When launching a product into the consumer marketplace, you want to have a solid strategy to achieve the greatest success possible. It’s no different when pushing a new drug or device to market, regardless of how big your market is.
One of the most important pillars in your strategy should be patient support. For those that use your product, it’s crucial to guide them in the management of their medical issues with a variety of tools and resources. This helps promote successful outcomes and facilitates the correct and safe use of products.
An effective way to provide patient support is through a portal that is specific to a particular drug or medical device. A good case study revolves around a patient portal that Eisai, a pharmaceutical company with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and metabolic disorders, implemented for their weight-loss medication called BELVIQ. The portal is designed to help patients reach their weight loss goals, sustain their efforts, as well as provide safety-related information.
Users of BELVIQ can access Eisai’s portal for free and leverage a variety of educational resources and tools including:
- Articles and tips on how to manage weight issues through eating and staying active
- Overview of the drug
- Important drug safety information and how to report adverse events
- Customized meal recipes
- Access to a mobile application for tracking calories and exercise
- Savings card and coupons
The features above are just a sample of what a patient portal can offer customers of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies, in order to help manage a medical condition. A few other components that life sciences companies can implement in a portal are:
- Forum for patients to discuss their medical conditions
- Information about financial assistance
- Frequently asked questions
- Live chat with a medical expert
- Patient stories
- Community events
- Order product direct from manufacturer
- Symptom management guide
- Questions to ask your physician
- Clinical trial results
- Symptom checker
- Dosage checker
- Medication identifier
- Dosage / injection schedule
- Find a specialist
- Device demonstration
- Automatically upload sensor data
- Reward patients for correct behaviors through gamification tools
The benefits of a portal to patients are endless. But, they’re just as beneficial to product manufactures, too. Through the delivery of targeted content, portals help sponsors promote their products, cultivate their customers, achieve transparency, and most importantly, enable patients to stay safe by minimizing adverse events.
If you’re a life sciences company seeking to implement a portal, please fill out this contact form – we’d love to hear from you.
