The Top 3 Pharma Functions Involved in Patient-Centric Initiatives (Apart from Marketing)

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC--(Marketwired - July 31, 2017) - Apart from marketing, the most popular functions that are involved in at least 65% of surveyed patient-centric initiatives are brand team, legal/regulatory affairs and medical affairs, according to a recent study by pharmaceutical intelligence provider Cutting Edge Information.

Data recently published in the study, Patient-Centricity 2.0: Communication Strategies to Boost Patient Engagement, revealed that 68% of initiatives involve the related product's brand team. These groups are often responsible for lifecycle management, so incorporating the brand team in patient-centric initiative planning is key to strategizing the product's lifecycle and impact.

Additional data show that legal/regulatory affairs groups are involved in about 68% of surveyed teams' initiatives. Legal and regulatory affairs groups are often necessary to avoid any potential compliance issues that may arise during patient-centric initiatives, such as patient privacy.

While patient-centricity may often be considered marketing's domain, the medical affairs function is innovating and increasing its role in patient-centricity, the study found. Medical affairs teams -- involved in 65% of patient-centric initiatives -- may be integral to putting together educational and other medically focused materials.

"Regardless of team functions and structures, life science groups striving for patient-centricity will keep in mind that initiatives can extend past the services they provide patients," said Adam Bianchi, senior director of research at Cutting Edge Information. "Well-rounded and cutting edge initiatives will provide patients with not only healthcare services, but also support to help them improve their quality of life beyond what a company's product can do."

Although patient-centric initiatives involve many different functions and groups, the marketing function is arguably the backbone of many patient-focused efforts – especially branded ones. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising and other branded initiatives targeted at patients often fall under this umbrella. As such, 71% of surveyed patient-centric initiatives involve marketing.

Patient-Centricity 2.0: Communication Strategies to Boost Patient Engagement, available at https://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/research/marketing/patient-centricity/, explores different types of patient-centric programs and various drug companies' experiences to develop best practices around new strategies. The report's aggregate data and individual profiles on patient-centric programs provide insights on a wide range of initiatives. The study is derived from firsthand conversations and surveys from life sciences executives involved in patient-centric organizations. It is designed to help pharmaceutical and medical device companies:

• Benchmark the costs to implement patient-centric initiatives, including staffing and time duration to plot successful initiatives and ensure adequate support
• Learn effective methods for measuring ROI for patient-centric initiatives -- a consistent challenge for patient-centric programs
• Increase awareness of -- and improve strategy and planning for -- patient-centric initiatives
• Determine best-fit structures for disseminating patient-centric communication

For more detailed information on Cutting Edge Information's patient-centric benchmarking research, visit https://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/product-category/marketing/.

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