Case Study: Leveraging Physician Relationships to Co-create Patient Support

The Client Situation

In a market dominated for years by injectable biologics, a small pharma company was about to make waves by launching an innovative oral therapy in an infusion/injection market. This company had minimal exposure to patient support programs (PSPs), but knew a PSP would be pivotal to their commercialization strategy since all of their comparators had well-established programs.

This company turned to Innomar Strategies, the leader in specialty support programs in Canada, to help them map out a best-in-class PSP that patients would use and physicians would refer to. The Innomar Strategies team knew from experience that ensuring proper physician buy-in would be critical to a successful PSP.  And so the market research team within Innomar Strategies developed an in-depth understanding of physician perceptions as they related to our client’s product and condition, prior to its availability in Canada.

The Innomar Strategies Solution

Phase 1: Market Research Audit
To date, our client had conducted multiple brand plans and market research activities in preparation for their launch. To determine what key findings and insights could be gleaned from their research, and to understand what gaps still existed, we conducted a comprehensive 360-degree audit of their research documents. 

After a thorough review, the Innomar Strategies team determined that, while some work had been conducted around physician perception of their product, the research did not sufficiently represent their client’s target group of specialists. As a result, the team recommended further research to truly understand the key stakeholder’s perceptions and optimize the client’s probability of success.

Phase 2:  Primary Market Research with Physicians
Using the relationships Innomar Strategies has cultivated with key prescribers in Canada, and leveraging our expertise in the specialty market, the team designed and executed a primary market research study to assess physician attitudes toward our client’s new oral product. 

This study was conducted within a large group of specialists and revealed important insights that would impact our client’s brand including:

• Where an oral agent would fit into the current treatment pathway
• Treatment pathway changes to accommodate a new oral agent
• Components of a PSP important to physicians
• Perceived threat of an oral drug in relationship to an infusion clinic business
• Patient perception by physicians and their influence on treatment decisions

Most importantly, the research definitively confirmed that establishing a PSP at launch would be a fundamental requirement for the product’s success. The research also revealed physicians’ perceptions that the PSP, at minimum, would need to provide reimbursement assistance for patients, and that additional consideration should be given to patient and physician education, adherence tracking and safety monitoring.

The Outcome

Based on the results of this market research, Innomar Strategies proposed a custom designed PSP to meet the needs of our client, and the specialists and patients who would use the program:

• To promote physician uptake, the program provided components that allowed specialists to customize their program preferences.

• To optimize the experience for patients, we ensured the program was simple enough for patients to use and obtain access to their prescribed medication.

The program launched with great success and addressed the needs raised by the specialists while maintaining the overall objective of reducing time to therapy initiation for patients.

Start a Conversation

Launching a product in an over-crowded market place is tough, let alone designing a best-in-class patient support program to meet the needs of both physicians and patients.  Good news, you’re not alone.  With Innomar Strategies as your guide, you will benefit from years of knowledge and experience in the specialty support market. Take the next step toward a successful launch and speak to the market leader in the customized design and implementation of patient support programs in Canada. Partner with Innomar Strategies to improve product access, increase supply chain efficiency, and enhance patient care.