Digital engagement of physicians can lead to more effective prescribing
James Cran relates how pharma can ensure that prescribing the right product is easy for physicians (1,060 words, 5 minutes)
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Streamlining prescription intelligence—confirming, for example, that medications are covered by a patient's insurance and informing physicians of new medical products—can lead to improved patient outcomes, according to James Cran, speaking on a recent episode of the NPC Podcast. Cran is the founder and CEO of Pharma Consultants, Inc., a company specializing in communicating medication information to prescribers and patients.
According to Cran, physicians may be unaware whether a patient’s insurance will pay for a prescribed medication, or if there might be additional requirements for coverage. To address this dilemma, Digital Health Partners Inc., an affiliate company of Pharma Consultants, launched an app called ‘Is This Drug Covered?’. “A prescriber, as well as a patient, can look at the brands on our app and determine their plan coverage within minutes,” said Cran.
By providing this information, the app can help patients avoid finding out at the pharmacy that their prescription "bounced" and their insurer has refused to pay for it.
“One of the biggest issues that prescribers have is when a prescription bounces. Nothing gets [prescribers] more upset than when the patient is upset. So, they stop prescribing that medication for that reason. This is a helpful tool to drive adoption [of medications],” Cran said.
Cran is also the CEO of Patient MediQuest Inc., an affiliate of Pharma Consultants. The company distributes medical products to hospitals and clinics and has a database of medical providers they can communicate with directly. He described the importance of ensuring their company’s contacts are up to date on new medical tools and therapies.
“[Our objective is to] bring good information from experts and specialists to these [physicians and patients] about medical conditions. More than that, we want them to know more about good, emerging therapies,” he said. Communicating this information to both prescribers and consumers helps keep them aware of new medications that are available in Canada, ultimately promoting the adoption of new therapeutic solutions, Cran said.
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LISTEN NOW
In season seven of the NPC Podcast, Michael Stone, General Manager for Canada of Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, talks about taking on a leadership role during the pandemic, attracting younger, tech-savvy talent and the relevance of an education degree in pharma. Hear him in conversation with podcast co-hosts Mitch Shannon, Jim Shea and Mark McElwain.
CANADIAN HEALTHCARE MARKETING HALL OF FAME
The Canadian Healthcare Marketing Hall of Fame awards were established in 2002 to honour healthcare marketers who have contributed to our vocation and inspire others.
More than 100 honourees have been selected during the past 18 years. In the selection committee’s view, they represent a cross-section of the qualities that make our business unique and fulfilling. NPC Healthbiz Weekly will acknowledge one past Hall of Fame Honoree each week.
2004 Inductee
Rudy Fernandes
Mississauga, Ont.
“I’m having a ball,” says Rudy Fernandes, who is now in semi-retirement after a long and prosperous 43 years in the pharma biz. These days, Fernandes heads up his own consultancy business, but his commitment to the pharmaceutical industry is stronger than ever. He was vice-president of business development and market access for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals from 1997 to 2003, and vice-president, of marketing and sales for Ciba-Geigy Canada Ltd. (Novartis) from 1975 to 1996.
“Being involved in the industry in healthcare is critical to making sure the right things are done and that the industry voice is heard,” says Fernandes. “Very often we are considered to be the rich little kid on the block, but we bring a lot of value to the healthcare field. Without drugs, it would be very difficult for physicians to treat people effectively and efficiently.”
Fernandes’ long and varied career has included numerous memberships and appointments to industry-based committees. As a former chair of the ethics subcommittee of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Canada (PMAC), he helped to develop industry guidelines that are still in use today. He is a frequent contributor to several prominent healthcare journals on the value of the pharmaceutical industry and has participated in televised debates concerning healthcare issues.
However, “most of the memorable things I did were more by accident than by design--like going into marketing to start with,” says Fernandes. A microbiologist by profession, he first broke into pharma as a sales rep for CIBA in India, quickly making his way up the corporate ladder to district and then field operations manager in charge of about one-quarter of the country. When he emigrated to Canada, he had to start all over, but again rose through the ranks to snag a plum position as VP. Indeed, says Fernandes, “I was the first person, I think, who started as a rep and became a VP of marketing and sales at CIBA.”
Always up for a challenge, one of Fernandes's most daunting tasks was to turn the tide for the Lopresor range of products when prescription sales dipped by 35% in the highly competitive US cardiovascular market. As product director, cardiovascular for Ciba-Geigy Corporation, USA, Fernandes helped develop an effective relaunch of the product, a relaunch that resulted in record sales growth and market dominance with peak sales of $300 million.
Fernandes remains modest about his achievements. “I was only the person waving the flag, the person with the water bottle at the game, but I think what I contributed was a strategy of turning the ship around, just being focused, getting the internal people excited. One of the mistakes we make is trying to influence external customers and not the most important customer we have, the internal customer: the reps, the field managers. If they are sold, success is just around the corner.”
NEXT WEEK
In the 07/19 edition of the NPC Healthbiz Weekly, Jody Engel, Canada Country Lead at Knight Therapeutics, talks about company cultures, women leadership in pharma and attracting talent during the pandemic and retaining it. It’s easy to get your no-charge subscription and have the issue sent to your phone or inbox each Tuesday at 6:00 a.m. sharp.
Stay safe, stay sure, and stay on your game. We’ll see you again next week.