Playing to Win

April 16, 2018

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Over the past several years, 20Sense has been monitoring the evolution of oral oncology medication market. Having taken stock on what works, and what doesn’t, we offer a few pearls to keep you on course.

Know – and reach – your influencers. Who is “touching” your oral oncology medication? In addition to doctors, consider that pharmacists, support program coordinators, and possibly ancillary professionals such as home care nurses will have a hand in the flow of your product. And don’t forget patients themselves. Oral medications give them a lot more power in making decisions. Your marketing plan needs to reach all these stakeholders – and make life as easy for them as possible.

Support patients through the experience. Patient support programs can ensure your patients get full value from treatment. For example, lack of standardized processes for self-administering oral cancer treatment can compromise safety,11 and your program could help bridge this gap. You don’t need to go it alone – consider working with pharmacies to deliver services such as monitoring adherence, tolerability and side-effects.

Keep your finger on the value. Gone are the days when a tablet, pill or capsule meant low cost. Invest the time to understand the barriers that may arise from having higher-priced oral drugs and the best ways to convey value. How can your support program help get the drug into patients’ hands? Will patients feel comfortable handling a $10K bottle of pills? Fully explore the approaches at your disposal.

Use the right channels. If your comfort zone lies in hospital distribution, you now need to change channels – to figure out the best mix of pharmacies (specialty, hospital, and retail) to dispense your product. Resources such as the 2017 pan-Canadian consensus guideline on safe use and handling of oral anti-cancer drugs in community practice12 can help you create distribution channels that preserve the integrity of your product.

Cancer has always been a big deal for patients, and oral medications don’t change this fact. The right supports and strategies can help your patients through their difficult journey and elevate your product to its full potential.


References

11 CAPCA. Oral cancer therapy.http://www.capca.ca/current-issues/oral-cancer-drug-therapy

12 CAPCA/Cancer Care Ontario. Pan-Canadian consensus guidelines. http://www.capca.ca/wp-content/uploads/FINAL_SHOCCGuideline_ENG_Logos.pdf

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Biosimilars and Patient Support: A Must-Have Combination