Pharma Companies Lag in Mobile and Social Engagement Despite Opportunities

Although pharmaceutical companies have more opportunities than ever to engage and communicate with physicians through digital channels, many have lost their first-mover advantage in the mobile and social media arenas.

According to research by Deloitte Consulting and Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG), physician-focused mobile applications developed by pharmaceutical companies on the Google Play Store average only 100–5,000 downloads, whereas third-party physician-oriented apps average 1 million–5 million downloads.

Surveys show that more than half (52%) of physicians express interest in engaging with pharmaceutical companies via social media, as third-party platforms such as Medscape, Epocrates, and Sermo have become the most widely used professional social networks among physicians.

Trust Hinders Pharmaceutical Companies’ Digital Success

The primary reason for pharmaceutical companies' lag in the mobile internet and social media sectors is their insufficient cost investment in these areas.

According to Deloitte’s research, only 8% of pharmaceutical companies’ product promotion budgets are allocated to emerging channels and digital advertising, significantly lagging behind other industries. For instance, while financial services and automotive advertisers spent $6.2 billion, the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector spent only $1.4 billion on digital advertising last year.

In fact, the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries have lagged behind nearly all other sectors in the development of mobile internet, from retail to consumer travel and consumer electronics.

However, the shortcoming of pharmaceutical companies in digitalization is not about where to spend money or how much to spend, but rather a significant trust gap.

According to Chris Frank, Principal of Deloitte Consulting’s Life Sciences and Health Care Practice, the information historically (and until now) provided by pharmaceutical companies has not been trustworthy. Seventy-five percent of physicians surveyed indicated a lack of trust in the information supplied by pharmaceutical companies.

“When we asked physicians whether participating in forums sponsored by pharmaceutical companies and commenting on the drug standards associated with those companies constituted a necessary part of their work, the response we received was that the information was publicly ‘transparent,’ free from bias, relatively unrestricted, and mindful of relevant data privacy, and that pharmaceutical companies did not control the discussions.”

Are Patent Contents the Panacea for Solving Dilemmas?

The good news is that pharmaceutical companies are striving to leverage their potentially powerful weapon—“patents”—to catch up.

In a survey conducted by Deloitte and GLG, the majority of physicians (84%) indicated that data on efficacy and prognosis, along with clinical practice guidelines, influence their final choice of medication.

65% of surveyed physicians expressed strong interest in engaging with pharmaceutical companies via social media platforms to discuss patent-related issues, which may include clinical trial data, latest research advances, and comparative effectiveness information.

Frank believes that patent content can serve as a powerful tool for the pharmaceutical industry. “Pharmaceutical companies should provide proprietary clinical data that others cannot offer, along with insights that capture physicians’ interest,” he suggests.

Pharmaceutical companies can add new items to their patent portfolios, which not only attracts potential social partners but also provides tangible, unbiased data to physician clients.

Through these interactions, pharmaceutical companies can gain a deeper understanding of their customers via data. If collected and utilized appropriately, such data can help enhance engagement with physicians and advance the companies toward their desired strategic objectives.

Time Is Running Out for Pharmaceutical Companies

However, pharmaceutical companies may find that their window of opportunity to leverage proprietary content to make an impact in the digital sphere is narrowing, as new competitors continue to enter the market and capture the voids left by these pharmaceutical firms.

“Pharmaceutical companies’ delay tactics may further alienate them from their customers—a gap that competitors are all too eager to exploit,” warned Frank.

Fortunately, pharmaceutical companies do not have to start from scratch.

They can leverage data to deliver patent content of interest to physicians, enabling them to tap into the large and growing physician community already established by third-party platforms.

As a starting point, Deloitte believes that “collaborating with third-party vendors can provide pharmaceutical companies with more opportunities to engage with physicians.”

Although partnering with third parties may not be a long-term solution, nor sufficient to rapidly alleviate the digital challenges facing pharmaceutical companies, the connection between pharmaceutical companies and physicians will remain unbroken as long as there is demand among physicians for subscriptions to drug-related patents.

Compiled by Bu Yan