Pharma’s Digital Transformation Turning Point: Disruption, Challenges and Recommendations for Medical and Commercial Leaders

Industries Profiled:
Health Care; Pharmaceutical; Diagnostic; Biotech; Medical Device; Biopharmaceutical; Laboratories; Clinical Research; Manufacturing; Consumer Products; Consulting; Technology; Communications; Computer Software; Telecommunications; Research; Medical; Professional Services; Science; Marketing


Companies Profiled:
Abbott; AbbVie; ADC Therapeutics; Advanced Accelerator Applications; AeroGen; Inc.; Agios; Aimmune Therapeutics; Alcon Laboratories; Align Technology; Alkem; Alkermes; Allergan; Almirall; Alnylam Pharmaceuticals; AMAG Pharmaceuticals; Amgen; Amicus Therapeutics; Apellis Pharmaceuticals; Aptus Clinical; Arena Pharmaceuticals; Ascend Therapeutics; Ascensia; Asklepion Pharmaceuticals; LLC; Aspen Pharmacare; Astellas; AstraZeneca; Atara Biotherapeutics; Avadel Pharmaceuticals; Avanir; Avant Healthcare; Avantor Performance Materials; Baxter Healthcare; Bayer; BioDelivery Sciences International; Biofrontera; Biogen; Boehringer Ingelheim; Bracco Diagnostics Inc.; Braeburn; B. Braun; Canopy Growth; Cara Therapeutics; Cascadia Drug Development Group; Catalyst Pharma; Celyad; Chiesi; Cipla; Cofactor Group; Consensus Orthopedics; CSL Behring; Daiichi Sankyo; DBV Tehcnologies; Deciphera Pharmaceuticals; Dendreon Pharmaceuticals LLC; DiaSorin; Eagle Pharmaceuticals; EHOB; Inc; Eisai; EMD Serono; eNeura Therapeutics; Ethypharm; EyePoint Pharmaceuticals; FerGene; Ferozsons Laboratories Limited; Ferring Pharmaceuticals; Frankel Advisory Group LLC; Galderma; GE Healthcare; Genmab; Getz Pharma; Greenwich Biosciences; Grifols; Grünenthal; Guerbet; Halloran Consulting Group; Helsinn; Horizon Therapeutics; IDbyDNA; Idorsia; Ipsen; Iridex; Ironwood; Joerns Healthcare; Johnson & Johnson; Kala Pharmaceuticals; Kaleo; Karyopharm Therapeutics; Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals; Kyowa Kirin; Leica Biosystems; LeMaitre Vascular; LEO Pharma; Lundbeck; Lupin; Mayne Pharma; Medacta USA; Medexus Pharmaceuticals; Medicure; MedinCell; MEDiSTRAVA; Medrobotics; Medtronic; Melinta Therapeutics; Merck; Merck KGaA; Milestone Pharmaceuticals; Mint Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Mirador Global LP; Mission Bio; Monebo Technologies; Nabriva Therapeutics; Nestle Health Science; Nevakar; NexGen Healthcare Communications; Nobio; Novartis; Novo Nordisk; Nuvisan; Ora; Osmotica Pharmaceuticals; OTSUKA; Panacea Biotec; Paratek Pharmaceuticals; Pfizer; Piramal Group; Prime Global; Proteus Digital Health; Purdue Pharma; QED Therapeutics; Retrophin; Rigel Pharmaceuticals; Roche; Samumed; Sandoz; Sanofi; Sanofi Genzyme; Sanofi Pasteur; Santen; Santhera Pharmaceuticals; Sarah Cannon; Scilex Pharmaceuticals; Servier; Shionogi Inc.; Sivantos Pte. Ltd.; SK Life Science; Smith & Nephew; SomaGenics Inc; Stgilesmedical London & Berlin; Straumann; Sumitovant BioPharma; Sunovion; Supernus; Surrozen; Syneos Health; Takeda Pharmaceuticals; Tecan; TerSera Therapeutics; TG Therapeutics; The Medical Affairs Company; The Stem; Theravance; Thermo Fisher Scientific; Think Surgical; Thompson Surgical Instruments; UCB Pharma; United BioSource; Vertex Pharmaceuticals; Vifor Pharma; ViiV Healthcare; Visioneering Technologies Inc.; Wellspect HealthCare; West 53rd St Digital; Worldwide Clinical Trials; XACT Robotics; XG Sciences; Zeiss Pharma; Zosano Pharma; Zydus Cadila

Study Snapshot

This Best Practices, LLC compendium draws upon 10 of our primary benchmark studies of over 200 biopharma executives from 178 life sciences companies to reveal the most effective digital strategies, tools and approaches being implemented by forward-looking Medical and Commercial leaders.

Key topics covered in this report include:

• Digital transformation of pharma medical and commercial strategies
• Digital budget investment trends
• Adapting to the virtual environment in COVID-19
• Virtual engagement with HCPs and external stakeholders
• Virtual advisory boards
• Managing clinical trials during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic
• Virtual engagement with patients
• Managing speaker programs
• Technology for engagement with internal stakeholders
• Digital communicative and collaborative platforms
• Digital transformation of key performance indicators

• Migration to virtual: Nearly every medical, commercial, and operational role has taken on a virtual component, with teams forced to navigate new digital strategies, platforms and engagement channels on the fly.

• Virtual HCP and external engagement: Companies expect to permanently conduct an average of 40% of their engagements virtually, even after the pandemic.

• Patient engagement virtual KPIs: Over 40% of companies have increased their utilization of online surveys, social media and web engagement during the pandemic, which are all effective means to measure patient advocacy relationships.

• Executive summary
• Benchmark study partners
• Digital transformation of pharma medical strategy: What pharma Medical leaders need to know
• Digital transformation of pharma commercial strategy: What pharma Commercial leaders need to know

• Key factors driving the rapid digital transformation
• Implementation of a limitation on face-to-face engagement with any of the listed external groups by benchmark organizations due to the global pandemic and the type of policy reflected with each
• Trend towards digital external interactions at benchmark companies due to the global pandemic; Quick response strategy and tactics to maximize success considering the constraints around travel and visitation in the short term
• Changes in investment patterns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Top advice from fellow biopharma C-suite peers in managing through the COVID-19 pandemic

• Key insights around digital implementation
• Adapting to the virtual environment in COVID-19 – Constraints and opportunities

• Key insights around virtual HCP and external engagement
• Framework for assessing and taking necessary actions to meet HCP needs
• Voices from the field around digital solutions for education
• HCP and external engagement before COVID-19, current implications and opportunities
• Percentage of external engagements to be conducted digitally post the pandemic
• Expected changes in streamlined virtual technology functionalities and platforms post COVID-19 pandemic

• Key insights around advisory boards
• New users of specific technologies for external engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Maximizing virtual ad boards

• Key insights around clinical trials
• Addressing specified pre-existing challenges faced during on-site clinical trials with the switch to virtual trials

• Key insights around patient engagement
• Shift in focus to caring for and engaging with patients since the pandemic has turned all social interactions to virtual technologies
• Successes or challenges in implementing digital technology and platforms faced by benchmark companies in reaching and engaging with patients through patient advocacy groups
• Patient support imperatives for digital product launch

• Key insights around speaker programs
• Percentage of programs were/are being done live, virtual, and taped for on-demand - for the listed time periods
• Effectively addressing key challenges with virtual programs

• Key insights around internal engagement
• Technology change duration and approach towards dealing with technology changes in internal stakeholder operations post the global pandemic
• Expected changes in streamlined virtual technology functionalities and platforms for internal operations post COVID-19 pandemic

• Key insights around technology platforms
• Digital communicative and collaborative platforms currently being used by benchmark companies to add tactical functionality due to the emergence of the global pandemic
• Struggles and/or hindrances around the use of technology experienced or expected to experience by benchmark participants during the global pandemic

• Key insights around changes to key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Changes in KPIs within benchmark companies since the emergence of the global pandemic, and reasons for the same
• Pre-COVID quantitative and qualitative medical KPIs, and new digital medical KPIs
• Pre-COVID quantitative and qualitative commercial KPIs, and new digital commercial KPIs