Report reveals increase in patients influence on success, failure of new drugs

Patients are emerging as an increasingly strong group when it comes to influencing the success and failure of new drugs - according to a newly published New Health Report commissioned by Quintiles to gauge the opinions of biopharma executives, managed care executives and patients, and to track progress in the New Health.

“The era of biopharma companies targeting physicians as the primary consumer is shifting as patients play an increasingly important role in drug development”

"New Health" is how Quintiles describes the fast-morphing world of biopharma, where companies are under relentless pressure to drive innovation and add value to drug development while continuing to enhance safety, ethics and stewardship.

"The era of biopharma companies targeting physicians as the primary consumer is shifting as patients play an increasingly important role in drug development," said Dipti Amin, M.D., Chief Compliance Officer at Quintiles. "Although patients may not yet fully understand their level of influence, many biopharma executives are taking notice. They are addressing the quality, accessibility and cost concerns of the population through the delivery of drugs that safely and reliably address critical healthcare issues."

According to the survey, almost one third (32%) of biopharmaceutical executives think patients will be very or extremely influential in the success or failure of new drug therapies over the next five years. In stark contrast, only 11% of patients feel they will influence which new prescription drugs are available over that same time period.

The survey also reveals that the perception of how patients demonstrate influence varies considerably between biopharma executives and patients themselves. Only 6% of biopharma executives feel that patients show their influence most by choosing lifestyle or holistic approaches, despite 45% of patients who report they have made lifestyle changes within the past five years to avoid taking prescription drugs.

"This misalignment speaks volumes about biopharma's challenge to better understand patients and their perception of the value of prescription drugs in order to address the needs of this increasingly influential stakeholder group," added Amin.

Additional findings from The New Health Report include:

• What is the impact of the rise in generics? - Almost half (46%) of biopharma executives believe a worsening of public health is likely if generics continue to gain market share.
• What do patients think of patent protection? - Nearly all biopharma executives (99%) and three-quarters (75%) of patients feel patent protection is important in promoting the development of new drug therapies. However, nearly one third (30%) of patients believe that drug companies should never be the only company that can make and sell a drug.
• What should be the therapeutic area of greatest focus? Biopharma executives, managed care executives and patients all agree that oncology should be the therapeutic area of greatest focus in the next five years.
• Which cancer should be a top priority? - Among patients, more than one in three (35%) feel breast cancer should be the priority focus, followed by lung cancer (16%) and leukemia (13%).