Pharmaceutical firms' online efforts miss the mark with doctors in European markets

LONDON, Oct. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pharmaceutical companies are doing a good job of educating EU5 physicians using sales reps, but their websites for physicians could use some work and their social media messaging severely misses the mark, data from the Taking the Pulse® Europe 2018 study by DRG Digital | Manhattan Research reveal.

• Physician satisfaction with pharmaceutical company sales reps and Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) is very high in EU5 markets. Asked which pharmaceutical companies were providing them high-quality meetings with sales reps and MSLs, only 1 in 10 were unable to name a standout company.
• That compares favourably to the U.S., where 12% of physicians said no pharmaceutical company is providing a quality rep experience, or Sweden, where 16% of physicians agreed.
• However, there was considerable variability in physicians' trust in reps by country and specialty. On the low end of the spectrum, fewer than 1 in 4 UK neurologists (23%) and Spanish cardiologists (24%) said they trust the answers pharmaceutical company reps provide. Conversely, more than two-thirds of Spanish anaesthesiologists (67%) and French rheumatologists (67%) trust reps' answers to their questions.
• Satisfaction with pharmaceutical company websites is markedly lower than with reps – 1 in 4 physicians (24%) could not name a pharmaceutical company providing high-quality resources through its websites for healthcare professionals.
• Novo Nordisk was the company most-cited by endocrinologists for providing a quality HCP website experience, while Roche edged out Janssen among oncologists and Novartis narrowly beat out Allergan to take top honours among ophthalmologists.
• One UK oncologist suggested pharmaceutical firms streamline disjointed websites built around siloed franchises or divisions. "Often companies have multiple web portals for different areas," said the oncologist. "I am not interested in their corporate structure – I want to be able to quickly access relevant information regarding a particular disease or drug."
• Pharmaceutical companies' social presence is less than ideal, EU5 physicians say – 56% could not name a pharmaceutical company offering quality information, services or programs via social media.
• Key factors EU5 physicians look at in assessing a pharmaceutical company's social media presence include tone, prominence and frequency of pharmaceutical firms' social messaging. These physicians evince a strong preference for clinical content on HCP-only online communities over content on open social networks.

"These findings really illustrate where pharmaceutical companies have some work to do in providing European physicians a quality website experience," said Jeff Wray, Director of Europe and APAC Research at DRG Digital. "Across the board, we're seeing that pharmaceutical company websites fail physicians when they can't quickly and intuitively find the resources they need, for organisational or design reasons."

DRG Digital | Manhattan Research has expanded its European research offering in 2018, opening a London office anchored by Mr. Wray and European Commercial Director Carlos Casanova. The company has also added to its portfolio of European studies, which include the long running Taking the Pulse® Europe physician studies and Cybercitizen Health® Europe patient studies, along with a new study publishing in November entitled Global Multichannel Payer Communication®. That study will feature insights into formulary decision-makers' information-seeking and decision-making behaviours across a number of European and global markets. A poster presentation drawing on a related study of U.S. payers has been accepted for presentation at next month's congress of The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research ISPOR Europe 2018 congress.

The aforementioned findings come from our 2018 Taking the Pulse® Europe study of 1,429 physicians in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain (data are also available for the Nordic countries). Full results of the studies, fielded online over the summer of 2018, are available to pharmaceutical companies and industry partners. To request information about our patient, physician and payer studies, specific data segments or study methodology, email [email protected].

About DRG Digital | Manhattan Research

DRG Digital, part of DRG, is the life science industry's partner for data-driven customer engagement and commercial innovation. DRG Digital's Manhattan Research studies are the longest-running studies of multichannel attitudes and behaviours among healthcare customers. Brands, marketers and digital teams at 40+ leading life sciences companies rely on our experts, research and intelligence to understand their customers and engage them with the right channels, content, messaging and innovations.

Visit www.DRGDigital.com or follow @DRGDigital to keep up to date on our analysts' thinking and access eBooks, infographics, webinars and other resources.

About Decision Resources Group

DRG, a subsidiary of Piramal Enterprises Ltd., is the premier source for global healthcare data and market intelligence. A trusted partner for over 20 years, DRG helps companies competing in the global healthcare industry make informed business decisions. Organizations committed to developing and delivering life-changing therapies to patients rely on DRG's in-house team of expert healthcare analysts, data scientists, and consultants for critical guidance. DRG products and services, built on extensive data assets and delivered by experts, empower organizations to succeed in complex healthcare markets.

To learn more, visit www.decisionresourcesgroup.com.

Media contact: Sydney Ferber, +1-212-414-7598, [email protected]

SOURCE Decision Resources Group

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SOURCE Decision Resources Group

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