Utilizing clinical trial data to build campaign awareness

Clinical trials play a highly important role in creating safe, effective medicines. They also represent untapped potential for spreading product awareness prior to going to market. Sharing clinical trial data with prescribers not only makes their decision-making processes easier but also gives the brand an awareness boost.

Advantages of clinical trial transparency

Clinical trial data contains a wealth of information that is highly relevant to clinicians. Physicians can make better decisions and gain more opportunities for improved patient outcomes if they understand the finer details of new drugs. However, this information is often hard to get or simply not available. In fact, research from the New York University Langone Medical Center showed that roughly 43 percent of clinical trial results for new drugs are not made publicly available.

If physicians do not have access to this information, it limits their ability to accurately prescribe medication. As a result, patient outcomes may suffer. And as the entire industry shifts toward a value-based payment model, patient outcomes will be intrinsically tied to reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid. At the same time, the drug makers may be doing themselves a disfavor by withholding clinical trial information. For instance, doctors may hesitate to purchase or prescribe a drug lacking public data.

Transparency is important to generating and maintaining positive relationships between drug manufacturers and the clinical community. Understanding when it makes the most sense to release trial data could help manufacturers foster productive partnerships with clinicians. Failure to disclose information from specific trial phases could lead to confusion down the road - and that is a common problem. The NYU research found that nearly half of all reviewed drugs lacked a disclosed phase II or III trial. While these phases may not represent the final product, clinicians may still feel entitled to the information.

As more patients become engaged in their healthcare strategies, the disclosure of drug trial data may become ever more important. Patients who take an active role in their treatment may want a greater breadth of information regarding their prescribed medications. As an eMarketer report showed, millennials are more likely to research products than previous generations. That behavior is likely to trickle over into other aspects of their lives, including medical care. Manufacturers that provide clinicians with data can help patients make informed decisions about their personal health.

Value of clinical trial branding

Building awareness of a new pharmaceutical product is an uphill battle. The number of drugs approved by the FDA has risen to a historical high. In fact, the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society reported that, excluding 1996, 2017 saw more new molecular entities approved than ever before. With such an active marketplace, drug brands have to do more to stand out from the crowd.

To generate product awareness early, manufacturers need to consider implementing branding during the clinical trial process rather than after approval. PM360 suggested developing a brand strategy that shows the clinical community where the product is headed prior to launch. As the product moves through new trial phases, the branding should remain responsive, evolving alongside the drug. This will naturally move the brand story forward, engaging clinicians along the way.

Utilizing marketing approaches that speak directly to physicians can highlight the brand and build a useful campaign before the product goes to market. This increases the number of opportunities for success by creating a strong ramp into the marketplace.

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