The role of Patient Support Programs during the pandemic
Nicole Serena of Waldron & Associates explains how PSPs have moved to the forefront during Covid-19 (625 words, 4 min. reading time)
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Covid-19 has disrupted many aspects of Pharma over the past eight months and Patient Support Programs (PSPs) are no exception.
PSPs generally run in the background, according to Nicole Serena, Vice President of PSP Systems and Solution at Waldron & Associates. However, due to the pandemic, PSPs have been pushed to the forefront in an attempt to assist both patients and health care providers fill gaps caused by the coronavirus.
PSPs are programs that pharmaceutical manufacturers created to support patients who need assistance accessing their medication. Waldron & Associates is a consultancy firm assisting PSPs with compliance and risk management.
“The employees that are supporting [PSPs], have probably been working longer hours than ever before,” said Serena (photo below) on a recent episode of the NPC Podcast, a program for Pharma executives hosted by Peter Brenders. Brenders is CEO of the New Brunswick Health Research Foundation. (Listen to the episode here.)
During the pandemic, patients have been unable to go into a hospital for an oncology appointment to receive an infusion, for example. As a result, physicians have been seeking alternatives—if the doctor can switch a patient to oral medication or injectable therapies, PSPs are able to step in and assist with the transition.
“[PSPs] have reimbursement specialists who help the patient and the health care practitioner see if there is financial support for these patients so they can get that change in their medication. They also support patients with further education,” Serena explained. “That's one example of how [PSPs] were able to help [during the pandemic].”
Serena recently co-wrote a White Paper on Covid-19’s impact on PSPs which saw a 70 per cent increase in patients using PSPs to request financial assistance to receive their therapies.
“Some patients were furloughed off of jobs, or even lost jobs, then they were reaching out to these programs to see if there was financial assistance available to help them out,” said Serena.
Additionally, with surgeries cancelled due to the pandemic, oncologists and other physicians have been looking for medications to help or delay the progression of their patients’ disease until surgery can be completed. PSPs have been able to assist, she said.
“These PSPs could support patients either in accessing the medication or also teaching the patient to administer the medication outside of a hospital or a doctor's office,” said Serena.
As the pandemic moves to month eight, the long-term sustainability of the added support from PSPs has come in to question. According to Serena, the sustainability of the added help will come down to budgets and proper communication.
“I think planning, and looking at forecasts and budgets are key right now,” she said. “Budgets are going to be impacted because these are very expensive programs: sending a nurse into someone's house, or providing financial assistance for high-cost medication is expensive.
“I recommend if [PSPs are] adding in services, they communicate that they are temporary. [PSPs] can always extend a timeline. It is hard, from a reputation standpoint, to take away services, especially during a [pandemic]. Communicate with patients and health care practitioners that you're adding on these services short term and that they are temporary to support everyone.”
The takeaway: While Covid-19 has made it difficult to predict how things will look in the future, Serena believes there will be further innovations from PSPs in 2021.
“We're going to see more digital services out there, we may see some services that no one have thought of [before],” she said.
“I think we'll see more face-to-face appointments [between doctors and patients] changing to digital.”
A greater shift to digital will force PSPs to consider how to streamline data received in an effort to help not only Pharma manufacturers but also the physicians who are supporting the patients as well, Serena added.
Further reading: With Covid-related government support programs winding down, company bankruptcies are starting to spike again. According to a CBC News report, the number of Canadians filing for insolvency spiked by almost 20 per cent in September. Story here.
YOUR HEALTHBIZ WEEK 11/24/20
The U.S. FDA has lifted a clinical hold on Cellectis’ Phase I MELANI-01 trial evaluating the multiple myeloma candidate UCARTCS1 after working with the French biopharmaceutical company to adjust its trial protocol to enhance patient safety. A patient death in the trial led the FDA to place the clinical hold in July. The regulator told Cellectis it needed to change the study’s protocol to address serious safety concerns. UCARETCS1, an allogeneic, off-the-shelf, gene-edited T-cell therapy, was developed by Cellectis to treat CS1/SLAMF7-expressing hematologic cancers.
Imago Biosciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments for myeloproliferative neoplasms, announced the close of a US$80 million Series C financing round. Imago will use the proceeds to complete a Phase 3 study of bomedemstat for the treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms. Bomedemstat is an orally available small molecule that inhibits lysine-specific demethylase 1, an enzyme shown to be vital in the self-renewal of cancer stem cells and hematopoiesis.
Sanofi Canada announced that Health Canada has approved a new indication for Dupixent (dupilumab injection), for adults and adolescents 12 years and older. The new indication is an add-on maintenance treatment for severe asthma with a type 2 eosinophilic phenotype or oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma. Dupixent was first approved by the health agency in November 2017 for the treatment of adult patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis whose disease is not adequately controlled with topical prescription therapies or when those therapies are not advisable.
NATIONAL PHARMA CONGRESS WINTER WEBINAR
As announced during the final session of the 14th National Pharmaceutical Congress, plans are in the works for a winter webinar scheduled for Wednesday, February 10, 2021. Be sure to subscribe to the NPC HealthBiz Weekly for updates on the winter meeting.
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
David Renwick
Adapt Pharma Canada
Toronto
Editor’s note: David Renwick joined Adapt Pharma Canada as its Vice President and General Manager in 2016. Adapt Pharma Canada was acquired by Emergent BioSolutions in 2018.
Having built brands and businesses across numerous therapeutic areas for more than two decades, David Renwick, VP and General Manager at Adapt Pharma Canada, enjoys making a tangible, positive difference in people’s lives. That goal factored prominently in his decision to lead the start-up of Adapt Pharma in Canada in 2016 and bring Canadians access to NARCAN: a US FDA and Health Canada-approved naloxone nasal spray and opioid antagonist used to reverse known or suspected opioid overdose.
“The national opioid crisis is a pervasive public health emergency that touches more families every day,” says Renwick. “Many people are unaware they could even be impacted by an opioid overdose until the worst happens. Every day, our team works to make sure more Canadians are aware of and have access to a product that saves lives and gives second chances. It’s easy to feel good about that.”
Renwick takes pride in this latest chapter of his career that saw him establish Adapt Pharma’s national market access and footprint, develop every facet of the Canadian organization and its operations, and work with industry associations and the government to drive procurement and access. He has led Adapt Pharma Canada’s rapid transition into a successful and profitable business that became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Emergent BioSolutions in Oct. 2018.
When he graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a BA in Economics, a career in pharma was not in his plans. “A friend of my father’s worked at ICI before it became Zeneca,” recalls Renwick. “He suggested I try pharma sales which led to me joining the company and being mentored by Patricia Kotylak and later by Chuck Boulianne. That amounted to an invaluable education in sales and marketing.” When Zeneca later merged with Astra, Renwick took on a Senior Product Management role in the Respiratory medicines business where the company was already a large player. “I had the opportunity to lead the launch of Symbicort in Canada—the second global market to launch—and be coached by Laurie Armstrong who encouraged me to be innovative and to trust what I thought was best.” Symbicort went on to experience one of the most successful product launches in the history of the company and category.
After subsequent success while leading sales, business development, and marketing for Oryx Pharmaceuticals, Renwick founded BrandBuild Healthcare, a consulting firm that specialized in the commercialization of healthcare products and services in Canada and the US. “Helping clients such as Iroko Pharmaceuticals, Manna X Corporation, Alden Connectiv, and PharmaChat really helped me to expand my experience and gain a much wider range of commercial skills in the pharma industry,” says Renwick. “It established a broad foundation which I would eventually need to introduce Adapt Pharma and NARCAN in Canada. When that door opened, there was alignment on all fronts and it was something that I was genuinely passionate about, so I went for it.”
The passion is still there after three-and-a-half years working with NARCAN. “Honestly, I love that our team cares so passionately about what we’re doing. We are a nimble, entrepreneurial organization powered by a strong, creative team that is willing to challenge the status quo and try different things. I am humbled that my leadership has contributed to this in some way.”
NEXT WEEK
The 12/01 edition of NPC Healthbiz Weekly will feature Kevin Leshuk, a veteran Canadian Pharma exec, on planning for Pharma’s post-Covid future. 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 Tuesday.