Top 7 Trends in Pharma Marketing for 2015

Source: PMLive

Here are the top 7 pharma marketing trends we expect big things from this year:

1. Patient Empowerment
2. Wearable Technology
3. Virtual Reality
4. Storytelling
5. Using biomarkers
6. Marketing and Medical Automation
7. Data, Security, and Privacy

They are by no means exhaustive and we will continue to share our views on what is having an impact and transforming the wider healthcare sector throughout the year.  Let us know whether you agree and your predictions for the year ahead. 

The 14 drugs most likely to top global pharma sales in 2015 and 2020

BioPharma Dive | By Sy Mukherjee

Earlier this week, BioPharma Dive reported on the 11 biggest expected drug launches to watch out for in 2015. BMS's anti-PD-1 drug Opdivo and PCSK9 cholesterol inhibitors from Sanofi and Amgen are expected to comprise some of the biggest launches in the industry and to eventually reach blockbuster status.
But there's plenty of already-approved drugs on the market right now that will likely make 2015 yet another massive year for pharma sales worldwide, according to equity analysts' projections aggregated in a big new report (gated) from EvaluatePharma. Old reliables like AbbVie's Humira and red-hot new hep C pills Sovaldi and Harvoni from Gilead Sciences are all expected to reach the upper tiers of marketing successes next year. But by 2020, several of the top 2010 products will probably fall off the list and be replaced with more recent potential blockbusters, so 14 drugs total are expected to rule the global pharma sales landscape over the next six years.
Here are the 10 meds projected to top global sales in 2015 (note: all images in this post are expandable; just click on a given chart if you have trouble reading the data):

The only recently-approved drugs that make the top 10 cut next year are Sovaldi and Harvoni. One important thing to keep in mind: Sovaldi/Harvoni sales are lumped together in this analysis, so technically, either of those two Gilead products alone would fall short of expected sales for AbbVie's anti-inflammatory Humira, the current top-selling drug in the world. But one interesting aspect of the EvalutePharma report is that it tracks how the top 2015 contenders will perform in 2020 (and vic versa).

Analysts expect M&A frenzy to continue with deals by Pfizer, AbbVie, Valeant likely in 2015

Pharma M&A in 2014 hit a record-breaking $234 billion in announced acquisitions. Actavis led the pack with its $66 billion bid for Botox maker Allergan and $25 billion buyout of Forest Laboratories. But investors and analysts say 2015 could generate as many or more deals, with Pfizer, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, AbbVie and Shire expected to be in the mix.

"2014 was clearly the year of the big deal," Rich Jeanneret, vice chair of EY's transaction advisory services, told Bloomberg. "I think that's going to persist in 2015 because there's much more confidence in the M&A ecosystem."

There also is cheap capital and the need to grow, and for the big boys, "the only real place they can find growth is through acquisition," Jeff Stute of JPMorgan Chase & Co. told the news service.

The 11 biggest drug launches to watch in 2015

BioPharma Dive | By Sy Mukherjee

This past year was a milestone one in the United States for new drugs, with novel therapeutics such as Gilead's pricey hep C cures Sovaldi and Harvoni coming to market (as well as a record 15 approvals for drugs to treat rare diseases), and huge sales of newer drugs like Roche's breast cancer med Kadcyla and Biogen Idec's MS blockbuster Tecfidera.

But according to a new report by EvaluatePharma (gated), 2015 could be equally impressive in terms of drug launches as innovative candidates in massive medical markets and exciting new drug classes in cancer immuno-therapy work their way towards approval. 

"The value of 2015 launches will be helped along by penetration into massive yet already well-trodden sectors like cardiovascular and respiratory disease, along with diabetes and schizophrenia," wrote the authors. "Drugs treating high cholesterol and heart failure are set to dominate the year's new products, with combine 2020 sales forecast at $8bn."

Unite pharma’s marketing and information capabilities for greater success

 Pharmaphorum | David Logue

The pharma industry is working hard to keep pace with a changing health consumer, to harness advances in digital technology, and adapt to a health outcome-orientated environment. Though an industry that is often a conservative adopter of new technology, its chief marketing officers (CMOs) and chief information officers (CIOs) need to work together to reap the benefits of using digital strategies.

The digital age has ushered the need for pharma companies to rearrange the way they do business to meet the needs of health-aware consumers. Digital social platforms, analytics and novel databases were just emerging concepts a few years ago, but now they play a significant role in selling and marketing products.

Functional silos no longer work, and CMOs and CIOs need to collaborate further. CMOs and CIOs from many of the largest pharma companies ($5 billion+) were surveyed to understand how digital strategies and capabilities were impacting their businesses, and what challenges they face.

In other industries, it is no longer about whether CMOs and CIOs should coordinate, but rather how. Yet the debate rages on in the pharma industry and executives must identify where the gap may be largest and agree how to close it.

Agreement lacking

There has been a greater recognition of the importance of IT in marketing and vice versa. But pharma's CMOs and CIOs cannot agree on how to collaborate, which may be hurting the industry's ability to take advantage of digital potential. There are discrepancies between how the two groups of executives view areas of investment, including analytics, big data, and customer engagement.

Marketing and IT are challenged by rapidly shifting digital demands. However, attitudes must change for pharma companies to succeed during this time of rapid digital and technological transformation.

Actavis announced a new Senior Leadership Team

Actavis plc announced a new senior management team that will lead the global pharmaceutical company following the successful close of the acquisition of Allergan, Inc., anticipated in the second quarter of 2015.  Brent Saunders will continue to lead Actavis as CEO and President and a member of the Board of Directors. Paul Bisaro will remain Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. 
Allergan’s CEO David Pyot, will walk away with a $34,955,619 golden parachute. Mr. Saunders will lead an expanded senior management team comprised of leaders from both Actavis and Allergan, designed to further enhance the Company's position as the fastest growing and most dynamic growth pharmaceutical company in global healthcare.

 "We are committed to realizing the full potential of the historic combination of Actavis and Allergan beginning on Day 1, and announcing the proposed leadership of the combined company is a critical step in achieving that objective," said Saunders.  "The management structure we are announcing today will ensure that we capitalize on the value of Allergan's world-renowned businesses and the proven track record of the leaders of its powerful and critically important franchises.  I am particularly pleased to announce that following the close Douglas Ingram, President, Allergan, will continue as a Special Advisor to me.  The combined company will benefit from Doug's experience and expertise as we unite the two businesses, and help us ensure that we integrate the two companies while recognizing and capitalizing on Allergan's unique product portfolio and market leadership positions. In this structure we demonstrate our commitment to combine the 'best of the best' talent from both organizations.

Top 30 Pharma Companies Spent $112B on R&D

The world’s leading 30 pharmaceutical companies spent a combined $112 billion on research and development (R&D) in 2013, an increase of $723 million over the previous year, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData.

The company’s report states that Roche was the R&D spending leader, outlaying nearly $10 billion in 2013. Meanwhile, Novartis and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) increased their R&D spend the most between 2012 and 2013, with each adding around $500 million to their respective clinics. Novartis’ R&D spending grew by 5.6% to $9.8 billion, and J&J spent $8.2 billion, which was up by 6.8% from 2012.
Adam Dion, an Industry Analyst with GlobalData, says that the increase in R&D spending was partly due to drug makers advancing their pipeline programs into later-stage clinical trials, which are generally more costly.

Drug makers face another $65 billion patent cliff

Market Watch  | Russ Britt 

Drug makers face another patent cliff in which the industry will lose roughly $65 billion in revenue through the end of 2019, according to a research firm’s report.

But the 376-page study from London-based GlobalData says this cliff will be more widespread than the $95 billion drop in sales the industry experienced from 2010 to 2013. And the industry is better equipped to deal with its consequences.

“Companies are still intent on retaining market share and retaining their historical presence in these areas,” said Joshua Owide, GlobalData’s director of health-care industry dynamics.

Owide says that this coming patent cliff will be spread out among a wider array of companies, and over a longer time. That gives companies more time to develop new drugs, as well as implement whatever internal measures they need to have in place to prepare for the patent expirations.

“I think there’s a lot of optimism in general,” he said.

Still, several companies will feel the sting. Perhaps the biggest hit will be absorbed by Otsuka Holdings Ltd. which sells the anti-psychotic drug Abilify. Bristol-Myers Squibb also markets the drug with Otsuka.

A European Blueprint for the Deployment of Telemedicine

The Momentum project has released the European telemedicine deployment blueprint to assist "telemedicine doers" introduce healthcare services at distance through information technology. Telemedicine can make healthcare delivery safer, better and more efficient and thus help address challenges to our healthcare systems, but it can disrupt conventional medicine. The blueprint for doers describes 18 critical success factors for telemedicine deployment with detail, context, indicators, and descriptions, including an attachment with case studies. The documents can be accessed here:

• Momentum Consolidated Blueprint (pdf, 112p, 6MB)
• Attachment to Momentum Consolidated Blueprint (pdf, 0.5MB)

The Momentum blueprint builds on an earlier and shorter version of the 18 critical success factors that was released in May 2014. Since then, healthcare stakeholders from across the EU Member States joined dozens of conference presentations, moderated workshops and online fora to provide feedback on the critical success factors and to contribute to a more detailed and more refined document.

Where pharma’s future lies

 Pharmaphorum | Hanno Wolfram*

As payers increasingly look at costing the value a drug brings, pharma must focus on, and publicise, the wider benefits its treatments bring to society, and stop the 'sales' mentality when interacting with doctors.
  We are very privileged to live in the 21st century, when people are living longer and in better health than ever before. Though the pharmaceutical industry has contributed greatly to this, few are grateful and many people, politicians and payers distrust it.

 
Status quo: It is about money

In recent months some pharma companies have pulled out of particular areas of business. However, there can be many reasons why they end expensive research programmes. It may be because of poor results in phase II and III clinical trials, leaving researchers and experts disappointed, having in some cases spent years of their life tracking down a disease and trying to match a possible treatment.

But stepping out of a market may make sense if the new product will not have a commercial chance in the market. If competitors are there already, a 'me-too' with few clinical differences, even in biotechnological agents, makes no financial sense.
"The price agreed in one country would harm the pricing in many other countries"Another reason for termination is when payers restrict the drug's price. Often, such pricing issues extend beyond a single healthcare system. In Europe, for example, what a healthcare system will pay for a drug depends on comparisons with prices in other countries.