Client Overview

Global biotech company focused on rare and genetic diseases, immunodeficiencies, and neurological disorders.

Timeframe: Multi-year


Project Objective

Establish a cross-functional, cross-geography patient engagement strategy and approach to meet evolving internal needs and external expectations.

Challenges

While Company always prided itself on being patient-centric, there was a need to move from “mindset” (i.e., thinking about patients) to “action” ​(co-creating with patients).

Objectives

Create a common understanding of what it means to be “patient-focused” in today’s environment and provide the tools and resources to facilitate patient engagement strategies and tactics.


Key Strategies Implemented

1

Two-day cross-company workshop with more than eighty participants from different markets and functions to align on key principles, develop a framework, and identify pilot projects across product lifecycle.

2

Internal audit to identify examples of patient engagement, status of relationships with patient groups and other stakeholders, and perceptions of where company is – and where it should be – on the patient engagement continuum.

3

Completed several pilot projects, including patient advisory boards in different markets and on diverse topics, internal workshops to develop processes for engagement, and a relationship management model.

4

Consulted on the development of an internal patient engagement portal to be utilized across the organization.

5

Created a comprehensive patient engagement toolkit with resources, planning tools, case studies, and more, all available via the new internal patient engagement portal.


The outcome

short-term

Short Term

Common understanding of what it means for company to be patient-focused.
Patient insights delivered to various internal teams to help support decision-making.

long-term

Long Term

Comprehensive, coordinated approach to patient engagement that will help establish company as a leader in this area.

key-highlights

Key Highlights

Patient engagement framework to be applied across the development lifecycle from discovery through post-approval.
Internal portal aligns organization around efforts in patient advocacy and engagement.