Transforming the Patient Experience with a Strong Direct-to-Consumer Program
The pharmaceutical industry has undergone a digital transformation – as of 2024, over 75% of patients have accessed care virtually. Leading brands across the industry are embracing direct-to-consumer (DTC) programs to meet modern patient needs. If you’re not considering how this access strategy could benefit your stakeholders, you may be missing out on the opportunity to better serve your patients and providers while driving brand performance.
A recent webinar hosted by Phil, in collaboration with Miten Soni, Associate Director of Brand Marketing at Sun Pharmaceuticals, sheds light on how pharmaceutical companies can define, analyze, and implement an effective DTC program in today’s virtual healthcare environment.
Keeping Pace with Evolving Patient Expectations
From online shopping to mobile food ordering to virtual learning, consumers have become accustomed to the increased speed, flexibility, and choice that technology offers. These advancements across industries have radically changed what patients want and expect from their healthcare experience.
4 in 5 patients want to use technology to manage their healthcare, and 60% of patients expect their digital healthcare experience to mirror that of retail. Top reasons that patients like digital access channels include the convenience, experience, and accessibility. The digital care environment is here to stay, and it’s the experience of the future.
Defining DTC in Pharma
The definition of direct-to-consumer can vary across organizations. At Phil, we define this as a digital access program with four distinct components:
DTC marketing strategy: a direct-to-consumer advertising strategy that is executed across multiple channels that are relevant to your patient population.
Telemedicine channel: an access channel that gives patients the option to see a provider and get prescribers through a telehealth appointment.
Digital patient experience & pharmacy services: a digital enrollment and prescription management platform for patients, including home delivery, text updates, and refills.
Digital HCP experience & PA process: an enhanced prior authorization (PA) and prescribing process for providers that keeps them in their existing workflows.
If you’re interested in seeing how other manufacturers have approached DTC programs, we recommend this case study.
Evaluating the Efficacy of DTC
It’s important to keep in mind that direct-to-consumer programs will not be suitable for all brands. We suggest evaluating the following criteria when determining whether DTC may be a good potential fit for your brand:
Patient population: analyze different aspects of your patient population to determine whether DTC is the right fit for a specific brand, such as:
Patient needs and preferences
Ideal medication access experience
Key education and engagement touchpoints
Program strategy and design: consider the brand’s broader access strategy and whether a DTC program can support and integrate with these approaches, including:
Patient support strategy
Coverage and pricing strategy
Provider engagement strategy
Patient and provider education strategy
Brand usage and requirements: evaluate the brand usage experience for the patient, and how this could impact a DTC program based on:
Role of pharmacist
Complexity of condition
Dosage requirements
Usage effects
Regulatory compliance: consider the broader implications, as well as any condition-specific requirements, that could affect a DTC program, including:
Data privacy and security policies
Regulatory requirements
HIPAA compliance
Channel stipulations
Building Blocks of a DTC Program
DTC programs can (and should) differ based on the above factors, including but not limited to the brand’s goals, patient population, regulatory requirements, program strategy, and more. That said, there are several key components that most programs will benefit from:
Multiple access channels: gives patients the option to access care however works best for them, through telemedicine or in-office appointments.
Digital prescription fulfillment: offers digital prescription enrollment, fulfillment, and management for patients through a digital hub.
Simplified PA and prescribing process: automates parts of the PA process while keeping prescribers in their current workflows. In addition, the program equips the field team with digital tools to monitor script activity and proactively engage prescribers.
Tech-enabled education and support: provides digital and human-touch support programs that are tailored to patients, providers, and field teams.
Real-time data and insights: leverages digital hub insights and telemedicine integration to gain full visibility across the access journey at the script, provider, and territory level.
For a deeper dive into developing an alternative channel strategy that supports your DTC program, check out this blog post.
Transforming Patient Care with DTC
Direct-to-consumer is the future of medication access. By offering more convenience, flexibility, and choice through a digital access program, pharmaceutical companies can pave the way to improved patient outcomes, provider engagement, and brand performance.
Your success is our priority – we’ve designed the PhilRx Digital Hub to support manufacturers looking to build a best-in-class access experience for their patients, providers, and brands. Book a demo to see what we can help you achieve.
