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Patient Empowerment

Empowered Patients Can Change Healthcare Outcomes And Impact The Pharmaceutical Industry

Publication Date   July 2007
Publisher   Datamonitor
Product Type   Strategic Report
Pages   111
ISBN Number   not applicable
Product Code   DAT834
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Price £3,000.00

approximately: $6,019 | €3,766

Summary


Introduction

Datamonitor has identified the key trends and events that drive patient empowerment and impact the pharmaceutical industry. These range from the increased access to information via internet and the rising pressures of cost containment through to how patient empowerment is affecting access to drugs as well as changing pharmaceutical marketing strategies and their public image.

Scope

  • Overview of the key trends driving patient empowerment
  • Overview of how empowered patients and patient advocacy groups can change healthcare outcomes including case studies
  • Analysis of the marketing strategies that companies are using to address the rise in patient education and harness patient power
  • Identification of future trends shaping evolution of patient empowerment

Highlights

Increased access to the internet, the rising pressures of cost containment and the changing patient-physician relationship are the key factors driving the rise in patient empowerment. Disease characteristics are one of the key factors determining how powerful different patient groups are.

Empowered patients can influence most healthcare outcomes: access to drugs, reimbursement policies, approval of new drugs, clinical trial recruitment, patient compliance and prescription rates. However they can also lead to reduction in drug prices and negative publicity for the pharmaceutical industry.

Pharmaceutical companies are investing effort into harnessing patient power through working with patient advocacy groups. Legal restrictions and increased public scrutiny are limiting how companies can work with patient groups and communication of medical information is the main form of contact in Europe.

Reasons to Purchase

  • Identify the key trends that are driving a rise in patient empowerment
  • Understand how patient advocacy groups can affect the pharmaceutical industry
  • Gain insight into how pharmaceutical companies are working with patient advocacy groups and how marketing strategies are becoming more patient-focused

Content


  • Chapter 1 Executive Summary
    • Scope of the report
    • Key findings
  • Chapter 2 Introduction To Patient Empowerment
    • What is patient power?
    • How patient power is measured
    • Factors influencing patient empowerment
    • Increased access to information
    • The internet is an important tool for patient empowerment
    • Direct-to-consumer advertising
    • Healthcare systems: US versus EU
    • In the US there is an increasing out-of-pocket cost for the patients
    • Cost-containment measures in the EU are likely to shift the cost of healthcare to the patient
    • Differences in patient empowerment between the US and the EU
    • The nature of the disease
    • Life-threatening diseases with poor prognosis have higher prominence
    • Chronic non-urgent conditions affecting mostly older populations attract less public sympathy
    • Social implications of the disease are gaining importance
    • Rare and genetic diseases
    • Stigma has a dampening effect on patient power
    • The changing patient-physician relationship
    • How do these factors influence patient empowerment
    • Effect on patients asking for prescription of particular treatments
    • Overall trends in patient power
  • Chapter 3 Patient Advocacy Groups
    • What are patient advocacy groups and what do they do?
    • Patient education
    • Support for patients and caregivers
    • Fundraising
    • Lobbying
    • Patient representatives sit on boards of decision-making bodies
    • Characteristics of successful of PAGs
    • Empowered patients can change healthcare outcomes
    • Equal access to drugs
    • HIV/AIDS patients are very vocal and have achieved wider access to drugs
    • Postcode prescribing in the UK is leading to unfairness in access to drugs
    • Influence on reimbursement of expensive drugs
    • Multiple sclerosis patients in the UK have achieved reimbursement of disease-modifying therapies through risk-sharing schemes
    • NICE's refusal to reimburse acetylcholine esterase inhibitors for mild Alzheimer's disease has lead to legal action
    • Can empowered patients achieve reimbursement of lifestyle drugs?
    • Lobbying for reimbursement of costly therapies will remain one of the priorities of PAGs
    • More efficient clinical trial recruitment and design
    • PAGs' websites can help disseminate information about clinical trials
    • Recruitment of subjects for clinical trials involving rare diseases is particularly challenging
    • Patient feedback on post-marketed drugs can lead to faster identification of previously unnoticed safety problems
    • Communicating results of clinical trials to the public through PAGs can reassure the patients and build trust
    • Faster approval times for drugs
    • HIV/AIDS activists were instrumental in the establishment of expanded access and expedited approval programs in the US
    • Empowered breast cancer patients won access to Herceptin for early breast cancer in record time in the UK
    • Early access to drugs is not without risks for both pharmaceutical companies and patients
    • Increased funding for research
    • Improved patient compliance
    • Discontinuation of obesity therapy could be solved through better patient education
    • Some causes of discontinuation of anti-psychotic drugs could be tackled through patient education
    • Empowered patients can lead to increased prescription rates and sales
    • Empowered patients can change healthcare outcomes in a way that is beneficial for both patients and drug producers
    • Case studies - outcomes beneficial for patients and the pharmaceutical industry
    • Herceptin and NICE in the UK
    • Disease-modifying agents for multiple sclerosis - risk-sharing scheme
    • Money-back scheme for Velcade for multiple myeloma
    • Activities of patient advocacy groups can have a negative impact on pharmaceutical companies
    • Threats - lowering drug prices
    • Case studies of damaging relationship with PAGs
    • Abbott's Norvir for HIV/AIDS
    • Schering-Plough's Rebetron for hepatitis C
    • Negative publicity can damage the reputation and public perception of pharmaceutical companies but can also impact sales
    • Working with patient advocacy groups - how to achieve a win-win situation
    • Effective communication and exchange of information is crucial
    • Involvement of pharmaceutical companies in PAGs' disease awareness campaigns
    • PAGs can have a valuable input into pharmaceutical companies' disease and drug websites
    • Patients can have a valuable input into clinical trial design
    • Listening to patients' needs can lead to the optimization of treatments and better compliance
    • Co-ordinating activities
    • Nurturing the relationship
    • Dedicated patient advocacy group liaison personnel
    • Act early and think long term
    • Equal and independent partners
    • Sponsorship
    • Advantages of a patient-centric approach
    • The relationship between PAGs and pharmaceutical companies is under increased scrutiny
    • Disclosure of funding is crucial in order to maintain transparency
    • Tightening of regulations is used to ensure adherence to ethical codes of conduct
    • Communication with PAGs can improve company's public image with the patients
    • Ideal PAG partner for collaboration with pharmaceutical companies
  • Chapter 4 Marketing Strategies In A Patient-Focused Age
    • Shift towards consumer-focused healthcare
    • The internet as a marketing channel
    • DTC advertising
    • Not all therapy areas are suitable for DTC advertising
    • Brand versus disease awareness
    • Communication of medical information through PAGs is the only route for disseminating drug specific information in Europe
  • Chapter 5 The Future Of Patient Empowerment
    • Drivers and resistors of patient empowerment in the future
    • Patients' desire to inform themselves and the availability of information through internet will continue to drive patient power
    • The aging population
    • Information overload - quality marks are needed
    • The cost-containment pressure contributes to rising patient power
    • In Europe cost-containment pressures will become more intense
    • Escalating costs of healthcare will push payers to limit availability of drugs
    • Direct-to-consumer advertising - any changes ahead?
    • Relationship between PAGs and the pharmaceutical industry will be closely watched
    • Cases to watch
    • Avastin and Erbitux are not approved for colorectal cancer
    • Court challenge for NICE's ruling over acetylcholine esterase inhibitors for mild Alzheimer's disease
    • NICE has blocked Macugen, and Lucentis is approved with restrictions
    • FDA's decision not to approve prostate cancer drug Provenge angered patients
    • Patients are voicing their opinions regarding the legislation surrounding biosimilars
    • Consolidation of PAGs
    • Consolidation and collaboration have advantages but also challenges
  • Chapter 6 Bibliography
    • Publications and online articles
    • Datamonitor resources
    • Websites
    • GLOSSARY
  • List of Figures
    • Figure 1: Drivers and resistors of patient empowerment
    • Figure 2: Internet penetration in the seven major markets
    • Figure 3: Disease characteristics influence the level of patient empowerment
    • Figure 4: Trends in patient power
    • Figure 5: Characteristics of a successful patient advocacy group
    • Figure 6: Empowered patients can change healthcare outcomes
    • Figure 7: Attributes of an ideal patient advocacy group for partnering with pharmaceutical companies
    • Figure 8: Drivers and resistors of patient power in the future