Lundbeck China Sales and Marketing Head Lü Fengyun: Patient-Centric, Multi-Channel Marketing Drives Digital Transformation to Deliver Value for Patients
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 had a profound impact on the development of the pharmaceutical industry, directly accelerating the pace of digital marketing across the sector. During the pandemic, while normal diagnosis and treatment services within hospitals were disrupted, challenges related to academic promotion and patient access to medications prompted pharmaceutical companies to expedite the development of digital channels, including internet healthcare and pharmaceutical e-commerce. Medication access for patients with brain disorders was similarly affected. As a market leader in the field of brain disease treatment, Lundbeck responded proactively and promptly after the outbreak to meet the needs of the new situation.
“At that time, the changes across the board—from the external environment to hospitals, patients, and healthcare professionals—necessitated rapid adjustments to our 2020 plans,” introduced Lü Fengyun. Prior to the pandemic, Lundbeck China’s marketing department had already formulated its business plan for 2020. However, with the outbreak of the epidemic, Lundbeck promptly adjusted its project implementation approach, consistently adhering to a patient-first principle. On one hand, it made every effort to ensure patients’ access to medications; on the other, it guaranteed that both patients and physicians could obtain adequate knowledge about diseases and treatment information. “From drug supply and regional logistics to collaborations with digital platforms, we coordinated global resources to ensure patients’ continuous and safe medication use. In regions facing logistical challenges, we actively communicated and coordinated with all relevant parties to ensure timely delivery of medicines to endpoints such as hospitals and online and offline pharmacies.”
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the global pharmaceutical market, Lundbeck’s 2020 annual financial report, recently released, shows that its full-year revenue reached DKK 17.672 billion, representing a 4% year-on-year increase. International market revenue grew by 4% year-on-year to DKK 4.057 billion. The Chinese market achieved steady growth, accounting for nearly 25% of international market revenue.
Following the release of the annual report, Mr. Dai Luran, General Manager of Lundbeck China, stated that Lundbeck China would continue to drive the implementation of its strategy of “continuous expansion, increased investment, and growth,” aiming to improve the quality of life for more patients in China. As a leader in the field of brain disorders, Lundbeck prioritized digital transformation in 2021 against the backdrop of normalized pandemic conditions, seeking to expand its reach to more healthcare providers and patients. Let us examine how Ms. Lv Fengyun, Head of Sales and Marketing at Lundbeck China, strategized this initiative.
As an employee of Lundbeck, a global pharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing innovative treatments for brain disorders, Ms. Lv Fengyun has personally felt the impact of the pandemic on medications for brain disorders over the past year. “During the pandemic, challenges in the field of mental health were particularly significant. Concerns about the uncertainty of the pandemic led many people to experience mental health issues. On the other hand, the brain disorders that Lundbeck focuses on are chronic conditions requiring long-term medication adherence. However, the pandemic disrupted normal diagnostic and treatment activities, blocking access to medical care for some patients and making it difficult for them to obtain their prescriptions.”
During the pandemic, to help the public maintain psychological resilience, Lundbeck collaborated with experts in the field of psychiatry to provide a series of online psychological counseling activities for the public and patients. These included the “Care for Mental Health, Fight the Epidemic Together” series under the “Yuelai Sunshine” Lecture Hall; the mental health-themed live streaming series as part of the special campaign on COVID-19 prevention and control, launched in partnership with the “Renmin Mingyi” (People’s Famous Doctors) column of Health Times; and later, the “Peace of Mind for the High School and College Entrance Exams” live streaming series, jointly introduced with the “Haishang Mingyi” (Shanghai Famous Doctors) platform and experts. The “Green Ribbon” campaign, continued in the post-pandemic era, is also a flagship patient education initiative by Lundbeck. Since 2018, Lundbeck has held “Green Ribbon Themed Science Popularization Activities” for three consecutive years during World Mental Health Day, focusing on the mental well-being of college students, working professionals, and the general public in the post-pandemic period. This initiative has now become a landmark project in the field of mental health. In the post-pandemic era, as public attention toward public health issues, including mental disorders, continues to rise, the pharmaceutical market is expected to expand further.
Leveraging the agility and innovation enabled by digital platforms, Lundbeck China not only successfully conducted disease education activities during the pandemic but also addressed issues of patient access to medications.
To ensure timely delivery of medications to patients and meet their need for safe and reliable medication use, Lundbeck began coordinating its global supply chain at the onset of the pandemic. The company’s manufacturing operations remained uninterrupted, while collaborations with freight logistics providers were strengthened to safeguard the global supply of medicines. Furthermore, Lundbeck is actively exploring digital marketing channels and will continue to deepen its partnerships with multiple internet healthcare and pharmaceutical e-commerce platforms, including Haixinqing and JD Health. These efforts aim to conduct public education on brain disorders through these platforms, while also enhancing medication accessibility to ensure that patients have access to necessary treatments during emergencies.
During the pandemic, Lundbeck provided various forms of academic support to physicians. This included leveraging the online education platform “Mind & Brain Connect” to establish a communication network for doctors across medical institutions at all levels, facilitating the sharing of insights on disease progression and treatment experiences, particularly regarding patient diagnosis and management under pandemic conditions. Furthermore, Lundbeck collaborated with academic organizations, including the Chinese Medical Association, to discuss topics such as how psychiatrists could assume greater responsibilities during the pandemic. To address the issue of some physicians being unable to participate in real-time, Lundbeck also invited experts to record educational videos, enabling doctors to access and study the content online at their convenience.
In addition to establishing a domestic physician exchange platform, Lundbeck has also built a global physician exchange platform in the context of normalized pandemic conditions, inviting experts in the field of brain disorders worldwide to share their insights. “These sessions enable more physicians in China to understand the support Lundbeck can provide, as well as the significant value of innovative medicines in controlling patient symptoms and improving quality of life.”
In July 2020, an online summit on Parkinson’s disease organized by Lundbeck attracted more than 7,000 healthcare professionals worldwide; another summit focused on depression drew participation from over 2,000 experts. Data show that more than 10% of healthcare professionals in the central nervous system (CNS) field have participated in Lundbeck’s online conferences, directly demonstrating the appeal of its digital content sharing.
“Since the onset of the pandemic, the National Health Commission has placed particular emphasis on the field of mental disorders. In alignment with the requirements of the Mental Health Promotion Action under the Healthy China Initiative (2019–2030), it successively issued documents last year, including the Work Plan for Exploring Specialized Services for Alzheimer’s Disease and the Work Plan for Exploring Specialized Services for the Prevention and Treatment of Depression. These guidelines direct localities to explore prevention and control strategies for these conditions. From a governmental perspective, we are witnessing increasing attention to the promotion and practical implementation of mental health initiatives.” Lü Fengyun believes that this heightened focus will help medical institutions at all levels enhance their diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities for brain disorders, encourage more patients to seek treatment in hospitals and community settings, and thereby drive the development of the market for neurological medications.
Following the rollout of a series of policies, Lundbeck has further consolidated its market position in first- and second-tier cities. “We recognize that tertiary hospitals and physicians in first- and second-tier cities bear substantial responsibilities within medical consortiums. Therefore, Lundbeck will continue to strengthen its presence in core urban markets, while leveraging platforms such as physician alliances, medical consortiums, and medical communities to enhance the diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities of primary care institutions and physicians for brain disorders. This initiative aims to deepen their understanding of the latest advancements in the field, thereby improving diagnosis and treatment rates for brain disorders and benefiting more patients.”
In addition, since entering China, Lundbeck has been exploring business models that collaborate with partners to enhance drug accessibility, leveraging their distribution networks to help Lundbeck extend its high-quality medicines to broader markets.
In recent years, the government has implemented a series of policies and measures to enhance drug accessibility and safeguard public health. Lundbeck has expressed its active support for and cooperation with national healthcare system reforms and the implementation of relevant policies, further exploring opportunities to improve patient accessibility and affordability, thereby benefiting more patients with brain disorders. For instance, to meet the sustained strong demand for branded medications, the company leverages platforms such as retail pharmacies and internet hospitals to help patients access high-quality medicines more conveniently.
Meanwhile, Lü Fengyun stated that in 2021, Lundbeck China would leverage multi-channel marketing to facilitate digital transformation, thereby creating greater value for patients, physicians, and the public while achieving its business objectives.