Sander Flaum

Looking past COVID, the medical world is in turmoil. It’s hard enough for us in manufacturing and marketing to keep up with innovative technologies. Patients and caregivers have it especially tough since they are on the brunt end of disruptive innovations. Every day, patients face a ceaseless onslaught of sort of truths, half-truths, and flat-out lies about their healthcare, and HCPs no sooner graduate from med school than they discover much of their training is obsolete. Flaum Navigators Principal Sander A. Flaum explores how we can engage patients and physicians in the “Next Big Thing.”

Of all the communities touched by the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals (HCPs) are arguably among those most affected. Specialists on the front lines in primary care, critical care, infectious diseases, and pulmonology roles have experienced COVID-19 first hand—often risking their own health and that of their families to help. A new report from Apollo Intelligence provides a barometer on physicians’ sentiments for 2022, and together with other research, frames a wake-up call to medical device and pharma teams in charge of building a brand presence with prescribers.

Relevate Health solidified the healthcare marketing agency’s position as a market leader in healthcare professional (HCP) omnichannel engagement with the acquisition of Dallas-based ConneXion360. With this acquisition, Relevate Health now provides its omnichannel solutions and agency services to more than 185 brands from 90 pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device manufacturers, as well as 24 hospital systems.

On the heels of the Point of Care Marketing Association’s 2022 Industry Summit and in partnership with leading medical market research company MedSurvey, Havas Media Group (HMG) revealed findings from a new research study examining the matrix of influence surrounding prescribing drugs for patients. The findings identify who beyond MDs exerts influence over prescribing decisions, as well as the concerns, behaviors, trigger moments, and media habits of these influencers.

IQVIA

IQVIA announced the launch of OCE+, the first of several new advancements to its leading life science customer engagement platform. OCE+ adds IQVIA’s Next Best recommendation engine – a daily workflow tool providing AI-driven recommendations for engaging healthcare professionals (HCP) – to its Orchestrated Customer Engagement (OCE) platform, providing enhanced HCP experiences, improved productivity and increased ROI.

Drew Desjardins, Avalere Health

Historically, therapies focusing on niche markets face tremendous obstacles, from drug development and clinical trials to drug access. Drew Desjardins – EVP, Chief Strategy Officer, Fishawack Health – analyzes several key challenges for brand marketers readying to launch products in these small markets, along with solutions for driving better stakeholder experiences.  

Continuing an aggressive growth strategy, Relevate Health announced the acquisition of Boston-based Axon Communications and the company’s proprietary suite of digital healthcare professional (HCP), field team, and patient engagement marketing products.

Publicis Health announced the appointment of Larry Mickelberg as the global healthcare communications network’s first Chief Commercial Officer.

Read Roberts, director of Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) data solutions at PRECISIONscientia, believes 2022 will see social media platforms as the new method for handling pharma medical education and peer-to-peer communications. So pharma must embrace a new type of digital sleuthing to find KOLs and Digital Opinion Leaders (DOLs), but they must do so carefully and think how to mitigate many risks in this highly regulated market, according to Roberts.

Stephen Hoelper, President, North America at Doceree, analyzes why life sciences brands need to move beyond vanity metrics for point-of-care campaigns.