Pf Magazine June 2021

CHANGING BEHAVIOUR, TRANSFORMING LIVES

SUMMER 2021

ABPI Code & digital myth-busting

The pandemic has enforced behaviour change upon all of us, dramatically impacting the way we work, shop, socialise and access healthcare

Behaviour changing campaigns True omnichannel approach PHARMAFIELD.CO.UK

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W

Hello.

elcome to the June edition of Pf Magazine.

For me, this issue was always going to have a digital focus.

Whilst it would be wrong to say we are coming out of the pandemic, we are in a different place to where we were a year ago. In an interesting interview between McKinsey and Ara Darzi 1, the surgeon and former health minister, Ara claimed that our healthcare system, like all healthcare systems, is designed as a “sickness service” rather than a “health and well-being service”.

The value proposition has been treating the sick. What Covid-19 has shown is that the value proposition has to change, in fact, to preventing illness.

Digital technology proved an invaluable tool for pandemic preparedness and response, but how can it support patients in the future? Our cover story looks at the importance of behaviour change campaigns and why pharma companies looking to execute these campaigns must understand how to influence small shifts in people’s actions and attitudes that can result in much bigger outcomes for improving health and wellbeing.

From a pharma marketing and sales perspective, it’s clear that digital has finally come of age so what can the industry learn from retail when it comes to delivering a true omnichannel approach? Our feature by Craig Bradley explores this on page 10.

As the NHS attempts to recover from the strain of the pandemic, Dr Simon Bourne puts his case across that: “Building a resilient healthcare system with accessible digital support will have a significant impact on waiting times and treatment referrals” on page 16.

Whilst this issue looks at what comes next and the possibilities that digital presents, it also outlines considerations that must be made. From an NHS primary care perspective, the concern is that remote GP consultations could lead to gaps in provision. As Dr Anne Connolly points out in her article on page 18: “For those who are less empowered or able to use remote consulting or online digital solutions, there is a risk of increasing inequity of healthcare provision”.

We also have a career close-up focused on how to be successful in the digital domain, a look at whether hybrid events are the future and an ABPI feature, busting some myths to demonstrate the commercial wins when compliance is not considered digital’s arch nemesis.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue and if you would like to be involved in the September issue of Pf Magazine, drop us a line at hello@pharmafield.co.uk

Reference: 1. https://tinyurl.com/McKinseyDarzi

EDITOR

Emma Cooper emma.cooper@e4h.co.uk HEAD OF MARKETING OPERATIONS

Emma Morriss emma.morriss@pharmafield.co.uk CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Emma Warfield emma@e4h.co.uk MID WEIGHT DESIGNER

Sigrid Dalland sigrid@e4h.co.uk SENIOR EDITOR E4H

Amy Schofield amy@pharmafield.co.uk COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

Hazel Lodge hazel@e4h.co.uk FINANCIAL CONTROLLER

Fiona Beard finance@e4h.co.uk Pf AWARDS

Melanie Hamer melanie@e4h.co.uk PUBLISHER

Karl Hamer karl@e4h.co.uk HEAD OFFICE

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M AG A ZI N E | S U M M ER 202 1 | 1

Summer HAVE YOUR SAY: If you’d like to share an idea for a feature or collaborate with us on a captivating advertorial, please get in touch.

GET IN TOUCH: hello@pharmafield.co.uk @pharmafield

Contributors

JO SPINK

Jo is Creative Strategist at emotive, a global healthcare communications agency that inspires change to have a positive impact on people’s health. The PR and Advocacy team was formed through a merger with Spink, a leading healthcare PR agency with three decades of experience.

Changing Behaviour, transforming lives, page 08 CRAIG BRADLEY

Craig is Head of Marketing, Diabetes & Internal Medicine at Takeda, and was PM Society Chair 2017–2020.

Shopping for success, page 10 PAUL RILEY

Paul is Medical Affairs Director at Glasshouse Health. He is an experienced medical affairs professional with expertise in bridging the gaps between

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@pharmajobsuk

Pf Magazine

healthcare companies, patients, and the medical community. Paul works with pharma companies and technology companies, and specialises in the evaluation and development of effective digital technology strategies and procurement planning.

Not all that glitters is gold, page 12

RICHARD BADERIN

MARK DAVIES

DR SIMON BOURNE

Mark is an NHS Consultant and Director of Res Consortium. He left clinical practice to take an MBA and now works extensively with pharma marketing teams supporting market access, brand strategy, commercial performance and partnership projects.

Mark works with a team of digital specialists providing a range of dynamic digital applications to pharma and the NHS to improve patient outcomes.

Not all that glitters is gold, page 12

Richard is Head of Commercial Services at CHASE. He started his career in marketing at GSK UK and has worked in UK and global marketing roles with increasing seniority for pharmaceutical companies and healthcare agencies. Digital Delight, page 15 Simon is co-founder and CEO of mymhealth and a former military doctor and NHS medical consultant, specialising in respiratory medicine. Simon is a leading COPD consultant at University Hospital Southampton.

Breaking the backlog, page 16 DR ANNE CONNOLLY

Anne is a GP and Chair of the Primary Care Women’s Health Forum (PCWHF).

A GP’s perspective, page 18

In this issue

DR RINA NEWTON

Rina is Managing Director at Complimed. ABPI Code & digital myth-busting, page 22 DAN HYDES

Dan is CEO and co-founder of IgniteData, the governmentbacked health tech start-up, shaping the future of clinical data.

With over 20 years’ experience, both within NHS trusts and commercial partners, Dan is a champion of the digital potential to transform clinical studies and impact. The importance of interoperability, page 26 OLI HUDSON

Oli is Content Director at Wilmington Healthcare.

NHS policy-making, page 28 TIM BARKER

Tim is CEO of Kooth plc, one of the UK’s largest digital mental health platforms. With over 30 years’ experience in the tech industry, his experience spans start-up to scale-up, and leadership roles across product, marketing, and commercial.

Tim recently oversaw the company’s transition from a private company to a publicly listed one on the AIM exchange.

A heads up, page 29 EMMA MORRISS

Emma is Head of Marketing Operations at E4H. Will the future be hybrid events? page 30 IAN ROBINSON

Ian has 26 years’ experience in European pharma and is a Director of Future CX, a business dedicated to defining and delivering consistent world-class customer excellence for clients.

Enter the entrepreneur, page 34 MARK JONES

Mark Jones is Director at Future CX. Enter the entrepreneur, page 34 HEIDI EDWARDS

Heidi is Senior Respiratory E-detail Representative at Bionical Solutions, on behalf of AstraZeneca. Succeeding in the digital domain, page 36

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26

ICYMI

INSIGHT

An overview of the best bits recently published on www.pharmafield.co.uk

Interoperability: How digital health in the UK can remain competitive

06

28

INDUSTRY ROUND-UP

ADVERTORIAL

A round-up of news, ones to watch in the industry and NICE guidance milestones

Digital technology and NHS policy-making

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29

COVER STORY

FEATURE

Changing behaviour, transforming lives: Embracing new and effective ways of communicating

How should we be designing digital health solutions for the nation?

10

30

FEATURE

INSIGHT

What can pharma learn from retail when it comes to a true omnichannel approach?

Heading for hybrid: The future of events?

12

33

INSIGHT

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Three rules to help you choose the right digital solutions

Who’s moving where in the industry?

15

34

ADVERTORIAL

INSIGHT

Digital delight: Optimising customer brand experience

Enter the entrepreneur: How is digital impacting front-line employees in pharma?

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36

NHS

CAREERS

How can digital technology help HCPs navigate the backlog of treatment referrals?

How to be successful in the digital domain

18 NHS

A GP’s perspective on the digital wave sweeping through surgeries

22

FEATURE

ABPI Code & digital myth-busting

“Companies that do not embrace digital health will be left behind” Paul Riley & Mark Davies, page 12

ICYMI

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COMING SOON… REGULAR VIDEO CONTENT

MORE THAN JUST PRINT. In between your quarterly issues of Pf Magazine, you will find daily news, exclusive web articles and thought leadership opinion pieces on www.pharmafield.co.uk Take a look at some of the exclusive content you may have missed and the exciting things we’ve got coming up.

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“I think this is a seminal moment in the history of the pharma industry” DAVID REILLY Our new 5in5 interview series will introduce you to thought leaders in pharma and healthcare. Our first interview will be with David Reilly, our brand new tech columnist and MD at Let’s Learn Digital.

ICYMI

NEWS | WEB.EXCLUSIVES | TECH | COVID-19 | GLOBAL.PHARMA | DIRECTORY

TAKE A SNEAK PEEK. OUR NEW WEBSITE IS COMING SOON AND HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE… A brand new monthly tech columnist who will be keeping our readers up-to-date with the latest tech innovation driving the new digital age in pharma and healthcare.

WEB EXCLUSIVES Industry leaders driving the debate and writing exclusive opinion pieces for Pharmafield.

VIDEO Our new website will launch with a 5in5 video interview series, where we put 5 questions to industry leaders in 5 minutes.

PLUS! In Depth Features

On the topics where we need to delve into the detail, our In Depth Features will bring a magazine spread style to the web, so we never compromise on our content.

1

NEW OPERATIONAL PLANNING GUIDANCE – WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR PHARMA? Why is the new NHS operational planning guidance so significant and what does it mean for pharmaceutical companies?

Oli Hudson, Content Director at Wilmington Healthcare shares his thoughts.

FOUR ARTICLES NOT TO MISS THIS MONTH

2

COVID-19 AND KEY CHANGES ONE YEAR ON

One year on from the first confirmed case of Covid-19 in the UK, we take a look at some of the key changes that have happened during the pandemic, how NHS pathways are evolving and what this means for pharma.

3

THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL HEALTHCARE

Building on the huge progress the NHS made during 2020, Gianpiero Celino, Clinical Director, Cegedim Healthcare Solutions, outlines a vision for the future of digital healthcare.

4

VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY IN LIFE SCIENCES

In the next waves of data transformation in life sciences, how will Regulatory and Quality teams explore and interact with regulated product information and market intelligence using virtual or augmented reality?

M AG A ZI N E | S U M M ER 202 1 | 5

Start-ups that have caught our attention

STEP PHARMA Step Pharma is developing novel therapeutics that inhibit the enzyme CTP Synthase 1 (CTPS1). The start-up’s lead program (STP938) is based on a novel class of oral nucleotide synthesis inhibitors that target CTPS1 (cytidine triphosphate synthase 1) to induce selective modulation of specific immune cell populations such as T and B cells. STP938 will enter clinical development in early 2022 for the treatment of haematological malignancies.

TOLLYS

With Vinehealth, users are able to better track, manage, and understand their cancer care

MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS & COLLABORATIONS

Ones to watch

BOOTS UK & CEGEDIM HEALTHCARE

Boots UK has announced a new 5-year, multi-million pound agreement with Cegedim Healthcare Solutions, for the provision of essential services to support dispensing at Boots Pharmacy stores.

Under the new agreement, Cegedim will continue to provide essential clinical decision support data and NHS spine connectivity services to power and support Boots own PMR system, Columbus, across its UK network.

Steve Bradley, CHS Group Managing Director, Cegedim Healthcare Solutions comments: “We highly value our relationship with Boots and are extremely proud to be able to continue our longstanding partnership.”

Awarded ‘Best-in-class therapeutic innovation’ at the MATWIN (Maturation and Accelerating Translation With Industry) International Board, the company’s leadcandidate (TL-532) is a structurally defined double-stranded RNA of 70 base pairs produced synthetically that is highly specific to the TLR3 receptor. Tollys plans to start clinical phase I trials with TL-532 in several cancer indications in 2022.

VINEHEALTH A mobile app supporting cancer patients through their treatment to #BeInControl.

With Vinehealth, users are able to better track, manage, and understand their cancer care – something Vinehealth’s research found to be a significant pain point while going through treatment. www.digitalhealth.london/acceleratorsvinehealth-release-app-on-the-apple-app-store

AMPERSAND HEALTH Ampersand Health works alongside worldrenowned researchers, clinicians and patient groups, to create industry-leading personalised digital therapies that help prolong periods of remission, and provide support in the self-management of long-term conditions. www.ampersandhealth.co.uk/clinicians

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The VinehealthPRO and mobile app screens, helping patients stay in control of their treatment.

INDUSTRY ROUND -UP

LIFE SCIENCES ECOSYSTEM

Three leading companies have merged to create the country’s first nationwide life sciences ecosystem to help earlystage British businesses compete on a global stage.

BioCity Group, a lead accelerator and venture investor; Knowledge Factory, which manages science parks; and Trinity Investment Management, which owns Britain’s largest portfolio of science parks, have formed We Are Pioneer Group.

The £120m across two deals acquiring BioCity and a Cardiff science park will create a £450m business covering nine locations, totalling 2.6 million square feet of labs and offices.

GLAUCOMA RESEARCH

PR & COMMUNICATIONS

ONCOLOGY

Santen, a global company specialising in ophthalmology, has announced its partnership with scientists from Massachusetts Eye and Ear (USA), a research and teaching hospital affiliated with Harvard Medical School and Ulster University (United Kingdom) to research and develop novel treatments for glaucoma. The aim of this international collaboration is to identify, characterise and develop new and unique treatments for glaucoma. The investigations will focus on how to prevent and reverse damage caused to the optic nerve due to glaucoma by exploring new therapeutic targets in the visual nervous system.

Leading healthcare public relations agency Spink has merged with emotive, a global healthcare communications company, to enhance emotive’s PR and advocacy offering.

Spink’s expertise in PR and public affairs will now form part of emotive’s highly skilled medical and brand offering, which focuses on driving advocacy and uptake of healthcare products and services.

As part of emotive – and the wider Synaptiq Health group – Spink will be able to offer its clients the advantages of scale, through emotive’s European and US networks. In addition, Spink will benefit from scientific and medical expertise, and enhanced technology and creative capabilities.

Amgen has successfully completed its previously announced tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock of Five Prime Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing immuno-oncology and targeted cancer therapies.

Robert A. Bradway, chairman and chief executive officer at Amgen said: “Five Prime fits squarely within Amgen’s leading oncology portfolio and includes bemarituzumab, a Phase 3 trial-ready, firstin-class program for gastric cancer, the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide.

Working with the dedicated professionals joining us from Five Prime, we plan to quickly move bemarituzumab into a Phase 3 study, bringing it one step closer to helping patients suffering from gastric cancer.”

A LOOK AHEAD Important dates in the development process of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) health and care recommendations.

Stakeholder workshop

Scope consultation starts

Draft guideline consultation opens

Publication

Acne vulgaris: management

29/08/2018

24/09/2018

18/12/2020

09/06/2021

Shared decision making

04/12/2018

04/01/2019

22/12/2020

17/06/2021

Chronic kidney disease: assessment and management

12/11/2018

10/12/2018

22/01/2021

20/07/2021

Subarachnoid haemorrhage due to ruptured aneurysms

13/08/2018

22/08/2018

12/02/2021

21/07/2021

Antenatal care for uncomplicated pregnancies update

21/02/2018

19/03/2018

11/02/2021

11/08/2021

Obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome and obesity hypoventilation syndrome in over 16s

12/04/2018

16/05/2018

03/03/2021 (New date)

18/08/2021 (New date)

Babies, children and young peoples experience of healthcare

13/11/2018

13/12/2018

05/03/2021

25/08/2021

Disabled children and young people up to 25 with severe complex needs: integrated service delivery and organisation across health, social care and education

05/12/2018

08/01/2019

02/08/2021

19/01/2022

Mental wellbeing at work

16/07/2019

12/08/2019

02/07/2021

15/12/2021

GUIDELINES IN DEVELOPMENT

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CHANGING BEHAVIOUR, TRANSFORMING LIVES

P

ositive behaviour change has the power to improve our health, happiness and even save lives. The most prevalent chronic health conditions in Europe, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, obstructive lung diseases and diabetes, are strongly linked with lifestyle. With the correct strategies in place and the right interventions, behaviour change campaigns can help modify the long-standing habits that contribute to these diseases.

Whether it is helping people to stop smoking, increase their exercise levels, reduce anxiety or attend a routine medical screening, there’s an opportunity to make a valuable difference to people’s lives.

However, as humans, we naturally resist change and often stay passive when action is good for us. We have a tendency to put up barriers, distrust information and retreat into our own echo chambers. The challenge for pharma companies looking to execute behaviour change campaigns is understanding how to influence small shifts in our actions and attitudes that can result in much bigger outcomes for improving health and wellbeing.

BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE MODELS

There are numerous behaviour change theories and models, largely drawn from psychology and informed by economics and sociology.

One of the best-known approaches is the Stages of Change or Transtheoretical Model, introduced in the late 1970s by Prochaska and DiClemente. In this model, change occurs gradually, and relapses are an inevitable part of the process. People are often unwilling or resistant to change during the early stages, but they eventually develop a proactive and committed approach to changing a behaviour.

More recently, the COM-B model1 sets out that behaviour comes about from an interaction of Capability, Opportunity and Motivation to carry out the Behaviour. Do people have the skills and/or knowledge to change behaviour? Do social, interpersonal and physical environment factors affect their ability to implement change?

And do they believe that it is worth spending the effort to change, or even that change is possible? Once the most significant barrier is highlighted through this process, the most appropriate intervention can be applied to encourage the desired behaviour change.

A prime example of this in practice is the Global Hygiene Council’s activity to promote lasting hygiene habits with primary school children. A partnership with a leading academic institute used insights from over 5,000 children, parents and teachers to develop a hygiene behaviour change model, a first of its kind. This established the key behavioural barriers, such as lack of knowledge, beliefs about consequences, and social influences. These, in turn, informed intervention strategies in seven nations, helping to improve future health outcomes for children and their families.

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IMPACT OF COVID

The pandemic has enforced behaviour change upon all of us, dramatically impacting the way we work, shop, socialise and access healthcare. In some cases, change has been for the positive; Public Health England believes that many of us have taken our physical health more seriously over the last year. But the negative effects of isolation, stress and fear on our mental health are well documented and have been recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO). A variety of studies suggest this has led to negative health behaviours, such as increased alcohol consumption, drug and tobacco use, and overeating.

As we start to return to normality, there is a big question mark over what behaviours will remain and to what extent we will return to old patterns and habits. When devising campaigns, marketeers must consider the behaviour trends that are likely to stick, such as working from home and more video calls with GPs. There may be fewer touchpoints to connect with consumers in person, but this situation has taught us that technology can enable successful remote patient management.

Undoubtedly, the pandemic has accelerated the use of online technology to reach different audiences. For example, over the past few years we’ve seen medical congresses offering greater digital capabilities, such as live streaming.

However, Covid-19 forced them to move from predominantly in-person events to fully online experiences. The success of virtual congresses means that hybrid meetings are more likely to occur in the future with as many, or more, on-line attendees as in-person delegates.

HEALTHCARE TECH

Moving forward, behaviour change campaigns are likely to incorporate health technology and digital health systems. The pandemic has accelerated the uptake of telemedicine; people with chronic conditions such as diabetes are home monitoring and using remote technology to upload results to their healthcare professional (HCP). We are being encouraged to use apps to monitor our health, such as the NHS Better Health apps for weight loss and activity measurement. And we’re seeing a rise in the number of start-ups focused on using technology to provide mental health support remotely to large groups of people.

Social media is also increasingly likely to feature in behaviour change interventions and contribute to their success. This might be in the form of online forums, polls and groups, which can encourage social interactions within interventions, promoting social support, engagement and motivation, and facilitating the adoption of social norm approaches. Analysis of 134 studies that incorporated social media features to target negative behaviours found that 70% reported positive outcomes2 .

COVER S TO RY

TOP 5 TAKEAWAYS

How can pharma and healthcare embrace new and effective ways of communicating?

1.

Behaviour change campaigns can help modify long-standing habits

2.

Challenge for pharma is understanding how to influence small shifts in behaviour

3.

Marketeers must consider behaviour trends that are likely to stick

4.

Social media will be key to the success of campaigns

5.

Technology can enable successful remote patient management

THE PANDEMIC HAS ENFORCED BEHAVIOUR CHANGE UPON ALL OF US, DRAMATICALLY IMPACTING THE WAY WE WORK, SHOP, SOCIALISE AND ACCESS HEALTHCARE

WORDS BY

Jo Spink

A good example is the social media programme run by the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT) to drive wider engagement within the transplant community. Notably, patients are actively involved in regular half-hour Twitter chats, which are run as Q&A sessions with moderators and special guests. These allow participating patients to develop a better understanding of their conditions and treatments, and they then share this information via their own social networks. Furthermore, HCPs can learn about the patient experience, which informs and shapes their actions.

Behaviour change campaigns can make a powerful difference to people’s lives, even if the steps are small and faltering. Technology can make it easier to reach and engage with both consumers and clinicians so it’s important that marketeers continue to embrace new and effective ways of communicating. Jo Spink is Creative Strategist at emotive. Go to www.‌e motiveagency.com References: 1. https://implementationscience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1748-5908-6-42 2. Peer-Based Social Media Features in Behavior Change Interventions: Systematic Review, Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2018 February

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Shopping for success What can pharma learn from retail when it comes to delivering a true omnichannel approach?

WORDS BY

Craig Bradley hat a year or so we’ve all had since the Covid-19 pandemic hit us. From a pharma marketing and sales perspective, it’s clear that as we adjust to the new normal, start to reflect on our recent experiences, and look to what the future environment holds for us, digital has finally come of age. However what channel is that – digital alone? Multichannel? Or dare I even say, omnichannel?! Are the latter ones the same thing?

Definition wise, of the two terms multichannel is both the simpler and the older concept. A multichannel, read many channel, strategy really distils down to there being multiple ways that a healthcare professional (HCP) can contact and interact with a brand. A multichannel strategy gives customers the opportunity to choose how they approach your brand.

Omnichannel is both newer and more complex. Omnichannel is aligned in concept to the notions of omnipotence and omnipresence, which should translate to seamless, integrated, and consistent customer experiences. However, breaking the words down still doesn’t provide us with a clear definition. Does that then mean that omnichannel is really just multichannel with a sprinkling of added grandeur thrown in? If only it was that simple. The main differences are that multichannel revolves around your brand and involves many channels for customers to be engaged, whilst omnichannel should involve all available channels and revolves around your customer, allowing customers to drift in a space entirely encompassed by your brand – easy right?!

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F E AT U R E

REPLICATING RETAIL

IMPLEMENTATION

Some of the world’s biggest corporations like Google, Amazon, and Apple, as well as many others in more consumer led sectors, have already paved the way for the omnichannel experience and succeeded in putting customers at the centre of their omnichannel universe.

Those organisations have made customer centricity and personalisation the norm, and it’s important to remember that our HCPs and payors are also customers.

However, I’d suggest that, as ever, pharma in general is a slower adopter of this approach, mainly due to the regulatory environment we operate in and the challenges that can bring. So why would pharma want to evolve and operate in an omnichannel manner? Well, the more personalised content and touchpoints that a brand can create, the more engagement, long term brand loyalty and ultimately appropriate prescribing, which will drive the sales line upward. To truly deliver an omnichannel approach, you’ll need to gain a granular understanding of the journeys that your customers are likely to take across every touchpoint they can have with you and your brand. That will involve mapping the journey, understanding the variety of motivations and feelings that your customers have at each touchpoint.

Omnichannel brings with it a host of challenges in implementation – you can have amazing campaigns that reach across a variety of platforms and devices, impressive email automation campaigns, engaging social media campaigns, a welldesigned website, sale representatives armed with an array of online and offline materials, but if they don’t all work harmoniously and seamlessly together, they’re not delivering omnichannel. Do you have the CRM system and processes to deliver omnichannel?

Is your cross-functional brand team, including key Access and Medical functions, aligned to delivering the omnichannel approach? And where does the sales team fit in now? No doubt to the relief of sales representatives, the more collaborative, problem-solving, relationship building roles in a face-to-face scenario still can’t be automated. Surely the future of the sales representative is as a sophisticated channel, working harmoniously alongside the mix of other traditional and ever evolving new channels, an omnichannel KAM, if you will, calling in the usage of key brand assets at the right point in the customer journey to ensure delivery of the omnichannel strategy?

So really, we should all be heading towards customer journeys and omnichannel right?

Surely it’s a no brainer with the engagement

“

To truly deliver an omnichannel approach, you’ll need to gain a granular understanding of the journeys that your customers are likely to take across every touchpoint

”

omnichannel generates via the freedom and seamlessness it allows our customers.

Well, I guess it comes down to the age-old issues of budget and time. The trend to digital has definitely accelerated in the last year, driven by the lack of physical access to our customers due to the pandemic, and the fact that digital marketing and remote communication were amongst the critical channels that were not crippled by Covid.

Delivering true omnichannel requires a lot of time and money to obtain, and expertise in execution, alongside a real shift in outlook in terms of KPIs and measurement.

I think it’s clear that digital is now just a channel rather than being the next big thing, and that a multichannel approach is generally accepted and implemented in the majority of UK pharma brand plans. However, are we delivering true omnichannel? Generally speaking, probably not quite yet, when we look across at the achievements of the more consumer industries. It is clear, though, that the Covid-19 digital acceleration is not temporary but a real evolution in how we all do business and is taking us further toward omnichannel at a decent pace. So, on a day-to-day basis in marketing, we aim for a holistic understanding of our customers, embracing the ‘create once, publish everywhere’ mantra across a variety of channels and platforms with what we hope is ever engaging content. We do this to deliver a seamless customer experience in order to drive engagement and good old fashioned brand market share increases, so it does feel like we’re heading for a destination somewhere between a media company with service industry skills.

Craig Bradley is Head of Marketing, Diabetes & Internal Medicine, Takeda UK Limited. Go to www.takeda.com/en-gb M AG A ZI N E | S U M M ER 202 1 | 11

Not all that glitters is

I

GOLD

magine the scene. A strategy meeting for the UK arm of a global pharma company.

At the top of the table someone expresses their concern about the lack of digital health capability within the company and the lack of vision.

Someone mentions artificial intelligence, genomics, and data analytics, while others sit there, uncertain, not sure how to contribute. In many companies, key decision makers lack the depth of knowledge and experience of digital technology to understand the range of options in this increasingly digital age, and how to leverage digital technology to provide new products and services and drive competitive advantage.

The consequence is that digital health strategies are often narrow and confined to outputs represented by a small section of products and services, driven by brand teams. This underplays the broader range of possibilities, where, for example, new technologies are being used to find more effective ways of identifying and treating patients, or to support clinicians in more effective decision making. The digital transformation agenda is well underway in the NHS and expectations from healthcare professionals (HCPs), payers, and patients are rising with regards to technology-enabled medicine.

E X A M PL E S Some pharma companies have already risen to meet these expectations. Anders Toft, Corporate Vice President of Commercial Innovation at Novo Nordisk, is responsible for creating and commissioning digital products and services that deliver real

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value for people with diabetes, HCPs and the company. He commented: “At Novo Nordisk, we are committed to helping people get the best out of our medicines.

We are developing digital solutions to help people easily track and maintain their dosing data, so they can discuss the data and implications with their doctors and nurses. Ultimately, this can help offer a better experience for people with diabetes and their HCPs and maintains Novo Nordisk’s position at the cutting edge of diabetes management.”

Whilst some pharma companies are clear about how they respond to the changing expectations of stakeholders, other companies are undertaking wideranging strategic reviews to ensure they respond to the opportunities and threats that the rapid rise in digital health is posing. Mike Crosher, General Manager of Chugai Pharma in the UK, suggests that after years of relative stability, the coming of age of digital technology means that the pharma industry is now unsure of the value it is expected to create for the health service and patients. Chugai is responding by identifying technology partners to create new sources of value that meet the needs of a digital health service and citizens. Mike commented: “At Chugai we put our customers at the centre and ask them, ‘What keeps you awake at night?’

It sounds simple, but with this insight we create win-win outcomes beyond the pill, which we can only achieve by issuing open innovation challenges for digital and med-tech start-ups.”

Whilst Novo Nordisk, Chugai, and several other companies might be regarded as digital health pioneers, others risk falling behind, losing their competitive advantage in the process.

Even pharma companies with effective

and well tolerated medicines may find themselves out of favour if they do not complement their offerings with digital products and services that create added value for patients, payers, and the medical community.

F I E RC E C OM PE T I T ION Competition for patients and HCPs is no longer confined to other pharma companies; digital health companies are already becoming increasingly established in the space with innovative offerings that capture attention. Rory Cameron is CEO of Gendius Limited, a digital health company which has developed the Intellin® remote management platform, which guides people with diabetes to make good lifestyle choices every day to reduce their likelihood of complications.

Rory has a background in the pharma industry and understands how digital health is disrupting the industry. He commented: “At Gendius, we prove our technology with the end user – the patient – and then present it to insurers, pharma companies, and health providers in a framework of saving time, money and lives. A simple platform is no longer enough, we now focus on risk prediction and algorithm development to prevent the complications of chronic disease.”

Intellin is a great example of technology that is enabling patients to take a more active role in the self-management of their health, which is precisely what the NHS Long Term Plan is calling for. The fact that such technologies also have the potential to influence decisions by health professionals, payers, and patients about treatment options – including medicines – is an important reason why pharma companies are taking increasing interest in the rapidly evolving digital health field.

INSIGHT

Three simple rules to help you choose the right digital health solutions for your company.

WORDS BY

Paul Riley & Mark Davies

M AG A ZI N E | S U M M ER 202 1 | 13

INSIGHT

THE RULES The digital transformation of healthcare is presenting a plethora of opportunities for the pharma industry to contribute more to citizens’ wellbeing. From solutions that can identify people with undiagnosed rare diseases using genomics, to apps that use gamification to nudge patients to stay well, there are growing numbers and varieties of digital health solutions for pharma to choose from to deliver value beyond the pill. However, there are also many examples of pharma digital health projects that have failed to realise the intended benefits for users or the company. So how do you make good choices about which digital health solutions to adopt? Follow these three simple rules:

1 2 3

Ensure senior decision makers have acquired the level of capability necessary

Ensure digital health solution specifications are aligned with business and brand strategy

Ensure digital health strategy and delivery is integrated cross-functionally

Once the decision has been made that digital health solutions will be a part of overall strategy, ensure that there is an honest internal appraisal of relevant capability. Given that around 70% of information technology projects fail to deliver improved corporate performance, investing in skills in this area is worthwhile. This can be through internal development or appointment, or through acquisition of external agencies.

Either way, competence counts.

Not uncommonly the driver for the digital health solution specification is the technology itself – in other words strategy ‘wraps around’ the technology rather than the other way round. A return on technology will only be realised if strategy is the start and end point of this process with regular sensechecking in between. Don’t be afraid to explore wider ideas and options at the inception stage – you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Companies that do not embrace digital health will be left behind. Transforming the company in the right way with the right business model means integrating strategic and operational thinking and delivery cross-functionally, so that marketing, medical and wider business functions are aligned. Digital health should not be conceived in and delivered from silos, it requires a crossfunctional approach to fully realise its commercial potential.

By sticking to the three simple rules, companies can build the right capability, the right strategic alignment, and the right business model to get the most value out of what digital health solutions have to offer. Dr Paul Riley is Medical Affairs Director at Glasshouse Health. Go to www.glasshousehealth.com. Dr Mark Davies is an NHS Consultant and Director of Res Consortium. Go to www.resconsortium.com

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A DV ERTO R I A L

brand hub, how do we effectively signpost to these resources and how do we ensure the permissions are provided to allow the NHS to integrate these resources into their own online estates? If a third-party has a useful resource in your therapy area, if appropriate, can a partnership be formed, amplifying their resource and avoiding duplication of effort?

ADDING VALUE

DIGITAL DELIGHT With multichannel now established as a key consideration for life science companies, our attention must move to how we can use our ever-increasing toolkit to optimise customers’ experience of our brands.

WO R D S BY

Richard Baderin

T

he NHS now works in a world where virtual interactions, integrated systems, instant access to patient data and on-demand expert support are increasingly expected to be available. Digital capability is being championed by NHSX with activities like the Digital Aspirant Programme and digital playbooks for therapy areas such as asthma. As customers’ working-life digital solutions increase in sophistication, we must anticipate that they will have higher expectations of the quality and relevance of offerings from life science companies.

TRUST

So, how can we ensure that we are taking steps to improve our customers’ experience of our brands? Regardless of the tools available, the foundation remains deep

customer understanding and empathy.

Without this we cannot design solutions that truly address customer needs. We need to fully understand the patient journey and the impact the changes to the structure of the NHS are having on service delivery. We also need to understand customer behaviour; the physical and virtual spaces they use, the information sources they trust, the technology they are using in their working lives, the areas that they feel need improvement and support.

If customers have trusted resources that they frequently use, how can we work with these resources to design and integrate our solutions? If our brand is likely to have a lot of questions that need to be directed to medical information, how can we ensure real-time access both online and when face-to-face interaction is taking place?

If we have a range of useful tools on our

Customer-facing roles can increase their value by considering the full pre, during and post call period. This is true for both in-person and remote interactions. Based on the knowledge of the customer, and the permissions in place, value adding information can be shared before calls and questions can be posed to direct the call content and focus; the during – call experience can be augmented with real-time demonstrations and instant access to requested resources; post-call bespoke follow up can be achieved quickly through direction to brand resources, approved third-party content and rapid scheduling of follow up discussions.

Focusing on optimising our customers’ experience of our brands enables marketing and sales teams to develop value-adding solutions tailored to individual customer preferences. For brand teams that focus on deep customer understanding and keep up to date on the evolution of digital solutions and services, there is great opportunity to delight our NHS customers and see the benefits for brands.

With strategy and implementation capability spanning commercial, medical and clinical roles, we are fortunate at CHASE to support life science clients to develop and deliver multichannel plans informed by key customers insights. Richard Baderin is Head of Commercial Services at CHASE. Go to www.‌chasepeople.com

“If customers have trusted resources that they frequently use, how can we work with these resources to design and integrate our solutions?”

M AG A ZI N E | S U M M ER 202 1 | 15

T

he NHS Confederation has recently warned that the reported 30% drop in treatment referrals from 2020, compared to that of 2019, will likely manifest into a predicted six million patient backlog.1 Services are under immense pressure and the capacity to deliver the same quality of care to everyone in the UK is challenging.

Reluctance to attend hospital tests has also caused a sharp decline in urgent treatment referrals. For some, whether it’s being high risk or living with those vulnerable, it means staying at home is the only option.

For others, waiting times and anxiety about social distancing in practices are delaying patients being seen. These delays impact potentially long-term condition reviews, lifesaving diagnosis and treatment referrals.

Thorn in the side

By embracing digital technology, the NHS can look to tackle a continued thorn in its side – its long wait times – while providing bestin-class care for its patients. Digital can free up the resources needed to ensure patients can swiftly receive a prompt diagnosis earlier and improve patient outcomes.

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We must find a new approach to alleviate staff shortages to ensure that vital adult care services are delivered and prioritised, rebuild patient confidence and support our overworked staff. The past decade has proved there is a lot at stake if services do not embark on a digital transformation journey.

The time for our healthcare system is now.

Personalised care

Our healthcare system is vulnerable, and patients need to have the right advice when they need it most. Digital offers service resilience. We can give patients access to expert level care based on national guidelines and understanding the self-help measures. Digital health has the potential to deliver highly personalised interventions and is not just another algorithm to follow.

Many of these interventions are NHS approved and can reduce the burden on the NHS because the patient’s concern is answered without leaving their home and they feel empowered to self-manage.

Committing to digital innovation empowers patients to manage their care whilst providing clinical teams with real-time data to provide personalised support when required. Proficiency is paramount. Putting patients at the heart of any progression can enable greater access to NHS approved digital resources and interventions. By empowering the patient and putting patient choice first, the healthcare system can virtually support and educate the individual. The impact of this can be enormous, as it helps reduce admissions, missed in-person appointments and spending averages.

NHS

Building a resilient healthcare system with accessible digital support will have a significant impact on waiting times and treatment referrals

Breaking the backlog The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on patient services. How can digital technology help HCPs navigate the backlog of treatment referrals?

WORDS BY

Dr Simon Bourne

Self-management

COVID-19 has demonstrated how technology and digital progress has enabled the industry to manage remote monitoring at scale. Delivering evidence-based interventions using NHS-approved software also alleviates pressure on clinical teams and offers better resource management for all levels of care. An example of this is the use of intelligently delivered medical device demonstration videos, which can reduce inhaler device errors by 80%.

Targeted, personalised patient education prevents patients from being overwhelmed with irrelevant information by assisting patients with an effective, personalised selfmanagement intervention.

Backlogs in reviews, surgery and treatment will only repeat if we do not shift our approach. We have a tired and understaffed workforce that is currently running on empty. Resources are stretched.

The impact is evident in dwindling appointments. Adopting a virtual approach

to consulting patients and overhauling NHS operation systems will support both healthcare professionals (HCPs) and the community. Preventative measures will be prioritised like never before.

Over the past year, patients who are deemed vulnerable or wish to minimise unnecessary contact throughout the pandemic can receive care via telephone.

On average, GPs only have 7 minutes to see patients. Yet, they are expected to offer full patient support in this short window. Moving towards a more digital approach, including virtual consultations and automating annual reviews, helps deliver up to 75% efficiency savings in this process, which in many cases have sparsely delivered during the pandemic.

Dispersed healthcare provision delivers better outcomes, as patients are engaged in the spaces they feel most comfortable in and are given the desired personalised support for their specific needs.

Digital can connect clinicians and patients to give each a set of self-management tools, rehabilitation, education courses, reporting mechanisms and even a checklist to manage their conditions. We need to harness and leverage these capabilities to mitigate the mounting pressure from waiting times and treatment referrals.

Collaboration

Building a resilient healthcare system with accessible digital support will have a significant impact on waiting times and treatment referrals. We are in a position to look at both the short and long-term plan to recovery. The integration of technology to transform care delivery will break the backlog borne out of the pandemic.

Restoring patient confidence that they can receive the treatment they need and support to manage their care remotely will be fundamental moving forward.

This is a call for collaboration on all fronts from GP practices, the network of healthcare providers and the government.

Technology is reshaping the delivery of care. Widespread technology implementation will mitigate the looming referral backlog. Armouring HCPs and patients with the information and tools necessary will bridge the gap between need and capacity. Personalised medicine requires personalised interventions.

Dr Simon Bourne is co-founder and CEO of mymhealth. Go to www.mymhealth.com Reference: 1. https://www.nhsconfed.org/news/2021/03/ copy-of-warning-that-nhs-waiting-list-could-bescratching-the-surface

M AG A ZI N E | S U M M ER 202 1 | 17

NHS

A GP’s perspective T

he world has changed in so many ways since February 2020 and as we move into the next phase, we have to make sure that some of the improved ways of working remain while rebalancing them with those that are tried and tested.

Over the years, general practice has changed the ways of working, with many previously established efficient telephone triage systems and remote consulting. Often, this has been met with resistance from patients and from healthcare professionals (HCPs), who have preferred the reassurance of seeing someone in person for a ‘proper’ consultation and examination.

But the Covid-19 pandemic forced us rapidly into new ways of working to protect patients from coming to what was deemed a high-risk environment and to prevent staff from contracting infection. Remote consultation has become the norm and using digital solutions to share self-help resources, fit notes as message attachments and send electronic prescription directly to the pharmacy has reduced unnecessary travel requirements.

THE POSITIVES

Being a GP with many years of experience and understanding the mantra that ‘common things happen commonly’, dealing with patient’s concerns via telephone has been relatively straightforward. Using video consultations where appropriate and providing face-to-face contact if

18 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

requested or required has allowed us to balance the risks and benefits on an individual case basis. The first telephone consultation – allowing time to document as much of the patient concern as possible and providing online patient information prior to the face-to-face consultation – has reduced unnecessary time in clinic and often streamlined care.

Remote consultations offer advantages to many patients who are balancing work commitments or caring for family and children. These patients have embraced the ease of accessing healthcare advice and will continue to want this way of working, not having to take leave to access basic care. Specialist care has also developed to deliver remote consulting, reducing hours waiting for follow up appointments and has been appreciated by many.

THE NEGATIVES

However, there are many concerns about how care has been accessed and provided, which we do need to address. For those who are less empowered or able to use remote consulting or online digital solutions, there is a risk of increasing inequity of healthcare provision. Some people do not have sufficient phone data or funds to wait in the morning telephone queue trying to book an appointment, some are unable to complete the triage forms they are asked to so the appropriate healthcare professional appointment can be allocated, and some feel their problem is not sufficiently concerning or do not realise there may be

How do GPs really feel about the digital transformation sweeping through their surgeries?

WORDS BY

Dr Anne Connolly

help available to address their issue. There needs to be a variety of ways of accessing the care people need with some requiring drop-in provision as soon as it is possible to organise safely again.

Women’s health is a particular example where the current way of working may cause barriers to care. Many women tolerate symptoms for a long time thinking they are normal or not concerning enough to ‘bother the busy doctor with’. Period or menopausal concerns have often been mentioned at the end of an appointment for some other issue, the typical “while I’m here Doc…”, or tested out during a nurse appointment to see if they are deemed sufficiently concerning. Issues that might warrant urgent investigations to exclude a cancer diagnosis have also been neglected during this time by the elderly or those shielding themselves or their partners for fear of bringing Covid-19 infection into the home.

CONSIDERATIONS

New models of care must also be accessible and appropriate for those with mental health concerns who may not feel sufficiently empowered or able to cope with the morning booking process or, once in the system, unable to share their concerns via a remote consultation. Likewise, for those with complex health needs as a result of frailty or multi-morbidity.

There is also a concern about where people get their healthcare information from and ‘Dr Google’ is not always a friend.

A negative experience or frustration is more likely to be shared via social media than when something has gone well or produced beneficial results, as witnessed recently with the way the media shared the AstraZeneca vaccine concerns forgetting the massive benefits and success this has offered to so many.

There is so much work to catch up on by healthcare, with much frustration resulting from delayed operations and access to specialist care. Much long-term condition management is a great example of how care has been improved by streamlining appointments, with HCPs learning new skills and sharing best practice in an attempt to reduce the numbers of attendances. The Primary Care Networks have worked hard to develop efficient services across a bigger footprint by delivering vaccination clinics and shared responsibility for providing care for nursing homes.

This has opened up opportunities for future possibilities of delivering enhanced care services locally.

Recruitment and Outsourcing Specialists

FINDING A BALANCE

I have to admit that I have appreciated seeing more patients again as the infection rates and risks have reduced.

In the midst of the pandemic, some days in clinic I felt that I was becoming a ‘call handler’ working down a phone list, managing most remotely but missing the ‘buzz’ of human contact.

I really don’t know how the clinicians newer to practice have functioned, with minimal opportunities to enjoy the satisfaction of teasing sensitive information out of a complex issue and witnessing the satisfaction of improving the quality of life that we as healthcare professionals can bring.

So, what does the future look like?

We have to continue to develop remote and digital provision of care in a variety of ways, allowing people the choice of where and how to access it without leaving those with complex needs or ‘hidden concerns’ behind.

“

For those who are less empowered or able to use remote consulting or online digital solutions, there is a risk of increasing inequity of healthcare provision

”

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M AG A ZI N E | S U M M ER 202 1 | 19

SECTION HE AD

Real solutions.

Real people.

Real impact.

2 0 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

SECTION HE AD

M AG A ZI N E | S U M M ER 202 1 | 21

Digital promotional material can provide prescribing information (PI) either as embedded content or as a single direct link. However, the ABPI Code of Practice (Code) allows companies to replace PI with the summary of product characteristics (SPC), as long as the medicine’s legal category and cost is added to the promotional material itself. This means that the compliance and commercial risks of using PI could be avoided if companies simply swapped to using the SPC. DISADVANTAGES TO DIGITAL MATERIAL LINKING TO PI, INSTEAD OF SPCS:

1.

DITCH PRESCRIBING INFORMATION

PI not being present – if PI in digital materials is moved or deleted, then promotional material that uses that link will therefore not be compliant.

Link to PI is broken – this is not just an issue at the start but during the entire life cycle of digital material and demonstrates poor oversight.

PI content is not updated – this can be an issue if product SPC changes affect the PI and the PI is not updated at the same time as the new SPC goes live.

PI is not read – If PI is embedded into webinar content then the company must make sure that the speaker is well briefed and understands they must allow the audience sufficient time to read this.

ABPI Code & digital myth-busting When compliance is not considered digital’s arch nemesis, the opportunity for commercial wins is huge.

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COMMERCIAL AND COMPLIANCE GAINS TO DITCHING PI:

For digital promotional content, always link (using a specific URL) to the product SPC on the Electronic Medicines Compendium (EMC) website provided by Datapharm; it’s current, complete and accurate. All you need to do is add the medicine’s legal category and cost to the promotional material itself.

By not embedding PI into digital or electronic material, your content is not always subject to change when the PI changes, thus allowing you to use and repurpose content for a full two years.

By not having to create, review and approve PI, there are inevitable efficiencies realised in terms of time and resources, not to mention the fact that concerns around PI content (eg what constitutes a ‘serious’ side-effect?) evaporate.

WORDS BY

Dr Rina Newton

F E AT U R E

2.

DON’T RECERTIFY WEBSITE CONTENT

Certified material must be recertified every two years to ensure the content is still current and accurate. The recertification process allows companies to simply produce a new certificate every two years without changing anything on their digital content, including the ‘date of preparation.’ Whilst this process saves time and resources, it can attract complaints and therefore negate the benefits of recertification.

Many companies1 have received complaints that their website content was ‘old and uncertified.’ Whilst some can successfully defend allegations through providing the new certificate, they would never have got these complaints in the first place if they had simply reapproved their website with the latest date of preparation.

Replacing recertification with reapproval ensures websites look and feel current – after all they are customer, public and competitorfacing, so it is in the best interests of the industry to adopt a compliant and commercial strategy of avoiding complaints rather than having to defend them.

3.

4.

It is important that aspirational objectives do not prevent easier stuff from happening

USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO ADVERTISE MEETINGS

Given the Code and GDPR requirements for pharma companies to have the prior consent of recipients of promotional or non-promotional emails, there are consequently many complexities involved with gaining and storing such consent on validated databases. Social media provides an alternative, easy and effective way for the industry to advertise their promotional or nonpromotional meetings. However, the inherent fear and conservatism that exists within the industry leads to many failing to identify the advantages here or incorrectly over-interpreting requirements.

If we consider using LinkedIn to advertise a company’s promotional webinar, the risks in this area can be easily mitigated (not all the risks have been included).

RISK

MITIGATION

The post promotes to the public

Ensure that the content of the post does not directly or indirectly promote the company’s medicine.

The post is not clear that the intended audience are healthcare professionals (HCPs)

Ensure it is clear that the meeting is promotional and so only for UK HCPs (and this can be self-certified by HCPs later on the registration webpage).

An HCP may allege that promotion was disguised because they did not know the meeting was promotional

Ensure that the post and registration webpage are clear that the webinar will discuss/promote the company’s medicine.

An HCP might receive digital promotion without giving their prior permission

Ensure the registration webpage requests and collects opt-in, explicit permission for the HCP to receive promotion at this webinar.

CHECK DIGITAL CONTENT WHEN IT GOES LIVE

It is only a Code requirement that hard copy materials are checked to ensure they are identical to the electronically certified version; there is no similar Code requirement to check that live digital material is identical and compliant. However, cases in this area suggest that things can change when a certified flat PDF goes live digitally, suggesting there should be oversight.

It therefore makes sense that this important verification check is added to company processes to avoid compliance risk when digital materials go live.

As the company’s social media post will be approved, UK employees (or agencies acting for the company) can then like and share this post, which means its reach may be far greater than any email permission database – a commercial and compliance success.

M AG A ZI N E | S U M M ER 202 1 | 2 3

5.

CITE THIRD PARTY WEBSITES IN SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

There appears to be reluctance to cite third party websites in pharma social media posts. This may be because companies feel they would be held liable for the content on these websites – not an outrageous suggestion given the PMCPA has ruled twice2 that pharma companies will be responsible for third party websites cited in pharma’s hard copy materials.

However, if it is made as clear as possible in the post itself that this is an independent third-party website, by not using URL shorteners, or by @ mentioning the third party, then an AstraZeneca ruling 3 suggests a company would NOT be liable for the content on a third party’s website.

This is an important aspect when we consider that pharma social media posts tend to cite only their own websites or events – whilst there is nothing wrong with this, it may help credibility and improve reputation if those that access our social media posts could see and find other sources of useful information.

6.

USE THE RIGHT HASHTAGS

7.

Often when we train companies in this area, we challenge the use of hashtags. This is nothing to do with the Code, but more, what is the point of creating, reviewing, and approving social media posts and articles if no one can find, read or understand them?

An example: A Novartis disease awareness campaign to help patients with psoriasis find useful resources on their own website ‘askforclear.co.uk’ uses the hashtag #askforclear, but if a member of the public or patient was looking for psoriasis information, the simplest suggestion would be to use #psoriasis as well to allow them to at least find these posts.

The ability for compliance checks to also recognise commercial objectives is an important aspect of true crossfunctional working.

There seems to be general confusion and concern as to whether individual employees can use their personal social media accounts to like or share posts made by their employers. So often we hear from worried staff, ‘I stay away, just in case.’

Again, we would argue what is the point of creating, reviewing and approving social media posts and articles at the expense of people’s time, if the companies’ own employees and agency staff are not even able to like or share company approved content? It is perfectly reasonable to include in company social media policies the acceptability of this activity and to train staff on liking/sharing such information if they want to, as it is intended to reach a wide audience.

LIKE AND SHARE COMPANY APPROVED POSTS

8.

DON’T HAVE LOG-IN RESTRICTION

The Code requires that certain website content must have log-in restriction. This only applies to websites that are only promotional and intended for HCPs. If there was no information provided for members of the public searching for information on the company’s medicines then they might be forced to access this promotional website, which would not be compliant – log-in restriction would prevent access by non-HCPs. Back in 2014, the Nielson Norman Group4 (world leaders in research-based user experience) found that demanding that users register or log in before they see website information has ‘high interaction cost and defies the reciprocity principle.’ In other words, people feel obliged to give something back when they receive something initially; if we expect users to give information first, that obligation is lost.

It is acceptable under the Code that instead of adding log-in to such websites, pharma companies can simply add a disclaimer to verify if a visitor is a member of the public and redirect them elsewhere. This would compliantly allow such visitors to access other websites to find relevant information tailored for them.

TOP TEN TAKEAWAYS

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Ditch prescribing information

Don’t recertify website content

Check digital content when it goes live

Use social media to advertise meetings

Cite third party websites in social media posts

Use the right hashtags

2 4 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

F E AT U R E

There appears to be reluctance to cite third party websites in pharma social media posts

9.

DON’T RELY ON AGENCIES FOR ALL YOUR DIGITAL KNOW-HOW

Digital agencies have an enormous wealth of knowledge on cookies, search engine optimisation, geo-targeting, paid media, personalisation and programmatic advertising. These terms might scare the average pharma employee, but it is important that aspirational objectives do not prevent easier stuff from happening!

Agencies may have particular areas of strength and companies might engage them to tell them what they need, rather than pay them to carry out what they think they need. They are worthy of a healthy challenge as much as signatories are and should be pushed on both commercial and compliance considerations.

An example: It may be prudent for companies who are considering agency requests to do paid (sponsored) social media posts, to first embrace advertising their meetings via free posts on their LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. This can help stakeholders overcome their initial concerns on content and approval.

10.

DON’T WORRY ABOUT OTHERS

In 2017 GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK’s) head of global multi-channel marketing platform was asked5 if a firm can act in a highly regulated industry and still be digital. He replied: “GSK and other companies are already showing it can be done in an ethical, compliant manner and there is a pocket of brilliance.” That could have driven companies to look to GSK as a shining example of best practice.

However, self-proclaimed compliance does not always correlate with the fact that GSK (including ViiV) have been involved in 16 complaints to the PMCPA about digital activities since 2019 and 75% of these resulted in breaches of the Code.

If smaller companies looked at GSK cases and realised that even the large companies aren’t always getting it right, they may well steer clear of digital.

There are many occurrences of noncompliant material appearing on platforms such as LinkedIn – not all are complained about. It is apparent that there is a disproportionate dependence on signatories over personal accountability.

Don’t let your own thoughts on compliance be delegated to others.

I hope this article has provided some food for thought with respect to revisiting and challenging the status quo in digital areas. Compliance considerations should not be the block – a greater understanding can vastly improve digital activities and therefore hugely benefit commercial organisations.

Dr Rina Newton is Managing Director of CompliMed. Go to www.complimed.co.uk

7.

8.

9.

10.

Like and share company approved posts

Don’t have log-in restriction

Do not rely on agencies for all your digital know-how

Don’t worry about others

Pf asked the new President of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), Ben Osborn for his thoughts on the imminent new Code in this digital era.

Ben said: “In times gone by, all you had to think about was whether your paper-based information met all the requirements of the Code.

“In today’s online, post-pandemic world, digital communications are key to ensuring we provide healthcare professionals (HCPs) with timely and impactful information that supports them to do their job. With the 2021 Code applying to all communication formats, it’s essential companies think carefully about the implications of the Code for their audiences when working in the digital arena.

“If you’re doing a piece of promotional activity intended for HCPs, you need to consider the ultimate reach of any digital channels you intend to use and ensure that promotional material does not inadvertently reach the general public.

“An interactive version of the 2021 Code will be available online from the PMCPA, which should help companies navigate and apply it more easily, regardless of the activity they are carrying out.”

References: 1. Cases AUTH/2889/11/16, AUTH/2960/6/17, AUTH/2972/8/17, AUTH/2925/1/17 | 2. Cases AUTH/1801/2/06 AND AUTH/2526/8/12 | 3. Case AUTH/3162/2/19 4. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/login-walls/ | 5. “Can Pharma Keep Up With The Challenges Of Digital Healthcare?” Kevin Grogan & Lubna Ahmed 2017 (https://www.cms-lawnow.com/ ealerts/2017/03/can-pharma-keep-up-with-thechallenges-of-digital-healthcare)

M AG A ZI N E | S U M M ER 202 1 | 2 5

The importance of interoperability If digital health in the UK is to remain competitive, interoperability must be at the heart of its strategies.

WORDS BY

Dan Hydes

2 6 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

A

t the start of the year, in a speech at the Digital Health Rewired Festival, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced that interoperability would be essential to good practice in digital and data-driven technologies1.

If 2020 redefined healthcare for good, 2021 is the year the industry set out to recalibrate lessons from the pandemic, looking ahead to a recovery programme. We’re leading healthcare in a different world, and we need to ensure the strategies we have can keep pace with the brave, new post-Covid world we’re operating in.

From global teams accelerating vaccine projects, through to minimising patient care disruption – data underpins all of this. And yet, improving data interoperability remains one of the greatest challenges in clinical research, affecting virtually every study currently running. Which is why, for digital health in the UK to remain competitive, interoperability has to become front and centre of digital healthcare strategies.

INSIGHT

WE’RE LEADING HEALTHCARE IN A DIFFERENT WORLD, AND WE NEED TO ENSURE THE STRATEGIES WE HAVE CAN KEEP PACE WITH THE BRAVE, NEW POST-COVID WORLD WE’RE OPERATING IN

TOP 5 TAKEAWAYS 1. Data underpins everything 2. Improving data interoperability is a challenge in clinical research

3. Hospitals are looking to make their research functions more agile and cost-effective 4. Interoperability is key to standardised digital vaccination records 5. Efficient data exchanges means improved accuracy for patients Reference: 1. https://www.gov.uk/government/ speeches/driving-digital-in-the-nhs

THE BUSINESS CASE

NHS DATA MANAGEMENT

Right now, at least 50% of data required for clinical studies can be found in patient records, but the process of accessing it remains primarily manual. And while source data verification (SDV) has long ensured the integrity of data, there are growing industry concerns over real weaknesses identified in terms of the huge amount of time and staff resource required and the return on investment (ROI).

Inevitably, Covid-19 accelerated new questions around the efficacy of SDV, not least due to the challenges around placing monitors onsite to manage data. But we also need to think about the resource – the cost of manual transcription and checking of data costs.

We need more digital health applications enhancing the interoperability of electronic health records (EHR) and supporting research applications such as electronic data capture (EDC), for example. This new level of efficiency will drive a paradigm shift in the way clinical research is conducted, reducing costs and freeing up staff resources; a particular priority for NHS improvement programmes.

A huge part of the Covid-19 exit strategy will be analysing the consequences of the virus to better understand how we treat people in the future. From a research perspective, this means extracting critical information for decision making. Interoperability’s efficiencies are designed to catalyse data management, so are integral to designing the future of Covid-19 treatments.

Interoperability is also at the core of the global initiative establishing a standard for digital vaccination records. Driven by HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), this is the standard that ensures health records are interoperable between providers, so is key to rolling out digital healthcare programmes.

The benefits go further. With secure, efficient data exchanges increasingly at the centre of effective healthcare, next generation Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) will enable impactful data exchanges between EHR platforms and devices in a more significant way in 2021. What this means for patients is improved accuracy and quicker diagnoses, as well as more efficient care plans.

ENCOURAGING INNOVATION

CLINICAL RESEARCH EFFICIENCIES

As the healthcare industry responds to the backlog of clinical research, hospitals are rapidly seeking ways to make their research functions more agile and cost-effective, as well as enabling them to engage better with a broad range of revenue generating, research entities.

Running adjacent to this is the additional benefit of deploying staff resources more effectively, which in turn helps with both retention and recruitment.

With more hospitals looking to become ‘eSource-ready’, platforms like Archer effectively act like a virtual research assistant, enhancing interoperability between EHR and key research applications such as EDC. Alongside mirroring the traditional manual process, Archer ensures that individual hospitals retain full control of the data transfer process, while offering a unified solution that works with all major hospital EHR and sponsor’s EDC systems.

Recently, we announced a new collaboration with AstraZeneca. It’s a game-changing technical proof of concept and pilot programme with Archer, running over several months at two hospital sites. We’re a small, government-backed start-up based in Reading, working with a pharmaceutical leader, on track to revolutionise the way clinical trials are conducted at hospitals. And while it’s just the first steps on a much longer journey to solve an industry-wide problem, it shows what is possible for new thinkers and inspires a culture of collaboration, embedding clinical research as a priority.

Covid-19 has shown us that we need to think differently, more innovatively and listen to new ideas coming through, as we take away the lessons of 2020. The potential for improved interoperability within the UK’s healthcare system is huge, and with digital health solutions at the centre, it is possible to transform the future of clinical research. Dan Hydes is CEO and co-founder of IgniteData. Go to www.ignitedata.co.uk M AG A ZI N E | S U M M ER 202 1 | 27

F E AT U R E

WORDS BY

Tim Barker Mental health infrastructure has embraced digital technology rapidly, with an adoption of Zoom alongside phone support.

However, it must include the following three critical features:

A heads up How to design digital mental health solutions for the nation

Put simply, iPhone apps aren’t the answer

1.

OPEN ACCESS

2.

ANONYMITY

T

o manage the fallout from the pandemic, greater access to healthcare, and early intervention are critical. The lead indicators from digital mental health platform Kooth show the scale of the problem1. Selfharm tendencies among adults using the platform were up 23% in 2020. 17% of adults accessing mental health support say that they have self-harm or suicidal thoughts nearly every day, up 40% in a year. If we look at the men using Kooth’s platform, men presenting with issues related to self-harm in 2020 were up 61% in November, and up 32% in December.

The way we design digital mental health will determine how the nation recovers from here. With the bulk of the £13bn NHS Mental Health budget focused on supporting people with acute care needs, early intervention support has remained neglected despite the estimated 15:1 economic savings that early intervention offers. This is where digital technologies can play an important role in the long journey to recovery.

3.

SAFETY

It is in everyone’s interests to reduce entry level requirements to a minimum, to include those who do not have smartphones or significant data plans. Open access and inclusion are an important part of the solution. The nation’s health infrastructure must reach as wide an audience as possible and work for digital natives and digital novices. We need a culture where product teams design with and for these communities. The answer is accessibility, which is just as important as performance and engineering. Put simply, iPhone apps aren’t the answer. Digital services need to be low bandwidth, with no download.

There remains a stigma around asking for help. As long as this remains the case, anonymity is paramount. Any digital health tool must consider anonymity as a central design feature.

Research from the University of Manchester and Kooth shows that coupling inclusive design with anonymity is certainly key for young people. Kooth data shows a 27% increase in children and young people presenting with selfharm issues, and a 106% increase in university students struggling with anxiety among its users. These vulnerable groups within our society need anonymity to seek help.

To survive, any digital platform must be easyto-use, useful and safe. Digital healthcare platforms are no different. The government has recognised the importance of online safety, particularly with children, in its Online Harms legislation. It has never been more important that online platforms provide a safe space for data, identity and communication.

LOOKING AHEAD: Kooth insights have given the NHS a vital

feedback loop on the state of the nation’s mental health. The path from here is greater access to anonymous, safe digital health support and we must use every piece of data at our disposal to make the right decisions. Tim Barker is CEO at Kooth. Go to www.kooth.com Reference: 1. Kooth Pulse 2021: The State of the Nation’s Mental Health report. Kooth data from April 2020 to March 2021 (NHS Fiscal Year 2020) covered 192,000 people with mental health issues.

A DV ERTO R I A L

WO R D S BY

Oli Hudson

S

tubbornly hard to shift for many years, the door to the widespread adoption of digital technologies in the NHS was seemingly blown open by the pandemic, as hospitals and clinics scrambled to find new ways of treating patients.

Since then, we’ve seen the expansion of virtual models of outpatient care as well as increased use of wearables and other remote monitoring for people with long term conditions and residents in care homes.

GATEWAY PROJECTS

There has also been a nationwide roll out of Covid Oximetry at Home services – which use oximeters to monitor oxygen saturation levels – and more ‘virtual wards’ enabling those recently discharged from hospital to be checked on remotely.

These all look and feel like ‘gateway projects’ paving the way for wider and deeper use of digital technology across systems. Yet the key question is whether this momentum will be sustained: as the pandemic recedes, will we see the pace of change slow?

Certainly, the two most influential documents shaping the NHS’s future – the Government’s white paper and the NHS’s own operational planning guidance – suggest otherwise.

In the former, the government states that a headline aim of these reforms is to “use technology in a modern way…as a better platform to support staff and patient care”. It explicitly commits to legislate for “more effective data sharing” to “enable the digital transformation of care pathways”.

The latter contains further specific instructions to NHS organisations to use technology as a means of supporting recovery. It calls for ‘smart digital foundations’ to be established within Integrated Care Systems, with all systems being asked to begin procuring shared care record systems to go live in September. A fuller “roadmap” for developing data sharing at population health level over time should be in place for every system by next April.

DEMANDS

Even more tangible is the demand for providers to ensure at least 25% of outpatient appointments are delivered remotely in order to be eligible for a share of the £1 billion recovery fund. And elsewhere, it asks for all systems to have “a strategy and effective leadership” for digital mental health specifically – in particular, ensuring that digitally-enabled therapies are rolled out where appropriate.

The heightened emphasis on digital transformation in these documents should come as no surprise – pandemic or no pandemic, this is an essential part of the Long Term Plan vision. Yet these statements only serve to underline the fact that advanced use of technology is now woven into the fabric of NHS policymaking, locally and nationally.

And this means that any supplier who grasps the nettle by incorporating smart, workable digital solutions into their offer is likely to put themselves at an advantage.

Oli Hudson is Content Director at Wilmington Healthcare. Go to www.wilmingtonhealthcare.com

NHS POLICY-MAKING Will the rapid growth in use of technological solutions within the NHS persist beyond the pandemic?

On the basis of recent policy statements, it appears so.

M AG A ZI N E | S U M M ER 202 1 | 2 9

WILL THE FUTURE BE

HYBRID EVENTS? With the return to some semblance of (new) normality, will pharma return to face-to-face events? Or will the future be hybrid?

WORDS BY

C

Emma Morriss

ovid accelerated digital engagement across the world, remote working became the norm wherever possible, and it is shaping future working practices in many industries.

In pharma marketing, there’s no denying that things have taken a turn for the digital. Customer engagement has been digital first and foremost for over a year now and it’s been adopted well.

When we could no longer meet customers face to face, get them in a room for a

conference or meeting, eConferences and webinars emerged as essential tools in the omni-channel marketing mix.

But as the world opens up, will we return to face-to-face meetings? Or will future events be hybrid?

It’s clear from research over the last 12 months that healthcare professionals (HCPs) prefer digital engagement. By September 2020, only 11% of UK doctors were willing to accept regular face-to-face visits from sales representatives, despite many areas no longer being in lockdown.1

As experts in digital engagement at E4H, we were ready for this, and enabled our customers to reach an additional 40,000 healthcare professionals throughout the 2020 pandemic.

But things are changing, restrictions are easing and with that thoughts naturally turn to meeting in person. But there is not likely to be a rapid return. Research by Accenture Healthcare found that 87% of HCPs want either all virtual or a mix of virtual and in-person meetings2 – even after the pandemic.

So where does that leave you? If digital events are more accessible and preferred by many, but face to face is wanted by others and offer unique benefits, it’s time to consider the role of hybrid events.

WHAT ARE HYBRID EVENTS?

will want the event format, and content, that you’re planning to deliver.

Your customers are unique and so are their requirements, but in our experience, we’ve found that digital events offer more opportunities to engage HCPs who you may not have reached with a face-to-face event. There are barriers to getting out of clinic to attend an event. Study leave approval, a day off work, travel, caring responsibilities, last minute urgent issues,

even the location of the event can all impact the ability to attend.

But that said, there’s still something truly beneficial to a face-to-face event and a lot of people prefer the format for networking, building genuine connections with peers, speaking to exhibitors, and catching speakers for private one to ones.

So, how can we reach both groups in a way that best meets your needs, those of your customer and your budget?

This is a burning question, and, in all honesty, they can be whatever you want them to be to a certain extent. There is no set format, but there are key considerations.

Most importantly, what does your audience want? Understanding your audience, their information needs, and channel preferences is central to omnichannel engagement, and these insights will help you to shape whether your audience

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CUSTOMER PREFERENCES

INSIGHT

DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, SAME EXPERIENCE

Some consider this the ‘true’ hybrid format as all attendees get the same experience, at the same time, by simultaneously live streaming your face-to-face event to your remote audience.

Questions, polls and surveys can be taken from the floor and the virtual audience, pulling together answers and conversations from all attendees. This gives everyone access to speakers, a chance to share their views and network. For exhibitors, team members can be present online via an eConferencing platform, and in person.

Breakout rooms can also be streamed.

This sounds like the best of both worlds and, to an extent, it is, but there will be an element of innovation and creativity required to ensure everyone is included and engaged. Explore ways of bringing everyone together through interactive solutions, augmented reality or gamification so you don’t end up with silos of live and virtual attendees.

Running the event simultaneously does, however, involve a large amount of technical support to ensure both elements come together seamlessly, making delivery potentially costly. However, with an experienced digital and production team this is not only achievable, but you can create a fantastic, integrated experience for everyone in attendance.

STAGGER YOUR EVENTS

If running simultaneously isn’t for you, you may wish to hold one event before the other. If you hold your face-to-face event first, you can film, edit and then host the presentations ondemand for a virtual audience.

This reduces the integrated feel of the event, but still delivers the information to everyone.

That said, it’s worth exploring how your virtual audience will

gain access to speakers and exhibitors, contribute to polls or Q&As. Just like a pre-recorded webinar, one solution may be to have the speakers join for live Q&A sessions online, as long as they have the availability.

Or it may be that you use the interactive benefits of the live event to boost inperson attendance and then promote the on-demand as purely video content.

PRE-LEARNING AND DISCUSSION

HUB AND SPOKE

Flipping the previous format around, the hybrid model offers the opportunity for your attendees to access pre-learning or pre-recorded webinars in advance, with in-person discussion and workshops later.

All attendees have access to the digital platform where content can be delivered via mutliformats such as video, audio, handouts or quizzes. Attendees then come together in smaller live group meetings for discussion or workshops.

The hub and spoke model successfully incorporates virtual presentations with live discussion. This allows overarching national or international messages to be delivered virtually to a wide audience, then crystallised and explored for detailed, localised in-person discussions.

Attendees gain access to a wealth of information that is then targeted to their specific area’s priorities and needs giving nuanced, relevant discussions.

M AG A ZI N E | S U M M ER 202 1 | 31

INSIGHT

ON DEMAND

Whether you follow one of these formats, or have your own ideas in mind, making the most of the virtual platform and making the event available on demand for all attendees enhances the experience for everyone, and gives those who may have missed it a chance to watch at a more convenient time.

Access to handouts, downloading presentations, re-watching and revisiting the information can also help to build and engage your customer base.

Hosting this on an educational hub can further boost the impact.

On-demand hosting also supports the allimportant data capture and analysis which is so crucial to omni-channel marketing and more difficult to collect with solely face-to-face events.

CREATING A COMMUNITY

PRICING

SPEAKER FLEXIBILITY

MARKETING MIX

If you’re running paid-for events, pricing is critical. Are there tangible benefits to face-to-face over virtual which justifies a higher ticket price? Alternatively, you could charge one price and allow attendees to choose how they want to attend. This approach enables those who have last minute commitments to join online instead of in-person but runs the risk of you having a venue with only a handful of attendees.

When considering pricing, factor in whether live event attendees will have access to the event on-demand? Will virtual attendees have access to live Q&As with speakers? Weigh up the benefits and package for your audiences to consider the price versus return on their investment.

Finally, it’s not just delegates that benefit from a hybrid format. It can give you the best of both worlds when it comes to attracting speakers. If your audience isn’t in the same room, there’s no reason why your speakers need to be either. An experienced technical team can seamlessly stream global speakers into the live event and virtual platform giving everyone the same experience from anywhere in the world.

As the world shifts, hybrid events will find their place in the marketing mix.

To ensure they deliver for you and your customers, carefully consider the best format to meet your objectives and budget, and maximise attendance and engagement inperson and online. Emma Morriss is Head of Marketing Operations at E4H

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One of the key draws of a face-toface event is meaningful engagement amongst attendees, speakers and exhibitors which is difficult to replicate in a virtual environment.

Innovation will be required to make it work for you and your audience.

An online platform where all attendees can engage, whether in person or virtual, can be beneficial – depending on the nature of your event. This is easier to achieve with eConferencing platforms which have online networking lounges. However, this will mean all attendees need

access to the virtual platform in real time, which may stifle in-person interaction.

Alternatively, a simple solution may be to create a LinkedIn group for the event, where discussions, questions, downloads and videos can be posted for on the day and postevent conversations. Attendees can easily connect, and the event can keep delivering value long after the speakers have signed off. This also creates an engaged audience for any future events or work, though it does require ongoing management.

References: Ready for launch: Reshaping pharma’s strategy in the next normal, McKinsey & Company, https://tinyurl.com/ readyforlaunch | Reinventing Relevance New Models for Pharma Engagement with Healthcare Providers in a COVID-19 World, Accenture Healthcare Provider Survey May 2020

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Movers &Shakers WHO’S ON THE MOVE IN THE INDUSTRY? WORDS BY

Emma Cooper

PHARMA

Manish Goel

Technologyenabled scientific communications company Envision Pharma Group has appointed Manish Goel as its new Global Head of Envision Technology Solutions (ETS) to drive the development of innovative technologies for the life sciences sector.

PHARMA

QUICK MOVES

Diane DiGangi Trench

Sandoz has announced the appointment of Diane DiGangi Trench, as its UK Country Head.

Previously Vice-President, Market Access and Patient Services at Sandoz in the United States, Ms DiGangi Trench’s UK remit is to continue to expand access to biosimilar, generic and originator drugs to NHS patients. Her appointment coincides with the 15th anniversary of Sandoz launching the first biosimilar medicine approved for use in the UK.

PHARMA

PHARMA

ABPI

Tony Johnson

Ruud Dobber

Ben Osborn

medac Pharma has announced the appointment of Tony Johnson as Managing Director.

The new Managing Director began his new position in the company, which specialises in the therapy areas of oncology, urology, haematology and autoimmune, in May.

Ruud Dobber PhD has joined Almirall’s Board of Directors as Independent Director, to contribute to the company’s leadership by collectively directing Almirall’s affairs, whilst meeting the appropriate interests of its shareholders and stakeholders.

Sean Austerberry Softbox has announced the appointment of Sean Austerberry as Research and Product Development Director.

Carsten Thiel Carsten Thiel has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at EUSA Pharma UK Ltd. Laragh de Bhulbh Pharma Integrity has announced the appointment of Laragh de Bhulbh, PhD, MSc (Pharm Med), as Healthcare Compliance Consultant.

Ben Osborn, UK Country Manager of Pfizer, has been confirmed as the New President of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).

Ben said: “Our industry has made an incredible contribution in this pandemic, working together with partners across the health and care space to research, develop, and deliver treatments and vaccines for Covid-19.”

M AG A ZI N E | S U M M ER 202 1 | 3 3

A

ENTER THE

s organisations cast an anxious eye to the future, the milliondollar question many business leaders are asking is, “How can we rebuild and sustain meaningful and ongoing engagement with our customers?”. We know that the focus of the past fifteen months has been the development of specific skills that enable some degree of interaction to continue, however this was grounded in the need to maintain business continuity. Alongside this, the rush towards digital platforms and the increasing digital contact points for healthcare professionals (HCPs) has been front and centre in many minds.

mindset and behaviours will be the primary enabler of true customer excellence.

Of course, skills cannot be ignored and will remain part of the solution, whether that be the short-term focus required recently, or yet-to-be-identified medium to long-term skills. To be truly fit for the future though, a relentless focus on mindset and behaviours will be needed, and there are countless research articles that have been published in the past few months that seek to identify what these might be. Whilst no single published article has created the ‘definitive list’ for pharma or any other industry, what has become clear is that an entrepreneurial approach will be the key. Some of the typical attributes of entrepreneurs in the pharma world are:

MINDSET AND BEHAVIOUR

• Incredible networker – the ability to build, sustain and call upon strong internal and external networks in a virtual world.

• A solution-oriented approach to customer needs – using experience and creativity to source ideas that maybe haven’t been considered and to stretch and reimagine futures.

• Clarity of purpose – a mission or goal that underpins everything that is done to help guide decisions and maintain a specific purpose in all elements of work.

As the focus moves to the future, there is a clear and increasing requirement to break away from the traditional selling skills-first approach and to also consider how this new digital era impacts all frontline employees. We know that digital technology will continue to evolve, hence most organisations will continue to look at building skills to keep pace with this evolution. Therefore, to gain a true competitive advantage, driving customer engagement through a new focus on

INTRAPRENEURS

An intrapreneur is an employee who acts like an entrepreneur within an organisation. Intrapreneurs are selfmotivated, proactive, and action-oriented people who have leadership skills and think outside the box.

Ask yourself, “How much focus has my organisation placed on building intrapreneurial mindset and behaviours over the past year?”. “How much focus is there on creating an intrapreneurial culture within my organisation that helps to cultivate our front-line entrepreneurs?”.

There are other behaviours required, however the research recently published is highly consistent in calling out the need for consistent high quality deep, personalised customer insight, the importance of having a mindset to embrace and leverage technology and finally, to be an innovation champion both with internal and external customers.

These behaviours will take customer facing teams into a bold future, helping to define and develop the ‘entrepreneurial orchestrators’ of customer excellence.

CHANGE VS CONTINUOUS VALUE

SHORT-TERM

LONG-TERM

FUTURE-TERM

What is happening now?

What might be needed?

What will always be needed?

Skills Focus Remote selling excellence Multi-channel engagement Virtual Account management

Skills Focus Organisations currently unsure what these might be

Entrepreneurial Mindset Behaviour Focus

ENTRE PRENEUR

INSIGHT

HOW WILL THIS NEW DIGITAL ERA IMPACT FRONT-LINE EMPLOYEES IN PHARMA? WORDS BY Ian

Robinson and Mark Jones

LET’S LOOK AT EACH OF THOSE THREE AREAS IN A LITTLE MORE DETAIL… Demonstrating insight-led customer fascination In this digital age, we have more information about our customers than we have ever had.

Despite this, and partly due to the challenges of the past fifteen months, we may well have less insight. There is a huge difference between information and insight, and those employees who develop a thirst for understanding how their customers think, and what really does make them tick, will be in the ideal position to engage with insights that they can action and thus add that essential value.

Entrepreneurs have a restless dissatisfaction and will leave no stone unturned when seeking competitive advantage through greater depth of customer insight.

Embracing technology as an enabler to their work For many, the prospect of using technology more frequently is daunting.

A lack of familiarity with virtual meeting platforms, the challenge of NHS firewalls and a whole plethora of potential barriers spring to mind. That said, technology in all its forms, from apps to platforms is here to stay. Hence, irrespective of the current individual level of confidence and capability in using it, the entrepreneurial mindset is to accept that it’s a critical tool enabling them to operate effectively.

Entrepreneurs have a restless dissatisfaction and will leave no stone unturned

The future of customer engagement excellence is a challenge that individuals and their employers need to tackle now. In January 2021, a blog from Microsoft reported that Covid has pushed organisations towards digital technology to begin to solve business

challenges for the new normal. That’s not unexpected, however, it’s a scary thought when you think about what we need to do as humans to keep pace with that. Technology alone won’t provide a competitive advantage for sales teams.

That’s why developing an entrepreneurial

Championing innovation through marginal gains There is comfort in doing things in familiar ways, using tried and tested approaches, and settling for current good practice as best practice. Innovation in pharma is nothing new, something demonstrated by the various organisations who have developed and manufactured Covid vaccines in record times. As an individual employee, especially those that are in customer-facing roles, it can be difficult to understand what innovation actually means. Tight governance frameworks and compliance can inhibit creativity, often used as the rationale for the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality.

Entrepreneurial behaviour is characterised by individuals consistently looking for small improvements in everything that they do, which in turn can multiply into significant overall gains. It isn’t about reinventing the wheel, more about reinventing yourself and constantly seeing opportunities to add more value through different approaches.

mindset and behaviours is becoming even more critical as a focus for organisations when planning customer excellence capability strategies for the future.

Ian Robinson and Mark Jones are the co-founders and Directors of Future CX. Go to www.futurecx.co.uk M AG A ZI N E | S U M M ER 202 1 | 35

CAREERS

SUCCEEDING IN THE DIGITAL DOMAIN Pf talks to Heidi Edwards, Senior Respiratory E-detail Representative at Bionical Solutions, on behalf of AstraZeneca and winner of the Digitally Enabled Sales Professional Award at this year’s Pf Awards.

INTERVIEW BY Emma

CAREER CLOSE-UPS

Cooper

Tell us about your job I have been working in the pharmaceutical industry for four years, and always in the virtual space. My first role was Vaccine Account Executive, on behalf of Sanofi Pasteur.

I was successful in achieving my KPI’s and increasing vaccine sales, so I was put forward by my manager for the Pf Awards 2018 Best Newcomer, where I was a top finalist. I then gained an E-detailer role with Bionical Solutions, on behalf of AstraZeneca. Here, I predominantly contact respiratory nurses and practice-based pharmacists in primary care practices and promote AstraZeneca’s respiratory portfolio using a digital platform.

How have you progressed? I have been in this role for almost three years and due to overachieving on KPI’s, product sales, and my positive attitude, I was promoted to Senior E-detailer, where I am heavily involved in the development of my team.

Because of my passion for the digital space, I am also involved in development, learning and marketing within AstraZeneca. This includes conducting training sessions for their new starters and passing key insights from customer conversations to the marketing team.

How has Covid-19 affected your role? The biggest impact was when my field force colleagues were suddenly converted to virtual working. Huge amounts of people in the company were all working in the exact same way and we needed to adapt to ensure

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our healthcare professionals (HCPs) were not overloaded with information.

It became very important to be sensitive and empathetic to HCPs, who were managing vulnerable patients virtually for the first time. Initially, our role became less promotional and more focused on support; understanding how their role had changed and how we could help. I personally learnt a lot about the importance of open questioning and allowing HCPs to voice their opinions, which I took back to my commercial conversations.

What motivates you? I love having in-depth educational conversations with HCPs. I recently had a call with a practice pharmacist, updating her about a new launch and she was so enthusiastic about using the information in her practice going forward. Ultimately, what motivates me the most is informing HCPs about products, so they can use that information to prescribe to the correct patients and improve their quality of life.

What professional challenges have you faced? My biggest challenge has been working through the Covid-19

pandemic. Access to HCPs has been tough and the opportunity to have in-depth conversations reduced. I have overcome this by working to the best of my ability and knowing that I can only do my best.

I also make sure I keep an optimistic, positive attitude; if on some days it wasn’t possible to interact with HCPs because they were busy with a Covid vaccination clinic, I tell myself that the next day will be different. After work, I spend time away from my laptop, so my mind is fresh and I am motivated to put 100% effort in the next day.

What advice would you give to someone interested in your role? Working in the digital space is extremely fulfilling and there is real evidence that digital conversations can make a real difference.

However, getting to that stage takes hard work and resilience – gaining access to HCPs over a virtual platform, and then building strong relationships virtually is not easy. Therefore, anyone looking to work as a digital representative must have a real passion for working in the digital space and be motivated by having engaging and impactful conversations with HCPs.

Interested in more career close-ups?

Head over to www.pharmafield.co.uk for our regular feature.

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