn MacEachern, Senior Product Manager at Schwarz Pharma

To develop a strong marketing strategy it is important to bring multiple perspectives to the table. I know for the brands in which I have lead strategic planning, it has been beneficial to have members of the sales team present. Sales people are on the front line and they have a great sense for how our customers are responding to the brand position and messages.

The advantage I believe small or mid-size pharmaceutical companies have over big pharma is that we can quickly monitor whether the marketing strategies have been effectively executed in the field. If we find that the strategies are not being effectively executed, we can determine in a short amount of time how to improve our communication of the strategies and assure that sales is executing the plan. In addition, if we have missed the mark on our strategies we will quickly receive feedback from the field on how to adjust strategies to make them successful.

DPE and Niravam

During intensive one-on-one interviews with patients, researchers found that in addition to feeling on edge, being excessively worried, fearing loss of control, being irritable, and lacking the ability to concentrate, patients wanted to achieve three things above all else. They wanted to 1) be able to control their symptoms and take charge at the first sign of symptom onset, 2) get immediate relief, and 3) to gain peace of mind.

Meanwhile, physician thought leaders confirmed the need for educational content in the office that specifically addresses the needs of patients. They also noted that from the physician perspective, differential diagnosis is difficult because the differences between the presentations of patients with GAD versus PD can be very subtle. Also, patients with anxiety disorders are frequently depressed, so they end up with a diagnosis of depression alone and continue to suffer from symptoms of anxiety disorders.

Further analysis of the research results showed unequivocally that the two sets of needs converged. Patients needed the encouragement to speak up about their symptoms, to not be afraid to ask for help, and to know that what they were experiencing was something that the doctor could help them with. On the other side, physicians needed to be able to recognise symptoms in their patients and differentiate between the different disorders, so they could encourage patients to accept and adhere to treatment.

For small and mid-size pharma who can’t afford DTC marketing, DPE can be a very effective way to communicate to patients and physicians. In addition, it might also help improve the communication between the patient and physicians.

As a manager of a brand, I have found this type of DPE to be a great educational tool for patients, a great value added service for physicians and a cost effective program that can help brand growth.

Technology and marketing

I know in marketing we are always on the look out for new tools that can be cost effective and reach a large number of our customers. I am a strong proponent of using the internet and using search engine optimisation (SEO). SEO allows you to effectively position your brand on sites like Google and Yahoo where a majority of patients go to learn about their conditions.

Over time, sales and marketing strategies will become very refined. We will have to rely on smaller numbers of representatives to communicate marketing messages and marketing will implement programs that try to educate and add value to the physician practice without taking too much time out of their day. I also think that we will continue to ask more of technology to deliver marketing messages that are effective, measurable and cost efficient.