Pharma and physicians: the evolving relationship during Covid-19
Dr. Shafiq Qaadri discusses how the global pandemic has changed his interactions with members of the Pharma industry
NPC Healthbiz Weekly is presented to you in cooperation with Peak Pharma Solutions
While Covid-19 has drastically changed the way Pharma operates, Dr. Shafiq Qaadri, a Toronto-based family physician, credits the industry for adapting during the uncertain times of the pandemic.
Dr. Qaadri is also a CME lecturer and four-term member of the Ontario provincial parliament.
“[Pharma] has really gone digital in a big way. I think they had the contact list and the infrastructure already in place for e-outreach and it has really revved up. I get anywhere from five to 10 email invitations on a daily basis for accredited, for non-accredited and for late breaking news,” said Dr. Qaadri (photo below) on a recent episode of the “NPC Podcast,” a program for Pharma executives hosted by Peter Brenders, founder and president of Kontollo Health. (Listen to the episode here.)
“I think the Pharma world has really stepped up to help us continue to interact, learn from them, new trends, new treatments, and of course, research that is ongoing and important,” Dr. Qaadri continued. “And of course, beyond just Covid-19, just generally across the whole medical spectrum.”
Though the ongoing pandemic has forced much of his interactions with the Pharma industry to a virtual platform, Dr. Qaadri admits he prefers the in-person meetings.
“Not only is there an information transfer, but there’s a live human being and likely you have established a bit of a professional relationship with them,” Dr. Qaadri explained. “They know your story, they know a little bit about your practice. They can instantaneously tailor to your needs as opposed to a ‘here’s an ivory tower announcement from Harvard Medical School’.”
While Pharma reps have done a good job adapting to the virtual space during the pandemic, the shift can be more difficult for a new Pharma rep or a new company.
Dr. Qaadri admits that those already established prior to the pandemic have an advantage. He adds that it can be difficult for a new Pharma rep or a new company to build relationships in the virtual world during a pandemic.
“I think they should learn from the big companies who really train their reps well,” he suggested. “Often [those companies] will even invite physicians to go in office, to help train and bring up to speed their reps and practice sessions.
“I suppose there is a lot that can’t be taught. You can’t teach someone to be an empathetic, slightly humorous and charming human being. But it takes all of that to break through to a physician who is probably in a grumpy mood, likely behind schedule, has at least three patients who are waiting in the waiting room and so there has got to be something relatively rewarding before the doctor breaks through his filters and says ‘Ok, what do you really have to tell me?’”
With no end in sight to the pandemic, Dr. Qaadri has some ideas as to how the Pharma industry can further improve during Covid-19, though he notes there are several “consent hoops” for Pharma to jump through to make some of the suggestions a reality.
“They might be able to, for example, ramp up some of the compassionate use for some of the newer medications available. Whether it’s, for example, for high-grade cholesterol or obesity or diabetes management treatments. There are a number of new indications, new medications, and if physicians have been a little bit absent from the field, we may not really be aware of those.”
The takeaway: Over the course of the past seven months Dr. Qaadri has been able to develop a playbook of best practices for digital engagement when dealing with Pharma reps, including e-detailing where the physician is being treated to a video of a specialist, or a rep. There is full programming that is available for digital engagement, Dr. Qaadri added.
“The sky is the limit it seems in terms of the video and online relationship building,” Dr. Qaadri concluded.
Further reading: The relationships between Pharma and physicians aren’t the only ones changing during the pandemic. Covid-19 is also changing key business relationships. Story here.
YOUR HEALTHBIZ WEEK 10/13/20
Purdue Pharma LP, the OxyContin maker, is nearing an agreement to plead guilty to criminal charges as part of a broader deal to resolve U.S. Justice Department probes into its alleged role in fueling the nation’s opioid crisis, according to a Reuters report. The Stamford, Conn.-based company is expected to face penalties exceeding $8 billion. The penalties consist of a $3.54 billion criminal fine, $2 billion criminal forfeiture and $2.8 billion civil penalty.
Bristol Myers Squibb announced that Health Canada has approved Zeposia (ozanimod) for the treatment of patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Zeposia is an oral medication taken daily that helps protect against attacks on the nerves by stopping some of the body's white cells from reaching the brain and spine where they could cause inflammation and damage to myelin.
Following a late-stage trial, Bristol Myers Squibb announced its cancer drug Opdivo plus chemotherapy helped more patients with a form of lung cancer versus chemotherapy alone. Significantly more non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving Opdivo and chemotherapy before surgery showed no evidence of cancer cells in their resected tissue, the company said. Bristol said the trial is ongoing to assess the other main goal of evaluating the length of time after primary treatment that the patient remains free of complications.
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded California Tx developer has reached a licensing agreement deal with Takeda to develop a Phase II investigational RNA interference therapy for the treatment of treat alpha-1 antitrypsin-associated liver disease (AATLD). The investigational drug, ARO-AAT, is a potential first-in-class treatment that reduces the generation of mutant alpha-1 antitrypsin protein (Z-AAT), the primary contributor to liver disease progression in patients with AATLD.
14th ANNUAL NATIONAL PHARMA CONGRESS UPDATE
Chronicle Companies is honoured to host the 14th Annual National Pharmaceutical Congress, a virtual series of weekly webinars. As Canada's largest stage for leaders in the pharmaceutical industry, the Congress presents industry reflections, ideas, and innovations. The Congress has been attended by more than 200 delegates every year and is an opportunity to learn and reflect with the industry's most prominent thought leaders and visionaries. Organized in cooperation with Pangaea Consultants. (Hot tip: NPC Healthbiz Weekly readers get an additional 20% discount on registration fees by using the code NPC20. Just $319 plus HST for the three-day series. (Bursaries may be available for students, retirees and transitioning executives. Contact us for details.)
This scheduled agenda
Wednesday 10/21 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EST
Session 1: Career Advice in the Post-Covid Life Science
Sponsored by ImpresSession 2: Industry Role and Partnerships: Have They Changed Through Covid-19
Sponsored by Digital Partners
Wednesday 10/28 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EST
Session 1: Future External Deployments, Structures and Skill Sets
Sponsored by Shoppers Specialty RxSession 2: Patient Centricity: What Does It Mean in Action?Sponsored by McKesson Canada
Wednesday 11/04 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EST
Session 1: How Do We Launch Products Post Covid-19
Sponsored by Bayshore HealthcareSession 2: Inclusion and Diversity in a Virtual and Real-Life World
Sponsored by Ashfield Healthcare Canada
This scheduled speakers
Pamela Fralick, Innovative Medicines Canada
Andrew Casey, BIOTECanada
Jason Field, Life Sciences Ontario
Ronnie Miller, Hoffmann-La Roche
Brian Bloom, Bloom Burton
Pat Forsythe, Eisai
Danielle Portnik, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals
Marissa Poole, Sanofi Genzyme
Eileen McMahon, Torys
Paul Petrelli, Jazz Pharmaceuticals
Jim Hall, Covis Pharma
Carol Stiff, Santen Pharmaceuticals
Zal Press, CADTH
Brian Canestraro, Intercept Pharmaceuticals
Sylvie Pilon, Emergent Biosolutions
Peter Brenders, Kontollo Health
David Renwick, Emergent Biosolutions
Arima Ventin, Allergan
Ross Glover, Taiho Pharma
others to be announced; see updated list at pharmacongress.info
Profits from the 2020 National Pharmaceutical Congress support Sandi’s Fund for Camp Liberté. More than $50,000 has been raised for Canadian health charities through the National Pharmaceutical Congress.
Watch a “greatest hits” encore presentation from a past NPC event
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 avocation and are an inspiration to others.
More than 100 honourees have been selected during the past 18 years. They stand for, in the view of the selection committee, a representative cross-section of the qualities that make our business unique and fulfilling. Each week, NPC Healthbiz Weekly will acknowledge one past Hall of Fame Honouree.
2019 Inductee
Pat Forsythe
Eisai Inc.
Mississauga, Ont.
Editor’s note: Pat Forsythe joined Eisai Inc. in 2017 as the company’s General Manager, a position he currently holds.
After graduating from university with a science degree, Pat Forsythe, now General Manager at Eisai Inc., was not sure what direction his career should take. He decided to go back to school and try his hand at business—he says he ended up in the pharmaceutical industry as an ‘accidental tourist.’
“I have always had a love of science, but I have a passion for business,” he said. At first I was unsure about the pharmaceutical business, but in retrospect pharma has been a wonderful place to work. It is full of challenges, but it is always about creating opportunities, and for me it has always been about positive change.”
Entering the industry in 1989 at Upjohn, Forsythe found a great mentor.
“Probably, ninety per cent of what I know today was taught to me by my first sales manager,” he said. “He gave me the foundational thinking that I rely on to this day, even as a general manager and through all the strategic roles that I have held. I have also been fortunate to have other leaders take interest in my career and nudge me in the right direction when needed.”
“My first company, Upjohn, alllowed me to progress rapidly through many roles and was a foundational training for me. My time at Roche allowed me to put those skills to work and develop as a leader. This was where I really built my management approach of empowerment, ownership and accountability.”
As he has moved through the industry, Forsythe has experienced “very different cultures, very different approaches in a variety of companies,” he said. “It opens your eyes that there is more than one way to get things done. I have been able to pick the best approaches from many companies to create my vision as a leader. It really has been about meeting great people who share your passion, who want to make positive things happen in a very professional environment.”
His favourite memories are ones in competitive markets. “Twice in my career I have been faced with defending against new entrants in single product markets. There is nowhere to go but down in these situations. Despite the challenge to the brand share, we did what everybody thought was impossible—we thought we were going to lose fifty per cent of the market—but we lost less than five per cent.”
“And, of course, product launches have always been an exciting time, each one a highlight in itself.”
The culture at Eisai is ‘hyperfocused’ on patients, he said. “Each of our employees is mandated to spend time with patients on an annual basis—whether it is a patient group or some other connection to patients—where we can really understand. Walk in the patient’s shoes, walk in the caregiver or family’s shoes.”
While these employee interactions may be small moments in time, they drive home what challenges patients and those close to patients face, and the differences in their lives that the pharma team can make, Forsythe said.
NEXT WEEK
The 10/20 edition of NPC Healthbiz Weekly will feature Dr. Durhane Wong-Reiger of the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders on how customer interactions with Pharma have changed during Covid-19. Subscribe and have the issue sent to your phone or inbox each Tuesday at 6:00 am sharp.
Stay safe and stay on your game. We’ll see you again next Tuesday.