Why this Ophthalmology Brand Launched with a “Retail Plus” Distribution Strategy

As they neared an FDA approval for the launch of their flagship eye care therapy in late 2021, this Biotech’s commercial team carefully evaluated their channel strategy. Their product had demonstrated strong clinical outcomes in their phase 3 clinical trial. They were confident that with the appropriate commercial strategy, they could achieve their launch goals of driving strong prescriber adoption, patient adherence, and sustainable growth.

Though they had the benefit of going to market with a unique product that had proven patient benefits, their team understood that a successful launch was far from a sure thing in today’s complex drug channel. They realized that for them achieve sustained success, an effective patient access strategy that could address several strategic challenges was paramount:

• Branded Competition They were not the first brand to launch in their category. They needed to offer the best user experience in the category to motivate HCPs to prescribe their therapy to patients.

• Barriers to Patient Access They needed to ensure patients could start on therapy without incurring a significant cost burden. They were interested in launching an effective bridge program to get patients started quickly on therapy.

• Utilization Management Hurdles The list price for the product would place it firmly in the “specialty-lite” category. This would result in a high percentage of scripts requiring a Prior Authorization (PA) even after winning placement on payer formulary.

• HCP Loyalty They needed to raise awareness with HCPs while demonstrating confidence that patients could easily adhere to therapy- a common challenge in the Ophthalmology category with generic and OTC competition.

• Retail Channel While the team thought a retail presence was important given consumer behavior in the category, they also concluded that this format was ill-equipped to respond to evolving consumer behavior and prior authorization requirements.

• Insights On Stakeholder Behavior During the launch phase, they wanted to discern how payers and HCPs were responding to their product to support their market access strategy and inform timely adjustments to their business rules.

Partnering with PhilRx as an Alternative Channel Partner 

After some deliberation, the brand concluded that an open distribution approach in retail alone would be insufficient. They also felt strongly that traditional access partners like specialty pharmacies were ill-equipped to meet the demands of the modern patient or respond to the current realities of the drug channel.

To ensure a successful launch, they concluded that an access partner that could deliver a seamless, digital patient experience on par with other industries was their best choice. This would ensure that patients faced no barriers to accessing and adhering to their medications during their launch phase.

Additionally, recognizing they needed to manage their Gross to Net (GTN), they needed a partner that could deliver high PA submission rates while triaging scripts through a pharmacy network with complete plan contract coverage (something specialty, mail order pharmacies were unable to offer).

Ultimately, they selected PhilRx because of our highly successful digital first engagement approach and our proven ability to convert market access to covered dispenses.

We partnered to support a successful launch by:

1. Offering a Frictionless, Digital First Experience HCPs ePrescribe to PhilRx in their existing workflows and patients easily enroll on their smartphone to manage their prescriptions in minutes

2. Creating Product Awareness Amongst Payers PhilRx would support PAs for all prescriptions received during the launch phase to create awareness amongst our extensive payer network with 98% plan coverage

3. Making Timely Adjustments to Business Rules with our software platform powered by real-time data & insights that allowed the commercial team to make strategic patient access decisions that would unlock sustainable growth

Launching with an Alternative Channel Solution 

To bring the program to life, Phil consulted with launch teams to provide strategic guidance and implement a customized access program powered by the PhilRx Platform.

Phil provided a solution that was easily integrated into existing brand assets and was launch ready in a matter of weeks.

The launch solution for included:

1. Seamless Digital Enrollment After receiving a prescription, patients received a text to enroll in minutes on their phone before leaving the office

2. Bridge Program patients were immediately started on therapy at a low cost while PhilRx submitted PAs in parallel

3. Pharmacy Routing after receiving an eRx and benefit information, the prescription was routed to the pharmacy with appropriate payer contracts

4. “1 Click” PA Submissions by extracting information from the eRX, we pre-populated forms to allow HCPs to simply review and submit

5. Informed Auto Refills patients opted into auto refills and were notified regarding upcoming refills to allow them make any changes necessary

6. Business Rules Engine the manufacturer team was provided access to information on how payers responded to their product to make timely adjustments to their business rules

The PhilRx Digital Hub was a key enabler in a successful launch for this therapy. After 1 year, the brand demonstrated strong traction and growth which made them a strong acquisition target.

Driving Channel Success with PhilRx 

With a coordinated marketing effort, 50% of total prescriptions were sent through the PhilRx channel in the first year*.