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Are You Letting Patients Play
Russian Roulette With Your Product?
All of the costs involved in
getting a medication to market are on the line the moment
the doctor puts the prescription in the patient's hand.
At that point—for better or worse—the
patient takes control of the therapy, making the key decisions
that determine whether a medication will be effective.
That was the message from Consumer
Health Information Corporation President, Dr. Dorothy L. Smith,
addressing top healthcare decision—makers representing
the pharmaceutical industry, government, managed care, insurers,
and employers.
Dr. Smith said patients carefully weigh
the risks of taking a drug against the benefits. Because they
don't know how to manage side effects appropriately, many
patients will just stop taking the medication.
"This is why
a newer and more expensive medication with a lower incidence
of side effects is often more cost-effective than an older
drug having more side effects."
"If a patient stops taking an antihypertensive
drug because of the side effects and ends up in the emergency
room, the cost savings of the less expensive drug are wiped
out."
Successful product managers don't gamble
in their marketing plans. They make sure patients know how
to manage common side effects. Consumer Health Information
Corporation has 15 years of experience in developing programs
(meeting FDA requirements) that help patients make wiser decisions
about side effect management.
What
Every Marketing Manager Needs To Know:
- Medications
with a higher incidence of adverse effects will be more
likely to result in higher levels of noncompliance, indirectly
raising overall healthcare costs.
- 10%
of all prescriptions are never filled—and patients
often make that decision right in the doctor's office. Doctors
need counseling tools to convince patients to fill prescriptions
for your product.
- 33%
of all prescriptions are never refilled because patients
decide they don't want to continue taking the medication.
Your marketing plan should include a refill compliance program.
- About
50% of medications actually taken are not used correctly.
This limits the chance your product will be successful.
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