Mark Assenti talks about utilisation of biomarkers in marketing is a trend that we have seen growing in 2014 and expect to hear even more about into 2015.
Prognosis biomarkers vs predictive biomarkers
The
modern pharmaceutical market can be saturated with competing products, from
bio-similar to same in-class to alternative MoA treatments. Standing out from
the crowd can be tough; innovative and patient serving methods of
differentiation are hard to come by.
HCPs
can struggle to find the right treatment for their patients and the cost of
switching between products is often financially and emotionally high.
Therefore, there is a need to personalise medicine for the individual; ensuring
maximum efficacy, reducing conversion costs, as well as to be able to
differentiate and position products within the treatment pathway.
When
we think of biomarkers, we usually imagine the detection of genetic disorders
such as Huntington’s disease and Alzheimer’s; these are prognosis biomarkers.
As we explore and understand more and more of the human genome, we are
discovering more and more biomarkers, not just limited to disease diagnosis.
Biomarkers
are being used to determine a person’s genetic predisposition to respond well
to certain treatments; these are predictive biomarkers. Investment and
utilisation of this tool is a trend that we have seen growing in 2014 and
predict to hear even more about into 2015.
Let’s take an anonymous example to explore
the power of this tool
A
crowded market of biologics treating a chronic disease with very similar
efficacy and safety evidence, all fighting for market leader position.
Detection
of a predictive biomarker present in 60% of all patients shows, through
retrospective analysis of clinical data, that efficacy levels in this patient
segment are greatly increased for Product X. 95% of these patients achieve the
primary endpoint compared to 70% of the general population (and market average)
and continue to achieve results well after the ‘average patient’ has switched
between treatments.
By
segmenting patients in this way, pharma companies can:
Identify patients suitable for 1st line
treatment
Guarantee X% market share (dependant on
biomarker prevalence within the population)
Differentiate themselves from
competitors
Offer a genuine service ‘around the
pill’ with clear patient benefits
The
identification of a favourable predictive biomarker can not only optimise the
life cycle of a product, but completely reshape marketing campaigns and pricing
strategy. Commercial messaging developed around a patient subset with
guaranteed superior results is hugely powerful, and can ignite key stakeholder
engagement.
Biomarkers
influence regulatory positioning and can determine, to an extent, the placement
of a product in the treatment pathway. Pricing can also be impacted; the
inclusion of a ‘free’ biomarker diagnosis test is an option and some protection
from price erosion in saturated markets may be possible.
Biomarkers
do have their limitations of course, their success and approval is hugely
dependant on the evidence gathered and some marketers will fear removing
potential customers by segmenting the market in this way. Despite this, pharma
is becoming less reserved and beginning to see the true potential of this
powerful scientific marketing tool. As knowledge in this area grows and certain
pharma companies lead by example, we anticipate greater investment in this
field and a trend towards the utilisation of biomarkers in brand strategies.
Mark Assenti is a Senior Associate Consultant at Blue Latitude. Mark began his career in the biosciences field, studying genetics at Cardiff University. His curiosity in this field lead him to discover a novel relationship between 2 bacteria native to the human gut. What will be the Top 7 Trends in Pharma Marketing for 2015?Read our blog post here
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