Getty Images/iStockphoto
Pharmaceutical Marketing Strategies Targeting Medication Adherence
Targeted pharmaceutical marketing strategies can improve medication adherence by making access easier.
Medication adherence is essential to effective chronic disease management. But as healthcare industry experts see adherence rates flounder, it must look to targeted pharmaceutical marketing strategies that make medication access easier.
Medication adherence is a multi-billion-dollar issue in the healthcare industry, according to 2017 figures from the CDC. Each year, pharmacists write nearly 3.8 billion prescriptions, only about one-fifth of which patients fill.
And when a patient does fill her prescription, she, on average, only takes her pills about 50 percent of the time, a far cry from the 80 percent adherence rate experts say is necessary for a treatment to be effective.
And while a significant portion of medication non-adherence is the result of high drug prices, there is an entire realm of patient behavior change that experts must address. After all, patients are still filling about 80 percent of their prescriptions; they just aren’t taking their pills.
Access to their community pharmacy and complex medication regimens present logistical barriers for many patients, especially older adults who might have multiple chronic illnesses. But using targeted pharmaceutical marketing techniques, drug companies can make it easier for patients to access and organize their medications.
Pharmacy delivery programs drive patient care access
Pharmacy delivery programs, or programs in which patients can order their medications online and have them delivered to their homes, are effective strategies for boosting medication adherence. In 2016, Kaiser Permanente researchers discovered that mail order pharmacy delivery can boost medication adherence rates by over 25 percentage points.
The study, which looked at patients who had suffered a stroke, showed that patients picking up their prescriptions from a community pharmacy were adherent to their treatments 47 percent of the time. For patients receiving a mail-order pharmacy delivery, that number rose to 74 percent, the team found.
Mail-order pharmacy delivery is effective likely because of the convenience factor, according to Mark Merritt, president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA).
“The new data show how patients with chronic conditions can increase savings, convenience, and adherence by having their prescriptions delivered directly to their homes,” Merritt said, remarking on the Kaiser Permanente study.
But recognizing the efficacy of a pharmacy delivery program is only half the battle. These programs are only as effective as the number of patients enrolled in them. Although consumer attention around pharmacy delivery models is growing, many patients still have reservations about whether these systems will actually improve their access to treatment.
A 2019 study published in BMC Health Services Research found that patients with diabetes are apprehensive to enroll in a mail delivery system to access their insulin prescriptions.
“Some diabetes patients may encounter important barriers to leveraging the opportunity to use mail order pharmacy, including difficulties using the ordering system, order accuracy, concerns about mailbox security, longer waiting times for receiving medication compared to in-person refills, and concerns that insulin delivery via mail would compromise the safety and efficacy of the medication,” the researchers said.
Older patients between ages 65 and 79 also expressed concerns that their medications might be stolen, that they might receive the wrong prescription, or that exposure to sunlight or other environmental elements might negatively affect their prescriptions.
Nonetheless, mail-order pharmacy delivery can work to address medication adherence and in many cases, leave patients more satisfied, the researchers stated.
Medical professionals can encourage patient enrollment in a pharmacy delivery service by providing financial incentives. Patients surveyed as a part of the BMC study indicated that a three for the price of two deal could convince them to join a mail-order pharmacy program.
Additionally, the researchers found that patients who understood that mail-order pharmacy services can be convenient and safe were more likely to enroll in the benefit, underscoring the importance of patient education in this area.
“Addressing the barriers to mail order pharmacy use thus far has the potential to increase satisfaction while improving health care outcomes and reducing costs,” the researchers said. “Health care systems and pharmacy benefit managers should address these issues to improve the patient experience and encourage mail order pharmacy use in those patients who could benefit from the service.”
Medication synchronization organizes complex drug plans
Often, it is the logistics of managing medications that can keep patients from sticking to a strict care plan. Patients taking multiple drugs can confuse their medications or even forget to refill a prescription.
Medication synchronization programs, or the practice of aligning the refill dates of multiple drugs, work to address that issue. Many med sync programs automate prescription fills and align various pills in bubble packs that help patients stay organized once they bring their medicines home.
This strategy has proven effective in improving medication adherence rates. A January 2018 Health Affairs study found med sync increased medication adherence rates by 9 percent, a large proportion considering that health experts anticipate chronic care management patients to increase to 157 million by 2020.
What’s more, medication synchronization programs can help pharmacists get to the heart of other medication adherence barriers, according to Dared Price, PharmD, the president of Graves Drug Stores in Kansas.
Medication synchronization programs flag high-risk patients, Price explained, based on a complex medication regimen or a history of limited medication adherence.
“This helps us focus on those people that we really need to talk to – not that everybody doesn’t need some help with being adherent,” Price said in an interview with PatientEngagementHIT.com. “But, it helps us focus on those particular patients that really need the help that are struggling with taking their medications.”
Dose packaging supports patient self-management
Dose packaging, or the practice of putting complicated medication regimens into blister packs, is the final step of organizing and addressing medication adherence for complex patients.
Pharmacists say dose packaging simplifies medication access for patients and aligns well with medication synchronization programs that aim to align prescription refill dates.
“The adherence packaging and the co-mingled packaging makes it very simple for patients to understand,” according to Alec Gillies, general manager of Buffalo Pharmacies in upstate New York. “It's a pretty easy sell for us. Some people still like their pills, and that's fine, but to be able to have all their medications in one simple packet or pouch or blister, with the date, with the time on it couldn't make it any easier for patients.”
Dose packaging takes medication synchronization a step further, Gillies added, because it accounts for the complexities of medication management. A medication synchronization program can help patients organize prescription refills, but dose packaging helps address some of the at-home self-management and drug safety that can often beleaguer patients with chronic conditions.
After years of using these adherence packages, patients visiting Buffalo Pharmacies have significantly improved their medication adherence, a pattern that reflects most recent research, Gillies said.
A 2018 study published in Innovations in Pharmacy found that patients have both improved medication adherence and improved outcomes when they use blister packaging, or the blisters Gillies’ pharmacy uses. These blisters work to improve adherence on their own, the study found, but even better when combined with medication therapy management sessions with pharmacists.
Of course, making medications easier for patients to access and manage is only half the battle, experts agree. Drug prices are soaring, making many treatments out of reach for patients who might incur high out-of-pocket costs.
But for less costly drugs, these pharmaceutical marketing strategies can work to more easily connect patients to their drugs and manage complicated drug plans, ultimately addressing some patient behavior barriers to medication adherence.
