Nearly 2 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed in the United States alone this year. By 2040, new cancer cases are expected to increase globally to 29.9 million per year. It stands to reason that the demand for cancer care and oncology treatments will continue to rise, playing a critical role in patient journeys.
However, cancer care is complex for patients, oncologists, and care teams, driven by multiple factors—from precision and personalized medicine and evolving treatment approaches to managing costs and navigating insurance. With a surge in breakthrough treatments and innovative advancements in patient care, oncologists are inundated with information on new therapies, trial data, and updated treatment guidelines, making it difficult for healthcare providers (HCPs) to stay up to date with vital information and offer optimum patient-centered care.
These challenges are an opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to empower and support oncologists in delivering timely, evidence-based care through thoughtful marketing initiatives, so that HCPs can keep up with the latest treatments and manage patients’ complex needs.
Oncology marketing, therefore, is a critical function for the pharma sector. Serving as a vital link, oncology marketing connects pharma’s innovative and evolving treatments with the challenges faced by oncologists, which ultimately enhances patient outcomes. It involves specific marketing strategies undertaken by pharmaceutical companies to promote products and services and provide vital oncology-related information, supporting oncologists’ decision-making and continuity of care.
Oncologists face multiple challenges in a demanding environment, marked by increasingly sophisticated treatments, disease complexity and variability, and the need for a patient-centric approach.
Unlike other diseases, cancer is not a single condition but a collective term for multiple conditions, each with distinct genetic mutations and characteristics. Advances in genomic sequencing now allow oncologists to identify specific mutations, making cancer a “personal” disease, differing from individual to individual.
Oncologists thus face the challenge of managing intricate treatment pathways with numerous therapies personalized to the patient’s individual condition and genetic profile.
Precision medicine, with its targeted approach, although promising, requires oncologists to constantly keep updated on therapies, diagnostic tools, and rapid advancements. This is even more challenging for those HCPs without access to the latest technology, where keeping abreast of the latest scientific information in genetic therapies can be difficult.
Cancer treatments often span over years and involve multiple phases, from diagnosis and active treatment to post-treatment monitoring, recurrence prevention, and survivorship care, resulting in longer patient journeys. Oncologists manage these prolonged care plans which require continuous monitoring, repeated adjustments of care plans, addressing side effects and keeping up with the latest in cancer treatment.
Besides clinical duties, oncologists often serve as emotional anchors to patients and their families, supporting them with the impact of cancer. This dual role can add significant emotional pressure on oncologists, leaving them feeling overwhelmed and adding to their stress. Coupled with demands on their time, these pressures can be challenging for oncologists, leading to compassion fatigue and burnout.
To support patients and offer optimal care, oncologists are increasingly reliant on real-world evidence (RWE) and data-driven insights to inform their treatment choices. Time-poor oncologists are expected to sift through vast amounts of RWE to determine what is applicable to a specific patient’s condition.
Keeping up with quickly evolving RWE data and integrating them into clinical practice adds pressure and requires a continual learning curve.
Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) provide oncologists with specialized, evidence-based knowledge crucial for understanding complex treatments. However, because the information comes from an external pharmaceutical-provided source, oncologists may rely heavily on MSLs, which can reduce their ability to independently review and interpret all data. This reliance may limit fully autonomous decision-making, which balances independent insights and MSL-provided information.
Oncologists are core members of the multidisciplinary team of highly qualified HCPs that treat, care, and support cancer patients. In their pivotal role, oncologists deliver treatment and support, guiding patients through a complex and individualized patient journey.
Offering patients a comprehensive and systematic approach to treatment and care, oncologists navigate multi-step treatment plans, while coordinating diverse healthcare teams to support patients.
Oncologists also serve as sounding boards for their patients, providing emotional support and frequently engaging in difficult conversations about prognosis, treatment decisions and end-of-life issues. They often advocate patient access into clinical trials, advanced therapies and specialized care to improve patient outcomes.
Oncology pharma marketing requires some durable strategies that can engage with busy oncologists, as well as evolve and adapt to a dynamic oncology care landscape. Scientific insights, omnichannel engagement and personalized communication are some of the strategies that can support oncologists, improve retention and education, and ultimately enhance patient care.
Omnichannel strategies, when aligned across the care continuum, can effectively inform, educate and support HCPs, patients, and their comprehensive care teams.
Integrating in-person visits, virtual platforms and digital tools—typical of omnichannel marketing—provides a cohesive experience that fosters continuous engagement, meeting the needs and engagement preferences of oncologists.
Personalized communication through e-detailing, webinars, newsletters and patient portals ensure that oncologists access the right information at the right time across the various touchpoints along the patient journey.
It’s important to recognize that there are disparities in the diagnosis, management, and availability of advanced treatments based on geographic locations. Some areas may have limited access to specialized oncology care, while certain types of cancer may be prevalent in specific geographies. Hyperlocal omnichannel strategies can address these challenges by delivering personalized, location-specific content and services across multiple communication channels. Pharma companies can target specific regions or communities by using local insights to provide highly relevant and accessible experiences for oncologists and patients.
With the right omnichannel strategies, pharma can streamline continuity of care in various healthcare settings, facilitating smoother patient transitions between community and academic centers. These strategies support early patient referrals by sharing relevant information and keeping omcologists up to date on best practices for each stage of treatment.
Seamless engagement is necessary for oncologists to access timely and relevant information and insights for better decision-making and coordinated patient care. Effective engagement strategies to close information gaps and reduce duplication of content across channels include:
MSLs play a critical role in oncology marketing, serving as a bridge between pharmaceutical companies and oncologists. They are at the forefront of engagement efforts that are responsive to oncologists’ needs, especially with increased focus on precision medicine and personalized care.
Through personalized, ongoing interactions, MSLs ensure that oncologists have access to timely, accurate, and relevant information, offering evidence-based insights on complex therapies and trial results, and making scientific information accessible in a non-promotional manner.
As oncologists are increasingly diverse, using CRM data is another useful strategy for effective engagement. It allows pharmaceutical companies to personalize communication based on an oncologist’s specialty, interests, patient base, and previous interactions, ensuring the relevance of the messaging and content across various channels.
To keep busy oncologists connected, digital tools, such as virtual meetings, e-portals, and on-demand content, can make information more accessible. Messaging apps and mobile platforms provide real-time information and updates, allowing oncologists to receive critical information as soon as it is available.
In oncology marketing, high value content such as clinical trial summaries, case studies and guidelines updates keep oncologists informed. Trial summaries offer quick insights into the latest therapeutic approaches while case studies showcase real-world patient outcomes, helping oncologists understand specific mechanisms and make evidence-based decisions for their patients. Guideline updates and concise summaries about new therapies, drug and treatment protocols, and standards of care offer accessible information about the latest best practices in cancer treatment and patient care.
Like other specialists, oncologists prioritize peer-reviewed content (51.4%), continuing medical education (CME/CE) material (54.29%), and review articles (54.29%) to stay current on treatments and improving patient outcomes. However, oncologists also have distinct content preferences—a higher percentage of oncologists are likely to rely on conferences and symposia for new insights than other physicians.
Interactive formats like webinars and virtual Q&A sessions also provide collaborative learning experiences and engage oncologists directly while catering to their preferences for digital engagement. These formats create a dynamic environment for learning and enhancing retention of complex information, while being more accessible than in-person events.
In oncology marketing, high value content such as clinical trial summaries, case studies and guidelines updates keep oncologists informed. Trial summaries offer quick insights into the latest therapeutic approaches while case studies showcase real-world patient outcomes, helping oncologists understand specific mechanisms and make evidence-based decisions for their patients. Guideline updates and concise summaries about new therapies, drug and treatment protocols, and standards of care offer accessible information about the latest best practices in cancer treatment and patient care.
Unlike static content, interactive formats allow oncologists to ask questions and receive immediate answers, serving as valuable resources for timely information.
Webinars and virtual Q&A sessions often feature Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) who offer real-world insights, which can guide decision-making within the hematology/oncology community. Developing collaborative efforts with KOLs can facilitate knowledge-sharing as they lead discussions on emerging therapies and practical applications, which can be crucial in complex areas like oncology.
Due to the complex, specialized needs of oncologists and the rapid pace of innovation in cancer treatments, oncology digital marketing must leverage specific data to personalize messaging for individual oncologists.
As a complex field, oncology care involves highly individualized multi-treatments which are often guided by genetic data, biomarker testing and treatment-specific research. Data analytics and AI can track individual oncologist’s preferences for biomarkers, specific therapeutic areas, or patient demographics, allowing pharma to develop precise content and marketing. Insights from CRM systems and AI can also track engagement, personalize outreach, and forecast adoption of new therapies by oncologists.
Predictive analytics and behavior science are also effective in developing and managing personalized engagement strategies. Predictive analytics can identify which oncologists may adopt new treatments, enabling pharma to provide targeted, data-driven insights on relevant therapies.
With behavioral science, pharma marketing can enhance personalization by identifying oncologists’ preferred content formats, which can improve engagement.
Oncology pharma marketing can also use hyperlocal behavioral analysis to create resources and strategies that address regional challenges, such as the prevalence of certain cancer types in specific areas.
Beyond clinical trial data, oncologists increasingly rely on real-world data (RWD) to evaluate long-term patient outcomes. To support oncologists and help them make informed decisions, oncology pharma marketing can provide comparative effectiveness data to evaluate treatments in various patient groups.
While personalization and data-driven strategies are extremely effective, pharma marketing must also adhere to privacy regulations and navigate multiple compliance such as HIPAA, GDPR, CPPA and My Health My Data Act.
Cancer is one of the most costly medical conditions to treat, often involving complex treatments. Due to this, oncologists, particularly those in private practice, often face challenges in navigating access and reimbursement and ensuring insurance coverage and patient affordability.
Payers, like insurance companies, require substantial evidence demonstrating the value of these treatments to justify the costs. For oncologists, this means adhering to strict insurance requirements and detailed documentation to ensure that patients receive necessary treatment and support.
Pharma can support oncologists by providing vital information and data such as health-economic outcomes and cost-benefit analysis to demonstrate the value of the treatments, both clinically and financially.
Educational material can also help oncologists and patients better understand and manage the insurance process. Practical resources like documentation templates also reduce administrative load on oncologists and are helpful in addressing payer requirements more efficiently.
It’s critical for pharmaceutical companies to foster long-term meaningful relationships with oncologists through MSLs, who become trusted partners to oncologists, offering non-promotional in-depth scientific information and insights into latest therapies, treatments, biomarkers and clinical data, including RWD.
In an environment where access to HCPs is increasingly restricted because of compliance, MSLs are in a unique position to have quicker access to oncologists compared to traditional sales reps. This is possible because of their scientific expertise and their ability to engage in unbiased discussions based on clinical data and patient outcomes.
Pharma marketing can also offer supplemental resources and evidence-based decisions tools, such as clinical trial data, risk-benefit charts, digital calculators and guides, to complement MSL-provided information. Creating educational resource hubs, from peer-reviewed studies and real-world evidence to clinical guidelines, also enables oncologists to access a wide range of perspectives.
With growing oncologists’ preferences for digital engagement, pharma should proactively leverage online meetings and events, and other interactive digital tools to reach oncologists and deliver the information they need in real time.
Instead of clunky HCP-facing slides, pharma can provide information quickly, by creating searchable content libraries to improve access and quickly answer unanticipated questions with ease.
Measuring the effectiveness of oncology marketing in terms of patient outcomes is crucial as marketing efforts can be directly associated with real-world outcomes on patient care and treatments. For instance, demonstrating the clinical value of cancer drugs through improved outcomes can help justify these investments to payers, ensuring the marketing efforts are aligned with the goals of making treatments more accessible for patients and supporting oncologists in delivering optimal care.
Tracking metrics such as HCP engagement, patient adherence, and therapy adoption rates can provide valuable insights into reach and effectiveness of these marketing efforts while helping pharma fine-tune their strategies to address and overcome barriers faced by both oncologists and patients.
Future trends in oncology marketing are likely to focus on precision medicine, data-driven personalization, and RWE to meet rising patient expectations.
With an increased focus on patient centricity and the importance of stakeholder engagement, oncology marketing plans will integrate advanced technologies in AI, behavior science and predictive analytics to personalize education and outreach, including developing targeted omnichannel strategies that not only engage oncologists in real time but also drives patient-centric outcomes.
RWE is quickly becoming one of the key drivers of commercialization in the pharma sector, offering marketers valuable insights into patient outcomes across varied demographics. Additionally, decentralized trials expand geographic participation, allowing for data collection from diverse patient populations and improving insights into treatment impacts in real-world settings.
From a pharma marketing point of view, RWE shows how therapies work in real life, allowing them to create data-backed messaging about treatment effectiveness, comparative benefits, and long-term outcomes. Insights from decentralized trials enable a comprehensive understanding of patient needs and behaviors, which enables targeted messaging based on patient experiences.
AI and its ability to uncover patterns in vast amounts of data is critical in oncology, not only in a clinical setting, but also in oncology marketing and outreach. AI tools and predictive models will continue to streamline marketing efforts and the development of personalized marketing content that resonates with patient populations, clinicians, governments, regulators and other stakeholders.
For pharma, oncology marketing plans and strategies go beyond promoting therapies and treatments. It’s about supporting oncologists and improving patient outcomes. By addressing diverse challenges, integrating personalized omnichannel marketing strategies and leveraging AI, predictive models and digital tools, pharmaceutical companies can position themselves as trusted partners in oncology care. These strategies not only strengthen relationships with oncologists, but also promote improvements in patient outcomes and advance cancer treatment accessibility.
Newristics is the market leader in pharma messaging-related services, including content development, market research, messaging analytics, and more! Combining the power of behavioral science and messaging AI, Newristics optimizes omni-channel messaging for the Top 20 out of 20 pharma companies and 100s of pharma brands. Reach out to learn more!
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Newristics
01 Feb 2024
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