White Paper. by Brian Mondry, Vice President, Integrated Strategy & Digital Solutions March 2012

Transcription

1 White Paper Catalysts driving successful decisions in life sciences. Achieving Insights in the US Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Patient Community through a combination of traditional data research and mixed digital methodologies by Brian Mondry, Vice President, Integrated Strategy & Digital Solutions March

2 Achieving Insights in the US Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Patient Community 2 MROCs provide a unique approach to getting qualitative insight from a patient universe. Oral Therapies and MS: Revolution or Evolution One of the major complaints that MS patients make about available therapies is that the only method of administration is via injection. As such, making oral therapies available could amount to a revolution on a similar scale to that seen when oral therapies began to change the face of the oncology market 10 years ago. But without gathering more insight into whether most patients would adopt oral therapies, it has not been clear whether we are facing an evolution or revolution. We therefore recently took up the challenge of answering this question around the potential for oral MS therapies to be game changers. We employed digital methodologies alongside traditional research techniques with the aim of gaining deeper insight into patient needs. Our Approach We employed two distinct online qualitative methodologies: Marketing Research Online Community (MROCs), and Social Media Listening (SML), as well as traditional research techniques. The MROC was conducted over a six week period. Research community members consisted of 25 relapsing-remitting patients who had been living with MS more than one year. These patients were recruited from business partner Inspire.com s, MS patient community, and from sister Kantar company, Lightspeed Research s consumer panel. MROCs provide a unique approach to getting qualitative insight from a patient universe. Unlike an interview or focus group, which is based on participant to moderator interaction, MROC members tend to exchange ideas and discuss issues with each other. Our moderator mostly served as a catalyst to encourage relevant discussions. The peer-to-peer engagement, taking place in a natural setting, enabled us to listen in and observe how patients authentically feel about their MS and the new oral therapies. A true sense of community formed around the four week mark, when participants began speaking independently to each other and started new discussions on their own. When the MROC came to its conclusion, many of the participants indicated that they wanted it to continue. To accommodate them, we directed those interested to continue interacting within the open MS community at Inspire.com. Note: Our MS MROC included polls and surveys yet due to small community size, insights cannot be considered quantitative Figure A. Market Research Online Communities The SML portion of the study included an analysis of online patient-to-patient discussions about oral MS disease modifying therapies from January 2010 June A total of 2,803 discussion posts were reviewed by our MS experts across a wide range of MS community sites and forums. Our focus was

3 Achieving Insights in the US Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Patient Community 3 By utilizing tightly defined categories such as Quality of Life, Market Access and Efficacy, we were able to focus on those posts that would best address our clients business issues. on the qualitative nature of these discussions rather than quantitative measures such as brand share-of-voice and sentiment analysis. By utilizing tightly defined categories such as Quality of Life, Market Access and Efficacy, we were able to focus on those posts that would best address our clients business issues. Our Findings We found MS patients to be empowered, positive, and determined. They were highly educated about their disease, very willing to share their experiences with us and other MS patients, and very thoughtful about the pros and cons of the new MS therapies. While there was a high level of excitement about the new therapies there was also a lot of uncertainty about the efficacy of the new oral therapies and a sense of satisfaction with existing therapies, even with the inconveniences and pain of injections. Coincidentally, soon after we closed the SML study, news about Gilenya-related deaths was announced. (Gilenya is currently the only oral MS therapy on the market.) We were able to quickly reopen the study and literally watch patient word-of-mouth as the news unfolded. From these authentic conversations, we were able to provide a real-time analysis of the impact of this news on the product. Each of the methodologies provided a slightly different viewpoint on the potential of the new oral MS therapies. After careful study of the data, we found the social media listening data to be skewed toward the vocal minority of patients who we generally found to be more positive about the new oral therapies. In contrast, the patients who participated in the MROC represented patients across the spectrum those who were naturally vocal, those who needed prompting to share their opinion, and all types in between. As such, from the MROC participants, we found a more diverse, and we believe representative, set of voices and opinions. The vocal minority skew that we observed in the social media listening study does not negate the value of this methodology. It simply means that, when not integrated with another more representative methodology, it should not be used to address major business issues. When used independently, given the vast exposure of the opinions of this vocal minority, it does have great tactical value. It is imperative for manufacturers to understand what potential customers are hearing, independent of paid advertising messages. Understanding what is being said about a disease category and Figure B. MS Patients Attitudes Toward Current Treatments

4 Achieving Insights in the US Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Patient Community 4 Digital methodologies are another valuable way of gaining insight into patient behavior and methodologies. available brands/treatments, where it is being said, and who the primary online influencers are, can greatly inform future marketing efforts, including both DTC and professional campaigns, and online and offline programs. Combining the analytics of both studies, we were able to answer strategic business questions and provide tactical guidance to manufacturers of the new oral therapies. Our Conclusion Digital methodologies are another valuable way of gaining insight into patient behavior and methodologies. MROCs can be used to generate insights based on immediate and highly authentic, unbiased conversations that can influence major business decisions. SML can be used as a vehicle for collecting data to inform tactical decisions, but also to study how manufacturers should operate within a social media environment. However, like all methodologies, it s the expert analysis of the deeper and more insightful findings that makes all the difference and gives us the real potential to provide innovative direction for our clients across a wide range of business issues.

5 Achieving Insights in the US Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Patient Community 5 For more information, please visit About Kantar Health Kantar Health is a global, evidence-based decision support partner to the world s leading pharmaceutical, biotech, device and diagnostic companies. Our 700+ staff act as catalysts, working closely with customers to drive distinctive decision-making that help them prioritize product development and portfolios, differentiate their brands and ensure product profitability after launch. We are unique in that we bring together clinical, medical and methodological expertise, commercial/ marketing know-how and proprietary data. It is this rare combination, together with our unparalleled stakeholder reach, that enables us to mobilize incisive, imaginative and timely ROI-driven solutions, empowering clients to deliver better health care options to their customers. About the author Brian Mondry Brian Mondry is Vice President, Integrated Digital Solutions and Innovation at Kantar Health. For queries regarding this white paper please Brian Mondry at brian.mondry@ kantarhealth.com. With staff in over 40 countries, we excel at solving technically or logistically challenging projects around the world and across the product lifecycle, combining on-the-ground know-how and global and national proprietary data to quickly identify value drivers. As part of WPP, we can also incorporate highly innovative thinking from outside the industry into our solutions.