Get ready for more cost containment

Here is a great article by Shanna Duncan at Hyde park Healthcare Communications..every DTC marketer should read this and send it up to his or her boss.

While there is a common misperception that patient advocacy groups and pharmaceutical manufacturers are often on opposite sides of most issues, insiders understand that's not the case. In fact, there is now a golden opportunity for both sides to strengthen some of these alliances to advance a shared mission - delivering the best therapies to patients at a fair price. The timing may be right because health care change will happen irrespective of who will be the next president.

Over the past two decades, patient groups have become more sophisticated and influential with regulators, legislators and their constituencies to support many goals shared by the pharmaceutical industry. Both patient groups and pharmaceutical companies want fast approval of safe treatments, and patient groups are often viewed as the most credible voice in the debate. They, after all, are the people who will benefit most from these drugs.

For example, in the early ‘80s, the HIV/AIDS community began to speak out - and force action - about the desperate need for better access to treatment and new drugs. The pharmaceutical industry, providers and government wisely responded by including the groups in discussions about every aspect of care. Since then, these patient groups have been a driving force for innovative therapies, and other groups now use that model to gain greater awareness for their issues.

The creation of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month is another example of pharma companies working successfully with patient advocacy groups. Patient and physician groups including the Prevent Cancer Foundation, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition, and the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable joined forces with more than 50 other patient groups and several pharmaceutical companies, including Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb, sanofi-aventis, Amgen and others. Over the years, awareness about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer has spread. The topic is no longer taboo, and Katie Couric even aired her colonoscopy on the Today Show, after which colorectal screenings increased by 20 percent.

Eisai, the makers of Aricept, which it copromotes with Pfizer, set out to ease the burdens of family members caring for relatives with Alzheimer's. Working with an advisory council of experts from AARP, the Alzheimer's Association, the Hospice Association of America, the National Council on the Aging, the National Family Caregivers Association and others developed Caring to Help Others: A Training Manual for Preparing Volunteers to Assist Caregivers of Older Adults, regarded as the most comprehensive volunteer caregiver training resource available to community organizations.

Tips on building successful relationships with patient advocates

Acknowledge differences in opinion. Industry and advocates don't agree on all issues. While drug pricing and pharmaceutical profits are sources of contention, that doesn't mean that there's no room for compromise. Patient groups want access to safe, effective treatments for their constituents, and the pharmaceutical industry wants to provide them. That's strong common ground. Be prepared to explain how you will make the drug available to the most vulnerable populations, e.g., patient access programs. Many groups will work with you to ensure the treatment is included on reimbursement schedules and insurance formularies.

Think long-term. When entering a new therapeutic category, take a look at how you can work with patient groups from the earliest research stages to post-approval. By building trust early on, patient groups will be more receptive to working with companies to achieve legislative, regulatory or marketing goals. In addition, during times of crisis, it will be much easier to ask a group for support when there is an established relationship.

Communicate transparently and regularly. Patients want to know what's going on. Let them know as early as possible with as much information as you can - the status of a drug, trials progress, and regulatory or political issues you anticipate. The more they know, the less they are inclined to think you are hiding something. Even if it is information they have heard elsewhere, proactively communicating shows openness and transparency, which are critical to building trust.

Think partner not consultant. Patient advocates merit respect. When they agree to work with a company, it's important to remember they have their own goals and "customers" they must answer to, and they have limitations as to what they will be able to do on behalf of the industry. Recognize what they do: speak on behalf of and educate their constituents and other audiences. This is a powerful role that can lead to successfully meeting your goals and cultivating a long-term relationship.
Strong relationships with patient groups can help validate scientific credibility, legitimize products, build brand and disease awareness and build defense for potential crises.

Patients can be transformed from critics to cheerleaders by finding common ground on which to work with them. Industry-patient partnerships can influence changes in policy, expand patient access to and coverage for diagnosis and treatments, recruit for clinical trials and speed the development and approval process for new therapies. It's an approach that can bring results if companies look at the landscape through a different lens.

So there it is from another source...can the ship be turned around in the river or will it continue to sail upstream until it is stuck and has to be pulled out.