Why study HCP reactions to new data releases at conferences?
Whether you are a newcomer to a disease state, an established force in the market, or even an interested outsider, it is not enough to just know the treatment landscape as it is. You have to know what is coming up in the field and to be in the midst of the innovation that drives every therapeutic area forward. Of course, manufacturers participate in this innovation most directly through clinical trials. However, as treatments continue to be developed and researched, understanding how new data is being socialized among professionals can provide valuable insights into the future of the market landscape.
Fortunately, we can capture the socialization of and reaction to new data at the many professional conferences that occur every year for all manner of disease states. By assessing providers’ thoughts on new data, we can better understand how it could impact their practices and decision-making.
What do we study at conferences?
At most medical conferences, new data about treatments naturally take center stage, and inVibe’s new data intelligence studies often use these abstracts as stimuli. However, it would be reductive to say that we are truly studying the abstracts themselves. Our job is to gauge reactions to these abstracts from the HCPs who might (or might not) eventually act on that information. In our experience, the best way to elicit those reactions is to simply get these HCPs talking, which inVibe’s voice response methodology is built to do.
As a result, we have a very straightforward process for developing a new data intelligence study to fit the client’s needs. First, we collaborate with the manufacturer to see what abstracts they most want to gauge reactions to, whether their own treatments or potential competitors. Then, we design our study around those abstracts in order to get at the heart of whatever strategic question we are trying to answer.
How do we carry out these studies?
Despite the straightforward process we use to build our new data intelligence studies, our methodology can be quite flexible to whatever will best serve the sponsor’s strategic needs. Abstract reactions are always a component of this research, but new data intelligence is also a golden opportunity to trace broader trends and attitudes driving current and future treatment decisions. With inVibe’s framework, we can balance our core goals of following reactions to new data and understanding the treatment landscape this new data is affecting. In addition, our flexibility means that we can emphasize one or the other goal in order to best serve your needs.
Abstract reactions
For our abstract-based new data intelligence research, we conduct the study immediately after the conference and allow HCPs to review the abstracts before and during their response. Our team designs the questions to allow HCPs to react to the abstract on its own terms and then put it in the context of their own practice.
This process allows us to gain a deeper understanding of when there are disconnects between positive study outcomes and a lack of any predicted impact, due to factors beyond the results themselves. Let’s think about oncology for an example. Perhaps a new treatment or endpoint being used is not accessible for all practice settings, or perhaps HCPs are already satisfied with a treatment regimen they currently prescribe and are uninterested in alternatives until it shows there is a mature, definitive advantage. We can uncover these less obvious issues simply by listening to these HCPs, and understanding both what they’re telling us and how they say it.
Impact to the treatment landscape
While we are more than capable of partnering with clients on treatment landscape work at any point in a treatment’s trajectory, perhaps one of the most compelling times to do this work is right when that landscape is shifting - when new data about treatments are released and discussed among professionals. At conferences, HCPs think about the future of their practice and interrogate their own strategies. While they are in this mindset, they can share some incredible insight with us outside of the context of abstract reactions.
We can ask HCPs about their current treatment strategy for a patient in a specific subpopulation, and their answer will always be useful in some way to you. However, when we ask this question as a part of conference intelligence, we can capture this answer while it is changing, which can sometimes provide a clearer strategic picture than if we were simply asking about the treatment itself. This is how we find pain points and insufficiencies in current practices, and we can hear how eager HCPs are for solutions that would resolve those problems. It’s not only a fascinating listen, but also an extremely valuable insight.
How do these studies work in a remote world?
One major advantage of inVibe’s study methodology is that it works regardless of whether the conference is held in person, remotely, or some hybrid of the two. HCPs attending a conference remotely can simply use the same tools they used to access the conference to participate in our studies. There is no need to stack travel pressures on top of existing stress for traveling attendees; all they have to do is call and share their thoughts. We can field, analyze and report quickly enough that the insights are still topical, significant, and valuable for any conference in any therapeutic area.
What’s next?
It is an exciting, if kinetic, time to be involved in the development of new treatments. Keeping up with the flow of information can be intimidating.
inVibe is uniquely poised to find the most important and actionable elements of new data, condense that information into a digestible format, and offer strategic partnership to stay on top of the shifting landscape. Whether you have questions about how prescribers react to new data or what priorities are driving their current strategies, we can work with you to answer them.
If you would like to know more, contact us.
