Disease Awareness Program Excellence: Structure, Activities & Resources

Needed for Effective Pipeline Support

Best Practices, LLC Strategic Benchmarking Research

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary pgs. 4-10

Research Overview pg. 4

Participating Companies pg. 5

Key Findings Overview pg. 6

Key Insights Overview pg. 7

Overview of DA Timing pgs. 8

I. Participant Demographics pgs. 9-13

II. Program Effectiveness and Structure pgs. 14-19

III. Timing of Disease Awareness Activities pgs. 20-27

IV. Disease Awareness Budget and Spend pgs. 28-36

V. Involvement of Advocacy and Legal pgs. 37-45

VI. Social Media pgs. 46-53

VII. Best Practices and Pitfalls pgs. 54-56

VIII. Narratives from Interviews pgs. 57-66

VIIII. Key Findings pgs. 67-72

X. Appendix pgs. 73-78

About Best Practices, LLC pg. 79

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Field Research & Insight Development:

Sixteen leaders at 16 leading pharmaceutical and

biotech organizations participated in this study. In

addition, one global communications firm representing

a biopharma client also participated.

Four executives also participated in deep-dive

operational interviews.

Additional secondary research

• Spotlight effective practices

around the timing, investment,

and activities for disease

awareness programs

• Present insights, best practices

and pitfalls that participants

have learned from past disease

awareness campaigns

Research Overview: Objectives & Methodology

Research Objectives:

Disease Awareness Program Timing and Investment

Timing for Beginning /Ending Campaigns and Spend Trends across Campaign Lifecycle

Peak Year Investment Level and Factors Influencing Resource Levels

Disease Awareness Activities and Critical Success Factors

Timing and Utilization of Activities and Activities Conducted on Social Media

Best Practices for Disease Awareness Programs

Business Objective:

Disease state awareness campaigns are one of the few ways to reach patients & physicians before a product is approved.

These campaigns set the table for future marketing efforts at product launch and post-launch. While some organizations

effectively utilize disease awareness programs, others struggle to connect campaigns to their targeted audiences.

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Universe of Learning: 17 Top Companies Contributed to This Research

This study engaged 17 executives from leading pharmaceutical, biotech, and communications companies.

Benchmark Class

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N=16

Given the job level of participants (44% director and 31% vice president), this study is presenting the perspectives of a

veteran group of executives with many years of experience.

Seventy-five Percent of Participants at Director or VP Level

% Respondents

Q.) Please list your current job title.

Director, all levels 44%

VP 31%

Manager 13%

Global Lead 6%

Head 6%

Participant Titles

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N=17

While a centralized structure was the most common approach for participants (35%), other structures were also utilized

such as those taking a hybrid approach (36%), and a decentralized approach (30%).

No Organizational Structure Strongly Favored by Participants

% Respondents

Q.) Disease Awareness Organizational Structure Type: Which of the following models best describes the organizational

structure of your disease awareness program. (Choose one)

Other: Centralized through Marketing

35%

24%

18%

12%

12%

Centralized

Hybrid by business unit/division

Decentralized by geography

Decentralized by business unit/division

Hybrid by geography

Disease Awareness Organizational Structure

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N=17

Marketing has historically been the function most involved in disease state awareness and that still may be the case. But

interviews and secondary research point to medical as the future leader of disease awareness, given both the regulatory

environment and the expertise the function brings to the table. But as this chart shows, many functions are involved in DA.

Marketing Leads Disease Awareness for Most but Shift is to Medical

% Respondents

Q.) Disease Awareness Leadership and Involvement: In the following table, please indicate both: A) whether each function is

involved in disease awareness programs; and B) which functions take a leading role in disease awareness programs.

89%

83%

44%

50%

44%

28%

11%

61%

44%

17%

6%

22%

0%

6%

Marketing

Medical

Scientific Affairs

Legal

Patient Advocacy

Market Research

Other

Functional Involvement & Leadership in DA

Function(s) involved with Disease Awareness Programs Function(s) that lead Disease Awareness Programs

Other: Communications and Sales

“I think it has been shifting to

medical for a number of years now.

Medical tends to be more

conservative than commercial. I think

we are seen as more of a medical

issue and that’s the right way to see

it since we are trying to raise the

medical IQ of patients and physicians

around specifics of disease state.”

-- Senior Director, Market Research

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N=16

Unbranded websites for HCPs and patients was clearly the most utilized disease awareness tool. The next most used DA

activity is presentations/handouts at conferences, closely followed by MSL presentations to HCPs. Two of the top three

activities involve personal, scientific interactions with HCPs.

Websites, Conferences, MSLs, and PowerPoint Decks are Key DA Tools

% Respondents

MOST UTILIZED DISEASE AWARENESS ACTIVITIES RANK 1 RANK 2 RANK 3

Unbranded website with disease information for HCPs & patients 53% 0% 7%

Power point deck for HCPs with disease state information (overview, description,

impact, prevalence) 20% 7% 0%

Disease state presentations or handouts at conferences and/or association

meetings 13% 27% 13%

Disease awareness documentaries 0% 13% 7%

Publications (advertorials, journal ads) 7% 7% 0%

Disease state presentations for HCPs at dinners or seminars 0% 13% 13%

Disease state information on advocacy group websites 0% 7% 13%

Disease awareness public relations campaigns 7% 0% 7%

MSL presentations to HCPs 0% 27% 33%

Other (Health policy events) 0% 0% 7%

Q.) Please indicate, in order, your three most heavily used disease awareness activities.

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N=16

Most participants rely on marketing as the principal funding source for disease awareness, although brand teams were the

funding source for almost half. This chart may be a picture of transition – some participants spoke of the increasing role of

medical in disease awareness and predicted DA will go the way of medical education with medical affairs being the

principal function behind both activities and funding in the coming years.

Marketing Remains Primary Contributor to Disease Awareness Budget

% Respondents

Q.) Which of the following functions provide funding for your Disease Awareness program? (Choose one for each)

64%

46%

36%

31%

17%

11%

36%

31%

18%

46%

25%

44%

23%

45%

23%

58%

Marketing

Brand/Product Teams

Company-wide business unit

Medical

Regional or country-specific business unit

Regional or country-level organization (e.g. U.S., EmergingMarkets, EU)

Location of Budget for DSA Programs

Primary Contributor Secondary Contributor Not a Contributor

44%

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While you can’t lump all of Europe together in terms of a regulatory approach, the UK is seen as especially sensitive to

promotional interpretations of disease state awareness information.

European Markets More Sensitive to Promotional Interpretations for DA

With Europe you have got to be more

general, for sure, and avoid anything

that would appear to be promotional in

any way, shape, or form. There’s a lot of

things, especially in the UK, that they

interpret as promotional. So it is just

one of those things you have got to

spend time on [regarding] ‘what do they

think of this?’

-Senior Director, Market Research

“

”

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Key Findings

Few of the key findings and insights that emerged from this study are listed below:

No Single Structural Approach is Favored for Disease Awareness Programs: Participants aligned

equally with three structural approaches for disease state awareness programs: 35% centralized; 36%

hybrid; and 30% decentralized.

Marketing Leads Disease Awareness Programs for Most but Shift is to Medical: While marketing

was the function that led disease awareness programs for the largest percentage of participants (61%),

medical was not far behind at 44%. In addition, several participants said in interviews that they expect

medical to eventually become the principal leader of disease awareness efforts. Regulatory and

compliance issues as well as the expertise of the medical function were cited as the leading reasons for

the shift. Medical education went through a similar leadership change (commercial to medical) during the

past 10 years.

Marketing is Primary Contributor for Disease Awareness Programs: Most participants (64%) rely on

marketing as the principal funding source for disease awareness. Brand teams were second, with 46%

saying they were the primary contributor. As disease awareness leadership continues to move to

medical, the program funding will likely shift as well.

Patient Advocacy Groups Seen as Valuable Partners: Almost 80% of study participants think it is

highly important to create alliances with patient advocacy groups. At the same time, a majority also felt it

is highly important to build relationships with key advocates and work on disease awareness

websites/campaigns for/with advocacy groups.

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