Recently, Pfizer announced that it had halted all clinical development for torcetrapib, just days after publicly heralding it as "one of the most important compounds of our generation." Many in government, media and elsewhere, took the opportunity to kick the pharmaceutical industry yet another time.

Few of us in the industry were surprised at this knee- jerk response.

We've been vulnerable for a while — thanks in no small measure to our historical inability to educate the public on the financial risks and scientific rigor at the heart of drug development.

It's unfortunate, since in my view, living in a world without a healthy and thriving global pharmaceutical industry is something I would consider frightening.

All that aside, the torcetrapib incident did make one thing clear:

	As an industry, we are too dependent on the development and success of blockbuster mega-drugs.

When the largest pharmaceutical company in the world can see $800 million in development investment and $20 billion in market capitalization evaporate in an afternoon, it's clear we are risking too much with our current approach.

Changes are already underway to mitigate these risks. For example:

• The industry is shifting from its traditional mass market (one size fits all), "small molecule" focus to a more targeted, "large molecule" biologic approach. Not only do these human cell-derived drugs ameliorate the symptoms of disease, they are also demonstrating excellent results in actually slowing down the progression of disease.
• As a result of these scientific evolutions in the discovery phase, the development process is becoming more predictive in terms of success rates. This, in conjunction with technology breakthroughs and clinical trial re- engineering (i.e., adaptive trials), creates a very optimistic future view of the industry's ability to truly transform itself over the next 5–10 years.

  Here too, the next generation of drug development will demonstrate a greater understanding of disease at a molecular level and will deliver targeted solutions to specific sub-sets of patients in disease categories. These drugs will be better tolerated, metabolized and, most importantly, less likely to run into problems with the FDA once commercialized.

What This Means for Brand Management

If your focus today is simply on stimulating demand and "generating prescriptions," you'll need to make some adjustments.

1. More focus on the company brand. Today's consumers don't care (or often, even know) which pharma company makes which drug… in a mass market, one-size-fits-all world, it doesn't matter. That's going to change.

   Just as you care more about who manufactures your computer than you do about who makes your shoes (because your computer has a critical service element wrapped around it and your shoes don't), consumers will care more about the company behind the drug, as biologics, with their more personalized and comprehensive treatment therapies, become more common.

   When service is part of the equation, who makes the drug will matter more than ever.

2. An appreciation of the patient relationship. The first time your patient fills a prescription, it's not the end, it's just the beginning. The shift from drug-focused to company brand-focused will require that you develop tools and approaches for communicating (in both directions, not simply as information-broadcaster) with patients over time.

   It will also require the development of an array of services — beyond the drug itself and beyond the routing channels — that take a view of consumers as individuals with whom you have an ongoing, long term (decades) relationship.

3. A three-way solution. Today's mass- market world is a pipeline; a one-way street that drugs and information move along as they go from manufacturer to physician to patient. The new approach, on the other hand, will require a grass roots effort that will involve all three of these players in ongoing and collaborative solutions.

   Drugs won't merely get "one-off" FDA approval (as is the case today), but instead will move toward an ongoing "surveillance and life cycle" system. These mandated product life-cycle surveillance studies will lead to better quality products and more consumer confidence, but only if the three-way collaboration is created and nurtured. You play a key role in making that happen.

We're in a tough cycle right now, but it's simply a transition period; I think that as an industry, there's an exciting future ahead. As this new business model emerges, we'll have more opportunities than ever — but only if we are well prepared.

Simply put, there are too many lives at stake here to leave the discussion in the hands of politicians and pundits. Now is the time for all of us to be smarter about how we grow our respective businesses and brands.

Do you agree? Are we too dependent as an industry on blockbuster mega-drugs? Click here to take our one-question survey and see instant results.

To share this bulletin with a friend or colleague, click here.

Safeguarding the Doctor-Patient Relationship When Gathering Information

Patient follow-up beyond the initial prescription of medication is a critical element in ensuring compliance. Bear in mind however, that inserting oneself as a third party into the doctor-patient relationship can be tricky.

Above all, when speaking with a patient, we want to avoid any negative implication regarding the doctor's advice and authority.

For example, if one asks, "Did you take the medication twice a day as recommended?," and, it turns out the doctor recommended a frequency of just once a day, you've just raised the question of doctor competence and trust in the mind of the patient.

Tone also plays a significant role in communication. We deliberately strive for a soft, light tone in our IVR voices (as opposed to one which speaks with medical authority), as a clear means of distinguishing ourselves from the patient's in-office experience.

In practice, great pains must be taken to ensure that in the pursuit of effective communication, we don't weaken the vital doctor-patient relationship.

Thanks to those of you who attended our event last month, at the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association's (HBA) Annual Leadership Conference here in Boston.

InfoMedics orchestrated a Boston Tea Party — complete with an actress in period costume who portrayed Mrs. Dorothy Hancock — for the 200+ female executives from around the country in attendance.

It was good to meet so many of you, and we look forward to seeing you at future events!

"Many physicians believe that a better educated patient (in terms of their disease) will lead to less questions for the practice and less phone calls to the office."

— InfoMedics Research, Fall 2006

Are we too dependent as an industry on blockbuster mega-drugs?

Click here to answer and see all results.

InfoMedics creates an interactive, real-time means for helping patients and physicians better communicate about a diagnosed condition or prescribed treatment.

This results in improved health outcomes and consistent increases in prescribing levels for new prescriptions and refills.