Introduction
Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly focusing R&D efforts on rare diseases. In 2022 the global disease market reached more than $195 billion, and growth is expected to continue, with around 700 rare disease medicines in biopharma pipelines, and around 350 million rare disease patients across the world.
As this market continues to grow, we are seeing larger firms increasingly looking to expand their orphan-drug portfolio. AstraZeneca, one of the biggest players in this space, acquired Alexion in 2021, a company which currently has five therapies approved for use across seven rare diseases. Myasthenia gravis is one of many rare diseases that has seen growing competition over the past few years. UCB's Rystiggo recently received FDA approval, and they have another candidate, Zilucoplan, in the pipeline. This announcement follows from AstraZeneca's approval for Ultomiris and Argenx's for Vyvgart in the last couple of years.
Launching a drug in the rare disease space is no easy task. Physicians have a limited number of interactions with these patients and may see only a handful over the span of their career.
Executing a drug launch successfully relies on pharma being able to deliver content that is simple, memorable, and cuts through the noise competing for physicians' attention. Deploying a digital-first marketing approach for rare disease assets seems the natural solution when strategizing to target smaller audiences, and often smaller budgets.
Bryter recently conducted a survey with more than 300 treaters of rare diseases across the US and international markets to understand how pharma should connect with these physicians.
59% of physicians say digital content from manufacturers is essential for them to consider their products. Despite this, we also see that physicians believe pharma is still failing to deliver digital comms effectively. In fact, as many as a quarter (24%) feel that the content they are receiving is rarely useful to them, and half (47%) believe they receive too much content. The question for pharma is, what exactly are rare disease treaters looking to engage with?
1. Quality over quantity
We found that these physicians most value content that is both easy to digest and informs their treatment decisions. While this may seem obvious, it points to an essential underlying need for them to be able to cut through the noise and receive information that can truly support them, in what is often challenging decision making.
For these treaters information relating to rare disease is relevant to a very limited proportion of their caseload. The challenge for companies launching a rare disease therapy is to effectively compete for physician's time and attention in an era of information overload. When physicians will need this information is unpredictable, therefore it is crucial that content designed to fulfil their needs is both easily accessible and available on demand.
There is also a role for pharma to develop educational campaigns. Underdiagnosis is a challenge across the spectrum of rare diseases, providing content that educates on symptom recognition and testing can both facilitate diagnosis, as well reinforce the company's role in partnering with physicians.
2. Digital does not equal impersonal
Having the right content, however, is still not enough if this content is not being delivered through the right channel.
Physicians frequently complain about mass emails overwhelming their inbox. Fewer than half of physicians are currently satisfied with the main digital channels used by pharma, with email performing worst. One of the dangers of adopting a digital-first marketing strategy is losing the personal element of engaging with physicians.
Physicians are increasingly looking to work more collaboratively with pharmaceutical companies to both improve patient outcomes and achieve their professional goals. Three quarters (74%) view their relationship with pharma companies as a partnership, and 77% agree pharma has an essential role in keeping them up to date on new developments. This is particularly true for rare diseases where physicians are not actively seeking or monitoring new developments - the onus is on pharma to ensure updates are reaching them.
There is a growing paradigm shift in companies delivering more than purely brand-centric content; physicians are increasingly looking to pharma also to offer education and support.
This type of collaboration is best delivered through personal relationships; the importance of rep contact should not be underestimated. The value of a sales force team can still be effectively delivered through remote contact, but only if it is performed in the right way.
3. One size does not fit all
Most important for companies to realize is that not all physicians want to engage in the same way. Getting the digital mix right in the post-COVID landscape is crucial, and receptivity to digital content can vary significantly across markets. Physicians in Brazil and Japan will often be more receptive to a greater proportion of digital engagement, while in-person content is highly valued in Germany. Maximizing the pay-off of each channel requires understanding the preferences of different types of physicians.
Ultimately the way physicians are looking to engage with companies will be down to the individual: what are their challenges in this disease area, and what support do they need? Pharma companies in the rare disease space looking to optimize their marketing strategy must have detailed insight into the disease landscape they operate in. This ranges from understanding each stage of the patient journey, to the specific drivers of these physicians’ treatment decision-making.
A successful digital campaign for a rare disease therapy cannot be developed using physicians’ demographics or caseloads alone. Successful engagement will rely on having a deep understanding of physicians’ digital behaviors, and adapting strategies accordingly.
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Learn more about how Bryter helps healthcare and pharmaceutical brands by reading our guide 'digital marketing to physicians' to learn how research and insights can help to shape digital strategy
