Tag: healthcare

Parkinson’s Awareness Month

M3 Global Research is currently recruiting patients with Parkinson’s to participate in usability testing for a new device used in conjunction with a smart phone (both provided) in the United States and in Germany. We’re offering generous compensation to the patients taking part and also the physicians referring them. If you are a member of the M3 Global Research panel, contact M3_US_support@eu.m3.com to find out if you qualify. If you are a patient who is not a member and wish to participate, please register by clicking here if you are in the USA and here if you are in Germany. You will then receive an invite by email.

Around seven to 10 million people worldwide live with Parkinson’s disease, a condition that currently has no cure. For this year’s WordParkinson’s Day, Parkinson’s UK, a charity that works towards finding a cure and improving life for everyone affected by the condition, has launched the campaign #UniteForParkinsons. It aims to give voice and platform to the Parkinson’s community by featuring their experiences in a world-wide campaign video and encouraging others to do the same. Watch it here:


Complexity of Parkinson’s ‘massively underestimated’ in the UK

In a survey to mark World Parkinson’s Day (Wednesday 11 April), Parkinson’s UK has discovered that 78% of the public massively underestimate how many symptoms of Parkinson’s there are. Although most people are aware of visible symptoms like tremor, Parkinson’s can also come with more than 40 less well-known symptoms such as sleep issues, anxiety and hallucinations. Shockingly, more than a third (37%) thought there were fewer than ten symptoms of Parkinson’s and more than 41% thought there were fewer than 30.

The charity is warning that this lack of awareness means that people with Parkinson’s often feel they need to hide their symptoms in public, or don’t want to go out at all due to being incorrectly judged or mocked. Previous findings from the charity have uncovered:

  • A quarter (25%) have had symptoms mistaken for drunkenness
  • 11% have been laughed at because of their symptoms
  • More than a third (34%) feel they would be judged if they were out in public
  • Almost a third (32%) don’t feel like their symptoms are socially acceptable

These symptoms are merely the tip of the iceberg, it warns, and do not reflect what people with Parkinson’s most want addressing. In a recent project carried out by the charity to identify priorities to focus on for improving everyday life, tremor came 26th on a list of what people with Parkinson’s want research to tackle.

Artificial intelligence to help develop new Parkinson’s treatments

Parkinson’s UK is actively involved in research, and recently one of its research proposals has won the BenevolentAI Award. The project demonstrated how AI technology could solve specific research challenges in Parkinson’s.

There have been no major breakthroughs in Parkinson’s treatments in the last 50 years. Current treatments revolve around medication that works by restoring the level of dopamine in the brain or mimicking its actions; deep brain stimulation (DBS), a type of surgery where electrodes are implanted deep inside specific parts of the brain, but which is not suitable for every patient; and physical therapies such as physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy, that are important in the management of the condition.

Parkinson’s UK’s proposal will use BenevolentAI platform’s capabilities to reason, deduce and suggest entirely new treatments for Parkinson’s. The aim is to identify at least three currently available medicines that can be repurposed to address Parkinson’s, and two brand-new ways to treat the condition with new drugs. Read more about the project: Artificial intelligence to help develop new Parkinson’s treatments.

*All rights belong to Parkinson’s UK. We would like to thank the charity for sharing this content with us.

Understanding healthcare market research

Working in the pharmaceutical industry includes frequent use of market research and collaboration with fieldwork agencies like M3 Global Research. The M3 blog spoke to someone working regularly at that interface about how healthcare market research affects their decision making. Read the full interview:


How does market research support the development of a new therapy at each stage (of its development and trials)?

In the pre-launch phase we use market research (MR) to understand the needs of HCPs and patients, and which of those are currently unmet. We then consider whether we can monitor these gaps as part of our clinical trial data collection programme. Additionally, we research patients and allied HCPs to understand if there is an opportunity to build a support programme to better help those living with, caring for those living with, or treating those living with the illnesses we’re researching.

After a new therapy is launched, the need for market research changes. How does it continue to play a role in ensuring the best possible outcomes for patients?

Clearly, we use MR to assess the markets, and then track our penetration, so we can better understand prescribing, patient numbers, effectiveness of advertising and communications and patient types and characteristics. These activities help us see how our medicines are being used outside a trial setting. MR can tell us if there are anomalies in patient characteristics in greater numbers, as individual cases may not look unusual to a busy HCP. It is important to note we are required to report any adverse events (AEs) or product quality complaints (PQCs) through MR, which provides another layer of patient safety.

In addition, we have our own sets of goals and objectives that can only be measured using MR. One important factor in doing this is to anticipate usage so that we can forecast demand and make sure we never run out of medicine, but also whilst considering their “shelf lives” so this process needs to be carefully managed.

As the pharma industry continues to evolve and guidelines in how we interact and promote our medicines become ever more stringent, we use MR to better inform our touchpoints with customers, so that we don’t bombard them with un-necessary promotion. We are not there yet, but we hope to move more towards constructive discussions around meeting customer needs and away from “please use my product” discussions. Also, in this modern age, we are aware that different customers like to interact using different channels and media, therefore we use MR to understand which channels we should maximise use of, so the HCP does not have a waiting room full of reps!

We also use MR to understand the educational needs of HCPs, in order to build our medical education programs to deliver meaningful and useful disease area education. Finally, we use MR to understand potential opportunities to buy new medicines, or licence in from other manufacturers (some companies don’t have a commercial presence). MR will tell us if this is an investment worth making – will it address an unmet need or is it just another “me too”?

A cynic may argue that market research only exists to help pharmaceutical companies make money and it has little to do with promoting the best patient outcomes. How would you counter this argument?

I won’t pretend that market research does not help us commercially. Unfortunately, there are some companies who do not have resources to be able to run multiple projects, so will try and capture as much as they can in one survey. Our clinical trial data helps us understand where our medicines are optimal and therefore set expectations on usage – we use MR to see what is happening in the real-world, where these patients are not in a clinical trial setting and are instead impacted by the reality of their day to day lives. We use MR to ask the HCPs (and patients) about their experiences of these real-world settings and we use these outputs to help tailor our communications to identify the most relevant patients and help the HCP identify those who will best benefit from our medicines. An example might be patient adherence to medication – this could be identified as an issue during MR, where usage may differ from clinical trials and therefore may put the patient at risk from sub-optimal self-management. MR will help us send focused communication on these findings to HCPs and potentially deliver better patient support solutions.

Patient centricity has become increasingly important for pharmaceutical companies over recent years. What is it and how does market research with patients and doctors support it?

Personally, I think this is a buzz word – patient centricity SHOULD be the focus of everyone in pharma, it’s what we get out of bed for – but patient research is often the first to be cut when budgets are restricted. I believe this is a reaction to needing to inform the financial side of the business and keeping shareholders up to date, as these are how we are measured externally. MR can help us understand more about the patient side and then use this data to communicate internally about patient needs and how well (or not) we are meeting those needs. Because we are not permitted to communicate directly with patients, HCPs are the gate keepers to contact with them, and therefore are perceived to be the most knowledgeable. However, patient research can turn our head towards the important topics that may not be picked up in HCP research. Patient associations and pharma work together to support their activities and help them raise a voice when Patient Association Groups don’t have the resources to do this alone. MR can help us understand more about the patient side and subsequently use this data to communicate internally about patient needs and how well (or not) we are meeting those needs.

Thinking of a typical market research project, what types of people have a role in developing and reviewing the questionnaire before it is presented to doctors or patients?

This is very dependent on who us asking the questions. If it is for a commercial research project it will be the MR manager, medical approver, compliance, marketer or pharmacovigilance. For health economics research, everyone from the commercial research team will also be involved, plus the people responsible for outcomes research and market access. In patient research we’ll also involve the communications manager and the patient liaison team.

How will technology impact medical practice?

Original research by M3 Global Research was featured in City AM and Business Reporter this week. Our findings on how physicians think technology will impact medical practice was included in Anna Delaney’s article ‘What healthtech can learn from fintech’.

With healthcare being touted as one of the tech trends to watch over 2018, the text is built on the idea that technology in healthcare might soon have the same impact it has had in consumer’s banking behaviour.

Delaney highlights that, according to the survey conducted by M3 Global Research earlier this year, 26% of UK doctors see that investment in self-diagnosis technology will have the most impact on patients over the next five years. And she goes on to ask: will this make people increasingly independent from their doctors?

The article doesn’t fail to mention the importance of developing trust, and suggests that having trained and accredited physicians involved is key.

Click here to read the full text.

Mandatory vaccination for children

The last Monthly Pulse of 2017 brought the M3 Global Research Community into the debate over vaccination for children. In the United States, according to data from 2015 published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 95% of children are vaccinated against Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, and 92% against Measles. Vaccination is required for school attendance to encourage immunization among children, but some states allow medical or religious exemptions.

European vaccination rates are high overall, with 93% being the lowest coverage for Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis in countries like Estonia, Italy and Lithuania, and as high as 99% in Belgium, Greece and Hungary. The rates for Measles are lower in some countries, at 85% in Italy and Denmark, for example.

Childhood vaccination will become mandatory in France this year. The move follows similar efforts by the Italian government, which has banned children from attending state schools if they haven’t been vaccinated.

Healthcare providers both in the US and in Europe are spending more time discussing this issue with patients’ parents than ever before, due to their increased hesitancy to vaccinate their children because of such concerns as possible side effects, potentially harmful ingredients, and religious freedom.

M3 asked: should more countries follow the examples of France and Italy? The results of this Monthly Pulse revealed that majority of respondents in Europe, Canada, and the US believe that vaccination should be mandatory for children.

Monthly pulse

 

In Europe, Spain had the highest rate (95%) of respondents who agree with mandatory vaccination:

vaccination for children

Talking to… Dr. Lawrence Feldman

Dr. Feldman, a dermatologist specialising in the treatment of melanoma, practising for 30 years in the US, spoke to the M3 blog about prevention, new treatment developments and the changes in patients’ approaches to the condition.

M3 Global Research is about to launch a large patient outcome study about melanoma. If you are a dermatologist or an oncologist and are interested in participating, please contact blog@eu.m3.com. If you are not a member of our panel and are interested in participating, you can register for this study here.

What do you think about new developments such as optical biopsy, or tests that look at gene expression patterns and allow physicians to see if stages 1 and 2 are likely to spread, new types of immunotherapy and targeted therapies etc?

The field has definitely changed dramatically, more so than any other field as we have gone from a situation where there was really no therapy that was effective, to now seeing therapies that can induce prolonged remission and even overall survival rates. As far as the gene expression profile, it is a huge advance, perhaps even replacing biopsy in the future. And with optical biopsy and dermatoscope use, the clinical diagnosis of melanoma has gotten much better.

How long ago would you say was the breakthrough?

I would say it began about five years ago. It’s really when things started to change, I guess with the introduction of Zelboraf (vemurafenib) – that was the big turning point.

How do you personally keep updated with news in melanoma treatment?

I would say conferences, congresses, symposiums, journal articles, Tumor Board. We have a Tumor Board at the hospital on a pretty regular basis, so all these things help us to keep up to date.

From your experience, how is the level of treatment in the US compared to other countries?

I think the level in the United States is high, I’d say it’s quite advanced. We definitively have access to many of the newer therapies.

And how is access to treatment for patients? Do most insurances cover melanoma treatment now?

If you are following NCCN (National Comprehensive Cancer Network) guidelines, access is very good. It is harder to get access off-label.

What’s the part played by prevention in skin cancer?

I would say it’s the key. Prevention is better than treatment. So, especially if it’s about avoiding sunburn early on, that would be probably the most critical thing.

During the past 30 years have you noticed changes in patients’ attitudes and empowerment? Are patients more aware of conditions such as melanoma and therefore pay more attention to their own bodies, coming to you with questions?

I think people are more aware of it. Even younger people are more aware of the sun causing it, and even tanning salons, that are ‘a big thing’ in the United States and also a big campaign that has got more publicity recently.

How important is early detection for the treatment of melanoma?

It’s key. We talk about 3 things: prevention, early detection, and treatment. Prevention is the most important, so you don’t have the problem at all; early detection is vital because if you catch the melanoma before it’s reached a certain depth, then you don’t really need any other therapy; and then early treatment, for patients that are less fortunate.