3 ways virtual engagement will transform pharma in 2022
Mike Abbadessa, VP SME head of Medical Affairs at Within3, explores the benefits of pharma going virtual and whether the industry is prepared to do so.
For pharma companies, predicting where the sector will evolve is key to business planning. By staying ahead of the curve, companies can best position themselves to get results. While the unpredictable events of both 2020 and 2021 threw the pharma sector off track, the industry proactively adapted to the situation.
In 2021, we saw decentralised trials come to the forefront, along with an acceleration of virtual care by the wider healthcare sector. Many were predicting virtual engagement to be the trend for the next five, 10, 15 years, but its adoption has taken just two. So, what follows this? How does virtual engagement continue to move at pace throughout the pharma industry to drive results, gain insights and equip teams for a post-covid pharma sector?
The comeback of in-person events?
Gone are the days of extensive, unnecessary travel to attend pharma events in person. Not only does this waste time unnecessarily, but a 2019 study from McMaster University found that the pharma industry’s carbon emission intensity is higher than that of the automotive industry. Virtual engagement amplifies collaboration while being a better environmental choice.
The pandemic changed the game, creating a virtual world which has altered our ways of working for good. However, as we look ahead throughout 2022, it is clear we will not see a return to the ‘old normal,’ nor is the ‘new normal’ here to stay. Instead, pharma companies will use virtual engagement to create new and improved in-person events.
Across the life science space employees are prioritising flexibility above everything else. Although some professionals have stuck to their old ways and choose to travel to work, others are choosing to remain virtual. Therefore, medical affairs and other pharma teams must be flexible to these demands and ensure no one gets left behind. In our hybrid world, if you can bring the event to the participant, why would you expect them to travel?
By engaging with audiences in this way, companies can increase reach and attendance and ensure a greater audience engagement. However, most importantly organisations will be able to develop a successful process that can be repeated across teams, organisations and geographies.
Key opinion leaders (KOLs) may struggle to attend advisory board meetings because of the time zones and travel involved. However when incorporating asynchronous features, KOLs can choose to take part in more opportunities for scientific exchange. This facilitates wider contributions, flexible working, and builds peer-to-peer relationships. As we look ahead to 2022, virtual engagement will continue to facilitate global collaboration, more diverse perspectives, and a higher participation rate for KOLs overall.
The year to improve diversity in trials
One priority that continued to emerge in 2021 was a need for drug developers to include people from different backgrounds in clinical studies. Despite a lot of focus on this in recent years, at the end of 2021, ethnic minorities in UK clinical trials were drastically under-represented. While the momentum will continue into 2022, virtual engagement in trials can become a main facilitator of more diverse studies.
Because virtual engagement allows patients to engage anytime and anywhere through a connected device, trials may naturally become more diverse. Those who had previously been excluded from trial recruitment can now participate, with results that benefit a broader patient population.
This potential allows patients to participate on their terms and removes financial or travel travel burdens that traditional trial participation induce. In 2022, we can expect virtual engagement in trials to contribute to reduced health and socioeconomic disparities.
Deeper insights as a priority
Companies regularly speak to stakeholders throughout the product development process, but what perspectives are they hearing? Nurses, researchers, and academics may all have valuable insights, but how can pharma companies ensure all relevant voices are being heard?
This year, life sciences companies will bring strategic insights management to the forefront. Through a shift in approaches to engagement, pharma organisations will see the benefits of a holistic, insights-based approach as opposed to tackling each engagement one by one.
With pharma companies increasingly aiming to achieve more in less time, strong insights management gives teams bespoke insights to equip them for success.
For example, advisory boards tend to fall victim to hierarchy influence, in which loud voices dominate and monopolise in-person or webcast meetings. However, asynchronous communications allow for a safe, reflective environment that adapts to the strengths of participants. Virtual engagement reduces the chance that a few voices will dominate, and offers an easier way to follow up or ask for more information when interesting points are raised.
2022 will see virtual engagement continue to occupy centre stage within pharma companies, as organisations rely on disruption-proof means to gather deeper, more diverse insights. Not only this, but virtual engagement strengthens relationships with key stakeholders and creates an environment where everyone can participate, regardless of location or schedule.
These predictions come from reflecting on another unusual and unpredictable year. However, by looking at how virtual engagement transformed the life sciences industry over the last few years, it is somewhat inevitable that a return to some in-person events, prioritizing the collection of deeper insights, and a move toward more diverse perspectives will also be accelerated by virtual engagement.