The internet is potentially a powerful tool for pharmaceutical companies to inform patients and prescribers alike of their products, yet few companies achieved the expected return on their initial investments. However, there are still compelling reasons for companies to move forward with an eStrategy - provided that the pharmaceutical industry is willing to rethink its approach.

If designing an effective marketing strategy is indeed a numbers game, then the 211 million internet-users in the US should translate into sure success. With internet penetration rates among the general population ranging from 60-70% in the US, the UK and Japan, the internet has created a consumer who demands not only more sophisticated information, but also a bigger role in how that information is applied to their lives.

Millions of internet users can't be wrong

Empowered with greater access to information and education, patients have begun to play a more significant role in the healthcare decision-making process. While initial predictions warned that patient empowerment would ultimately undermine the medical establishment, it appears that the opposite is true. The level and quality of interactions between patient and physician has improved which has, in turn, both enhanced patient satisfaction and had a positive effect on clinical outcomes.

While physicians are still the ones making the final decision about whether to prescribe a specific drug, physicians now report that patient requests for specific medications at the point-of-care are as influential as office visits from pharmaceutical sales representatives.

If consumers are looking for information pertaining to their health online and pharmaceutical companies are investing in providing online disease- and drug-focused content, then why have pharmaceutical eStrategies not been more effective? At the core of every unsuccessful online campaign is a failure to meet the needs of the end-user. The central goal has to be to make it easier for individuals to either gather information or make a decision. Although it is hard to believe, it has only been very recently that brand teams have begun to really consider the needs of the individual in front of the computer screen.

Failure to focus

A key point to remember in the face of several years of disappointing returns on investments is the fact that the internet is actually highly influential. To be successful brand teams must keep in mind that not only are web users highly goal-driven, but the goal they have is rarely the same as the company that wants to reach them.

You can have a highly effective drug and the right patient clicking the mouse, but if the message you deliver fails to answer his or her specific information needs you have little chance of being heard. On the other hand, if the information provided by a company does meet a specific need, it is growing increasingly likely that consumers will take that information to the physician during an office visit, which may impact the physician's prescribing decision.

A very similar pattern has emerged in the healthcare technology industry as well, with electronic health records systems providing a good example. Most healthcare professionals would agree that electronic records are needed in order to improve patient safety and modernize the delivery of healthcare; yet adoption rates remain surprisingly low. The problem is that software vendors aim for what is possible instead of what is feasible given the way doctors and nurses work.

Teamwork needed

Towards this end, pharmaceutical companies need to work more closely with healthcare professionals to develop online content and services that make sense not only for prescribers, but also for the patients they are caring for. The true advantage of the internet over other channels of communication is that brand teams can move beyond reaching groups of individuals to build a relationship with the individuals themselves through tailored information and services online. In fact, there is a significant opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to build brand loyalty by investing in disease management and compliance programs.

Physicians are very interested in expanding their use of disease management programs, but few have the time or the resources necessary to design or support their own programs on an ongoing basis. The industry should work closely with physicians to design programs that focus on enhancing patient compliance, which everyone benefits from. There is a lot to be gained by treating physicians as teammates in patient care, instead of solely as sales targets.

SOURCE: Datamonitor

• 2007 Trends to Watch: Healthcare Technology
• Business Trends: Healthcare Technology - Understanding your Healthcare Customer (Customer Focus)
• Disease Management and Drug Adherence: Strategies to support patients and enhance treatment persistence

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