Pharmas’ direct drug sale platforms could be the key to bridging the sizable gap between patients’ awareness of certain medications and actual prescription numbers, a new survey suggests.
Phil, which helps pharmas launch direct-to-patient (DTP) programs, surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. adults last month about what they’re looking for when seeking out a prescription medication. The results highlight several areas where pharmas could improve the patient experience within the DTP services that many drugmakers have launched in the last year.
Perhaps most tellingly, the survey found that even after seeing an ad for a drug they’re interested in, six in 10 patients never fill a prescription, implying that pharmas must invest in more than just advertising to convert brand awareness into sales.
Among the most popular reasons for the dropoff were that patients either didn’t know how much a drug would cost or that they chose not to fill a prescription based on price. Meanwhile, about a third of respondents said they prefer a hybrid or fully online experience to access their medications, and around the same amount said they won’t move forward with filling a prescription if they can’t access it through their preferred experience.
That pair of findings represents two of the most important factors for pharmas’ DTP platforms, per Phil.
On the pricing front, when asked about the main drivers for using DTP services, by far the most common answer among those surveyed was the promise of lower costs.
And, in an especially important note for drugmakers setting up direct sales platforms, a whopping 96% of patients said it’s important for them to know their total costs—including insurance coverage and any eligible discounts—before moving forward with a medication.
In terms of user experience, the vast majority of patients reported wanting their prescription experience to mirror the other e-commerce experiences they have throughout the day.
Close to 80% said they’re at least “somewhat” interested in a branded online prescription process, while—in another key point for pharmas as they develop DTP sites—about 60% said they have greater trust in a digital service with visible manufacturer branding.
“We’re at an inflection point where the prescription experience can no longer lag behind the digital world patients navigate every day. The data is clear: patients expect transparent and affordable medication prices, the seamless convenience of e-commerce, and a branded experience they can trust,” Deepak Thomas, Phil’s founder and CEO, said in a statement to Fierce Pharma Marketing.
“For pharma brands, the opportunity is real and increasingly proven. More brands than ever are embracing direct-to-patient models and showing what’s possible when programs are purpose-built around patient expectations,” Thomas continued. “Today, consumer-grade DTP programs are among the industry’s most effective strategic levers for improving patient outcomes and driving commercial performance at scale.”