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PHARMA HOT LIST Q&A

In an ongoing series, Q&A sessions with media

experts from CMI/Compas explore what

pharma needs to know about how physicians

are using apps in their practice.

An app – short for application – is software,

typically small and specialized, that runs on

mobile devices, although they can be found on

most digital platforms. Kelly McFadden, Media

Supervisor, Communications Media, Inc. sat

with colleague Theresa Heintz, Sr. Associate,

Strategic Marketing & Corporate

Communications, CMI/Compas, to discuss apps

and how pharma can learn from current trends:

Pharma Hotlist: Apps are Good MedicineFebruary 2015

TH: What is the current landscape in apps?

KM: In the digital world we now live in, apps are

everywhere. Apps are used not only on mobile

phones, but also on desktops, laptops, tablets,

and wearable devices, making these tools much

more accessible to patients and caregivers. This

paradigm shift has started to empower patients

to take a more active role in their health

management.

Interesting to note, however, is that there are

over 40,000 medical apps available in the Apple

store alone. Many are simple tracking tools for

patients, but about 31% of these apps are

intended for physicians to use in a clinical

setting.

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According to mHealth App Developer

Economics 2014, on average, each of the

leading Pharma companies has 60 apps in the

Apple App Store and Google Play. If a brand

wants to create or sponsor an app, they will

also need a plan to promote it to the intended

audience, or the app will become lost among

competitors.

The iPhone is the dominant platform used by

physicians, with 48.2% accessing apps through

their phone, with the iPad as the second

choice. In fact, Apple has integrated a Health

app into their latest iOS, which integrates

information from multiple other apps to display

in a simple dashboard, useful for patients

tracking their health.

According to Manhattan Research, 95 million

Americans used their mobile phones to access

healthcare tools or to search for healthcare

information in 2013, a 27% increase over 2012.

It is clear that smartphones and tablets have

brought convenience, accessibility, and privacy

to patients as they manage their condition.

TH: What should pharma know about apps?

KM: They need to recognize that everyone is a

patient, everyone has an HCP, everyone goes to

the doctor, and everyone’s using their phone.

Geo-targeting can bring a brand message to

patients when they’re at the point of care,

when they have opted-in to receive location-

based messages in apps they are already using.

Geo-targeting can get as granular as a specific

aisle in a pharmacy, so if a patient is in the cold

remedy aisle they could be alerted that there is

a coupon for Tylenol® for that day. Brands can

reach patients when they’re looking up content

that is relevant to what the brand is trying to

communicate. Targeting can be based on

audience demographics. There’s different ways

to target based on pharmaceutical products,

such as diabetes treatments. Someone who has

to test their blood sugar can monitor progress

in an app, bring it to their doctor at their next

appointment, and the app will show the doctor

how they’re doing – and a brand message can

be part of the experience. In a way it helps

make treatment adherence productive and

could result in better health outcomes.

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TH: How are doctors using apps with and for

their patients?

KM: The biggest consumer apps across the

health industry are fitness trackers, and HCPs

are taking note. HCPs are even “prescribing”

them as a health regimen for their patients. The

integration of digital apps and health is huge for

the pharma industry because it allows the HCPs

to reach the patient when they want to be

reached. 39% of physicians surveyed in CMI’s

2014 Media Vitals™ What Prescribers Want and

Need From Pharma: A Look Across 10

Specialties report feel wearable technologies

and apps can help manage the health of their

patient populations.

But it isn’t just patients that use apps –in their

practice, 40% of physicians feel drug reference

apps are extremely or somewhat important to

clinical decisions, with 54% choosing Epocrates

as their go-to app.

TH: What’s trending in apps for pharma?

KM: Apps that deal with compliance, tracking

capabilities, and knowing how the patient is

doing on a day-to-day basis. For instance, for

patients going through chemo or radiation, it’s

helpful to track symptoms in real time and then

talk to their doctor about it. Real-time tracking

is what’s hot in pharma apps. They help the

doctor help the patient the best way that they

can.

TH: Are apps changing the landscape of how

marketers are reaching their target audiences?

KM: Apps are slowly changing the landscape of

how marketers are reaching their audiences –

both HCP and patient/consumer. However,

while many pharma companies are creating

apps, they are having some trouble gaining

traction because there are so many choices

available.

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A pharma brand needs to define their goal and

the metrics that will measure success. Often

“engagement” is part of the discussion – but

what is engagement for your brand? Time

spent? Registration? Prescribing the app? An

app must help achieve goals like increasing

scripts, through savings card redemptions, for

example, in order for the app to be relevant in

the marketing mix.

When considering apps as part of your brand’s

promotion, create or sponsor an app that is

easy to use for patients, integrates into

workflow for physicians, and doesn’t force

branding into the experience with a heavy hand.

The key to adoption is value that satisfies a

need.

For more insights on what pharma needs to know about apps contact Kelly McFadden at kmcfadden@cmimedia.com.