Winner
Changing the Treatment Paradigm
Summary of work
Thromboembolic conditions cost the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds a year and lead to tens-of-thousands of hospital admissions. In December 2011 Bayer launched Xarelto®, a Novel Oral Anticoagulant (NOAC) which would make the management of these conditions significantly simpler, and had the potential for them to be managed completely in primary care.
Xarelto® had been on the market for three years generating significant clinical and real-world evidence. Even with positive NICE guidance, uptake was slow and these conditions were still being treated with traditional agents meaning further healthcare costs and burden to patients. It was clear that NOACs could make a significant difference to improving the patient experience and quality of life. However, it was taking longer than anticipated to adopt Xarelto® due to lack of clinical confidence and funding concerns.
Bayer needed to communicate that Xarelto® demonstrated efficacy over traditional agents with less frequent hospital visits, reducing burden and ultimately reducing costs. Through extensive, collaborative planning, an integrated plan was developed. The insight driven approach resulted in a hugely successful response that saw a stark growth in Xarelto® sales and maintenance of market leader position.
Judges’ comments
Bayer took a methodical approach using comprehensive tactics that showed consistent investment and proved the need to work with individual commissioners to drive adoption. Post-launch excellence is about having a sustained commitment to working in partnership with the NHS at the local level to achieve success and that’s what this team did with this impressive and wide-ranging programme.
