Please login to the form below
Focus on Rare Diseases
As pharma becomes more focused on rare disease therapies, Lucid Group recognises that medical education agencies need to respond.
The US government passed the Orphan Drug Act in 1983, and it was subsequently adopted in other key markets, most notably in Japan in 1993 and the European Union in 2000. Growth in this sector has remained around 12% annually, which is more than double that experienced in the general drug market. According to the 2015 Orphan Drug Report, worldwide orphan drug sales will reach $178 billion by 2020 and will account for 20% of all prescription drug sales by 2020*.
The trend is clear: as science and technology advances, and the rise of the internet and social media enables patients and researchers to gather and share information more effectively, we are seeing treatments for rare diseases that only a few years ago would have led to an early death.
Alison Cantle, Rare Disease Business Unit Director at Lucid Group, explains what this means for medical education agencies: “As pharmaceutical organisations focus on personalised medicine, the need for rare disease expertise in their medical education agencies is paramount. Lucid recognised this and structured its business last year to create a unit specialising in rare diseases.”
Within this unit, Lucid Group had recruited a team of highly skilled medical writers who combine a deep and robust understanding of the science with experience of working with rare disease specialists across the globe.
“Our rare disease team understands the cornerstones of rare disease education and what makes it different from other therapy areas. It is essential to build networks and enable best practice sharing,” Alison explains. “And in rare disease, more so than in any other therapy area, the choice of agency is crucial, as often it is your agency who represents your organisation at the communication level – so its voice has to be your voice.”
Patients who have a rare disease face difficulty in every step of medical care, including diagnosis, treatment and preserving quality of life. Sometimes, patients go years without receiving the correct diagnosis for their condition. So raising awareness, improving time to diagnosis, getting patients to the right care, and improving family and emotional support and reimbursement are just some of the areas where medical education agencies can support pharma clients.
Lucid’s Rare Disease Business Unit currently works with clients in Fabry disease, Pompe disease, Gaucher disease, cystinosis and PKU. For further information about working with Lucid’s Rare Disease Business Unit, please call Alison on 01494 552078 or email alison@lucid-uk.com.
* EvaluatePharma Orphan Drug Report 2015
Company Details
Lucid Group Communications Limited
0345 0536671
Address:
First Floor, Jubilee House
Third Avenue
Globe Park
Marlow
Bucks
SL7 1EY
UK
Latest content on this profile
- My Lucid journey from PMW to Head of Medical
- Working in Medical Communications has never been about the nine to five. Fusing science and language in the service of both clients and patients, this is typically a fast paced and demanding industry, but one which offers enviable flexibility, variety and intellectual challenge. Leading agency Lucid Group prides itself on the many growth and development opportunities it offers its people. In this article, Katherine Duxbury, Lucid’s Head of Medical, reflects upon her own bespoke working journey over the past 12 years and explains how creativity, collaboration and a passion for science have led to a rewarding, stimulating and self-curated career.
Lucid Group Communications Limited
- Listen, learn and lift off
Lucid Group Communications Limited
- Launch excellence
Lucid Group Communications Limited
- Meet The Lucid Group Talent Team
- Meet our talent team, they're here to help and transform your career.We have some exciting roles at all levels in account management and medical writing.If you choose to take your career to the next level with us, you can be assured that you'll have a whole group of people here cheering you on.So, if you’re feeling stuck or unfulfilled in your current role and looking for a company that will provide the personal and career development you need, please check out our open roles here: https://bit.ly/3jhlhUNOr contact one of our talent acquisition managers for a chat:Ellen Field Assoc CIPDElaine DowneyJon TurnerDaniel Newbury
Lucid Group Communications Limited
- Extraordinary lives: advancing change in rare diseases (Part 2)
Lucid Group Communications Limited
- Extraordinary lives: advancing change in rare diseases (Part 2)
- In support of Rare Disease Day, we're excited to launch part 2 of our video series; Extraordinary lives: advancing change in rare diseases.Why is raising awareness of rare diseases so important?Because 300 million people worldwide are living with a rare disease. This means that, collectively, the number of people living with a rare disease is equivalent to the population of the world's third-largest country (USA).While we have come a long way since the inception of Rare Disease Day, there's still plenty of work to do.Part 2 of this series focuses on important topics including the role of technology and the opportunities it presents for the rare disease community. The panel also hold captivating insights on how the pandemic has impacted the use of related digital technologies, the role of gene therapy, the major challenges and successes for pharma companies in supporting the rare disease community over the last 13 years, and much, much more.If you’d like to know more about the work we do in rare diseases or would like advice on any healthcare communication challenges please get in touch with Clare Reynolds on LinkedIn or by email: clare.reynolds@wearelucidgroup.comAbout Lucid GroupFounded in 2007, Lucid Group is a global multi-capability healthcare consultancy with core expertise in medical strategy, healthcare communications, creative and brand strategy, motion, digital and technology, behaviour change, metrics, and data analytics. We partner with the pharma and biotech industry, delivering life-transforming value with connected capabilities to create pioneering solutions that change behaviour, improve clinical practice and advance health outcomes. Transforming lives. Always.
Lucid Group Communications Limited
