Patient Engagement Throughout the Product Lifecycle
Watch this thought-provoking video discussion as our CEO, Cheryl Lubbert shares her insights with Pharmaceutical Executive on best practices for engaging patients from pre-clinical through commercialization stages and beyond. Watch here https://bit.ly/4eXNIm6 or read the interview in its entirety below.
Patient engagement is a top-of-mind concern in the pharmaceutical industry, and health education, communication, and strategy from drug discovery through commercialization play a major role. Pharmaceutical Executive sat down with Cheryl Lubbert, CEO of Reverba, to learn more.
PHARM EXEC: Tell us about your background, Reverba, and what led you to the patient engagement space.
LUBBERT: I started out in bench research, but quickly moved into working for larger companies. I worked with everyone from physicians and KOLs to advocacy groups, payer groups, internal sales teams, employer groups, and patients, covering all aspects of the product lifecycle. I had a deep understanding of the business side of pharma, but it wasn’t until later that I truly saw the power of the patient. Then I worked on a team that managed an entire supply constraint and patient waitlist in 2000, when the industry wasn’t engaging directly with patients much. We built a waitlist and engaged directly with consumers, which helped us get back on track once our manufacturing facility could produce more. The idea of centering the patient inspired me to grow what was then known as Health Advocacy Strategies into something bigger and more powerful to change healthcare – evolving into today’s Reverba. We’ve since added capabilities in medical communications and technology, which is crucial in how we communicate today. Whether we’re dealing with patients, thought leaders, physicians, or advocacy groups, we need platforms that facilitate these interactions.
PHARM EXEC: Let’s walk through the product lifecycle and what engagement looks like throughout the process with patients and providers. What’s the earliest point when companies should engage with these key audiences?
LUBBERT: It needs to be early, like when we’re identifying unmet needs in an area. For example, everyone was focused on autoimmune disease years ago because they saw the problems people faced, which identified the gap and need. The discovery teams started looking at molecules and how they could help. We’re now moving into a similar realm with inflammation and obesity, which seems to be the next big wave of industry change.
PHARM EXEC: During a clinical trial, what does effective patient engagement look like? What needs to happen for the highest chance of a successful launch of a clinical trial?
LUBBERT: To start a trial, we need people to participate. For that to happen, people must understand what a trial is and why they should take time out of their busy lives to participate. Patients should know why the trial matters, how it could help them, and how it could advance science. Connecting them with the right investigators is also a key part of starting trials. Another part is the language we use. Patients may not understand the trial process, and terms like “informed consent” or “consent release” often sound like legal jargon. At Reverba, we’ve worked with medical directors to bring patients into trials—getting them interested, helping with primary screenings, and using our nurse team for secondary screenings. These screenings are in person, not just electronic, because we believe that in-person dialogue is a differentiator. We have a team of nurses do the screenings, identify who meets the inclusion criteria, and hand those patients over to investigator sites. We use technology to make the process smooth, ensure privacy, and maintain compliance. We’ve also recently acquired with Six Degrees Medical, a medical communications company, which takes complex scientific content, like study protocols, and simplifies them for investigators and their sites. We want patients to join, stay, and have a good experience in the trial. We’ve developed a process, with input from clinical ops consultants, to survey and understand the patient’s trial experience. This isn’t about adverse events or efficacy; it’s about the logistics, communication, understanding, and education. This feedback helps sponsors identify where more support is needed or address issues like a high dropout rate due to inclusion criteria. Patients often feel abandoned after a trial ends, which isn’t a good way to build trust. We help clients talk to patients about the disease and process—things outside the trial that can improve health literacy and connect the company, trial, and patient.
PHARM EXEC: Is there an opportunity for engagement after development but before the launch of a product?
LUBBERT: Having been involved in launching some of the largest brands in the world, I’ve learned that you need to start early and have open dialogues. Ideally, the company should begin working on the compound 12–18 months in advance. During this time, it’s crucial to engage with patients for product branding, materials used, education provided, and support services for patients. The key is understanding what patients must know about the product and science behind it. Especially with our medical communications capabilities, there’s an increased role for higher science education from pharma companies for patients. When a patient doesn’t feel right, the first thing they usually do is look it up on the internet, then visit the doctor, have a 15-minute conversation, and maybe get a prescription. Patients are advocating for themselves and seeking information, so it’s essential to understand that patient journey. It’s also important to understand the language patients use. How do they refer to their condition? Are they looking it up online? Another important aspect is co-creation with physicians and patients because the patient is on the internet before and after they see the doctor, and they’re talking to friends and family. It’s crucial that the doctor and patient are speaking the same language. If the doctor is talking in high science and the patient doesn’t understand, that’s not effective communication. In those 12–18 months, you need to figure out what that language is, what your program will be, and how you’ll educate both physicians and patients.
PHARM EXEC: What are key considerations during a product launch, afterward, and into the future?
LUBBERT: Nothing is more powerful for a product launch than patients hearing from other patients who’ve had success. You might not get patient-reported outcomes included in your label. In that case, you communicate benefits to patients through testimonials, mentor programs, and speaker programs, which we’ve been doing for 20 years in our business, and it helps establish trust between clients and patients. Another important aspect is video, which is everywhere and can tell patients a lot. If it’s an actor, it doesn’t feel genuine or authentic; so, at launch, having real patients share their stories can differentiate brands. We’ve seen the power of one-on-one conversations with someone who’s already been diagnosed with a disease or taking a therapy. We did the first compliant mentor program in the industry in 2007, and it’s something we continue to do for many clients. The ability to connect with someone who’s “walked the walk” is an incredible tool to change mindsets, improve health literacy, and boost self-efficacy. My father had Parkinson’s, and unfortunately passed away. But one thing that made a huge difference was attending programs where my mother and father could hear from other patients and physicians about Parkinson’s—what to expect and what they could do. It was impactful for him, who was living with the condition, and for my mother, who was caregiving. These are programs we deeply believe in and have executed for years, often doing thousands in a year for some clients. I also mentioned the language piece. Sometimes, people get misinformation online. For launch brands, we monitor the dialogue. In one instance, there was a new product with terrific benefits for patients, but there were some things in the label that hadn’t been fully worked out. Patients were discussing online why they shouldn’t use this product. However, when we talked to people who actually used the product, the sentiment was completely different. We learned from that and incorporated it into our communications to patients. This led to a successful shift in the product’s position, and the direct-to-consumer (DTC) campaigns won DTC awards. Once a product is on the market, you need to continually understand how the conversation is evolving.
PHARM EXEC: Can you talk about the role medical communications plays in connecting not only with patients but HCPs? What are the key considerations to infuse health education throughout the product lifecycle?
LUBBERT: I believe education should be integrated into clinical trials, covering disease state awareness and continuing even afterwards. Patients today are much savvier and need more information. This is one reason we felt strongly about integrating medical communications with patient engagement. We must translate complex scientific ideas for patients. MedAffairs specializes in taking complex scientific concepts and educating doctors. Given the current patient role, it seems natural for MedAffairs to also communicate with patients. Moreover, I think companies can go beyond the pill—meaning, they should focus not just on a therapy, but on the entire therapeutic area. For example, the Parkinson’s education was crucial for my family. The same applies to areas like addiction, mental health, and obesity, where education is needed not just for the patient, but also for the family. Regarding trust in the industry, doctors are at the top, followed closely by nurses. After that, it’s family, friends, and someone with the same condition. Government agencies and pharmaceutical companies are at the bottom. If the industry wants to achieve its goal of improving outcomes and advancing healthcare, it has to start with educating these groups.
