The value of real-world data (RWD) and real-world evidence (RWE) for pharmaceutical companies goes far beyond clinical and drug development applications, such as clinical trial feasibility studies, manufacturing, health economic and outcomes research and medical affairs. These datasets are also recognized as critical tools for shaping effective marketing and commercial strategies.
The importance of real-world data in pharmaceutical marketing
Real-world data is derived from various sources, including health insurance claims, patient surveys and registries. Unlike the controlled environments of randomized clinical trials (RCTs), RWD reflects outcomes from actual clinical settings, and therefore provides a broader understanding of how medications perform across diverse patient populations. This real-time, real-world insight is invaluable for pharmaceutical marketers aiming to enhance the reach and effectiveness of their campaigns.
Pharmaceutical companies and their marketing teams must leverage real-world data to understand the true impact of their campaigns. RWD helps marketers analyze how prescription patterns shift in response to campaigns, whether messaging is impacting the intended healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients and how to adjust strategies for better outcomes.
For example, prescription data collected in real-time allows marketers to evaluate whether their advertising is effectively impacting target HCPs and patient demographics. This enables A/B testing of different messages and real-time optimization of campaigns. If a campaign isn’t generating the expected results in a specific demographic, marketers can use this data to refine their messaging or allocate more ad spend to reach under-targeted audiences.
Reaching the right individuals at the right time
RWD can tell marketers which healthcare providers are treating or are likely to soon begin treating their target health conditions. It can reveal patterns in prescribing behavior that might otherwise go unnoticed. For example, nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) may play a significant role in prescribing medications, yet they are often overlooked in marketing efforts. But by analyzing real-world data, pharmaceutical marketers can adjust their campaigns to include these critical HCPs and ensure they are well-informed about treatment options.
Furthermore, RWD can identify unexpected regional prescribing patterns, helping marketers target geographic regions more effectively. If real-world evidence suggests a spike in allergy cases in a particular state during spring, marketers can ramp up their efforts in that location to align with seasonal trends.
Insights from RWD are also crucial for direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing campaigns, since it can pinpoint key patient demographics and geographic areas where certain diseases are more prevalent. For example, if RWD shows that a particular condition disproportionately affects Hispanic populations, marketing teams can create culturally tailored campaigns, such as producing Spanish-language materials. Likewise, if the data reveals that younger adults are affected, launching influencer campaigns on social media platforms may be the most effective way to reach these audiences.
In order to ensure that a medication can have maximum impact and reach, pharmaceutical marketers need to develop comprehensive marketing campaigns that target all stakeholders – including physicians, specialists, mid-level practitioners and patients.
Analyzing real-world data can reveal patterns into how these stakeholders interact, to ensure that all are fully informed and engaged in the marketing process.
RWD before, during and after campaigns
RWD is essential at every stage of a pharmaceutical marketing campaign:
- Before a campaign, RWD helps determine the size of the target audience, identify relevant HCPs treating those patients and reveal demographic and social determinants of health (SDOH) insights to shape targeted messaging. [See: Audience Builder]
- During a campaign, it offers real-time insights into how effectively the campaign is resonating with the audience. For example, by tracking prescription-writing behaviors, marketers can assess whether their messaging is influencing HCPs to prescribe certain treatments and which geographic regions are responding best. [See: Prescription Measurement Report]
- After a campaign, RWD can be used to analyze long-term outcomes, such as sustained prescription growth and patient adherence to therapies, providing a clear picture of campaign success and learnings to improve future campaigns.
Leveraging SDOH for better marketing strategies
A key component of RWD is the inclusion of social determinants of health (SDOH), which encompass factors like income level, race and geographic location for the patient population. These data points are critical for ensuring equitable access to healthcare solutions. For example, a disease may affect all races at similar rates, but SDOH data may reveal that Black and Hispanic patients are diagnosed later or are prescribed first-line treatments less frequently. Or the data might show that lower-income patients in rural areas are not receiving adequate care for certain conditions.
Pharmaceutical marketers can use this information to design campaigns that educate physicians treating underserved populations about disease symptoms and treatment options, encouraging these communities to seek treatment earlier. This not only improves the reach and effectiveness of campaigns, it can also help address disparities in healthcare access and outcomes.
Unlocking the power of real-world data with PurpleLab
Traditionally, pharmaceutical marketers have struggled to fully harness the potential of real-world data in advertising. The healthcare ecosystem has long been plagued by data silos, delays in real-world clinical reporting that made it challenging to deliver timely insights, as well as regulatory and privacy restrictions which limit the level of data granularity needed to optimize campaigns effectively.
PurpleLab is changing this narrative. Our HealthNexus™ platform integrates up-to-date real-world data from multiple sources, overcoming traditional barriers and providing granular, timely insights at the click of a button. Marketers can now track performance in real-time, optimize campaigns on the fly and adjust strategies quickly and efficiently. This makes it easier than ever for pharmaceutical companies and their partners to create data-driven marketing campaigns that deliver real results.
Want to unlock the full potential of real-world data for your next campaign? Request a demo today and discover how our tools can help you make smarter, faster and more effective marketing decisions.