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B
y involving patients in the design and marketing of treatments, pharma companies can come up with more relevant therapies that deliver better outcomes. This means replacing the old sales
model in favour of a new, collaborative approach centred around the patient.
A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that over half of the drugs approved in the last 10 years have failed to demonstrate any tangible benefi t to patients1
.
This glaring statistic suggests that, in the search for blockbuster products and shareholder value, many pharmaceutical and life sciences companies have to some extent lost sight of their ultimate customers.
The traditional healthcare business model is coming under growing strain, as a number of governments struggle to fi nd the resources to match rising demand for services, and are reluctant to pay for treatments that cannot show enhanced outcomes. In the internet age, the consumer is king, and subsequently a new generation of active, better-informed and more discerning patients is seeking care that promises a better quality of life, rather than simply cures or remissions.
As payment for service shifts to payment for health outcomes, the life sciences industry can no longer think in terms of simply pushing products, and must instead be driven by the needs and desires of patients and their families. Healthcare providers are on a similar voyage, moving from the concept of clinical pathways (which focus on diseases) to patient journeys, recognising that individuals have a wide range of interactions and decisions outside of the formal medical environment.
1
nejm.org/medical-article-index © 2014 KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership, and a member fi rm of the KPMG network of independent member fi rms affi liated with KPMG International Cooperative, a Swiss entity. All rights reserved. SEEING THROUGH THE PATIENT’S EYES
Those suffering a particular condition often tend to be lumped into one homogenous category, which fails to acknowledge the varying motivations and concerns of different patient segments. Rather than assuming that everyone with a chronic disease requires the same therapies, clinicians and drugs manufacturers should appreciate that people want very personalised treatment combinations that contribute to greater enjoyment of life. Patients with arthritis may yearn for the chance of a walk in the park, while others with Parkinson’s could be desperate to converse more freely with their grandchildren.
Low patient adherence is a further consequence of a one-size-fi ts-all approach to therapy dictated by clinicians. A better understanding of patients’ journeys reveals the key points where individuals neglect to visit the doctor, or are misdiagnosed, or lose their motivation to take medication or make essential lifestyle changes. Any of these failures can lead to more severe symptoms at a later stage, requiring much larger interventions at far higher cost.
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