August 22, 2025 • 17 mins
Healthcare is undergoing a pricing revolution that will fundamentally transform how pharmaceutical companies connect with patients. The new Most Favored Nation model means Medicare will soon pay no more than the lowest price pharmaceutical companies charge in other developed nations – a dramatic shift from America's historical position as the world's most lucrative medication market.
What happens when price is no longer your competitive advantage? This pivotal moment demands pharmaceutical companies rethink their approach to patient relationships. With transparency revealing actual medication costs to both doctors and patients, and shocking statistics showing 57% of patients switch brands or abandon therapy within 90 days, maintaining loyalty becomes critical. The post-prescription experience – what happens after a patient leaves the pharmacy – emerges as the new battleground.
Digital engagement platforms like Medisafe are proving their worth as strategic assets in this changing landscape. By delivering personalized interventions at precisely the right moments, these solutions can improve adherence by 20-30% among active users. The most effective approaches create comprehensive ecosystems acknowledging that patients typically manage multiple medications simultaneously, offering integrated support that includes medication management, educational content, copay assistance, and direct communication channels with healthcare teams. When seven out of ten users engage daily, these platforms become powerful tools for preserving revenue and improving outcomes.
Forward-thinking pharmaceutical companies are already adapting their strategies, investing in U.S. manufacturing and accelerating adoption of digital patient support infrastructures. The fundamental question has shifted from how to launch successfully to how to foster lasting patient relationships throughout the entire treatment journey. When medications are priced similarly, the experience surrounding them becomes the true differentiator – transforming pharmaceutical companies from mere medication providers into genuine patient partners committed to better health outcomes.
PostScripts Rx is not intended to constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to influence prescribing decisions or any other medical or clinical decision-making. All medical and clinical judgment and decision-making, prescribing decisions, and all related considerations remain exclusively the responsibility of providers and patients.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 0 (00:00):
Welcome to Postscripts, the podcast
exploring what happens after thefirst prescription.
We cover the latest innovationsin patient access, support,
digital tools, HCP engagementand pharma marketing that drive,
we hope, better outcomes forpatients.
This podcast is forinformational purposes only and
does not constitute the givingout of any medical advice or
should it be used to influenceany clinical decision-making.
(00:22):
Patients should always consulttheir healthcare professionals.
Welcome to the podcast.
My name is Brian Carr from theMedisave team, and although any
opinions expressed here areexpressly my own and not those
of Medisave or its partners.
So let's take a look at the newpricing paradigm.
This is pharma's pivotal moment.
With the recent executiveorders by the administration,
they're invoking what they'recalling a most favored nation
(00:44):
pricing model for prescriptiondrugs.
Here in the United States thisis outlined in the Making
America Healthy Again initiativeand covered by CNBC and others
where this is under the MFNmodel, which is the most-favored
nation, that Medicare plans andthe patients for them would pay
no more than the lowest price.
The pharmaceutical companiesare charging in other developed
(01:05):
nations, such as Germany, canada, uk, et cetera, and that sounds
great for patients in thesystem at face value.
But look for pharmamanufacturers it could have a
seismic impact on the revenuestructures, their future
commercialization strategies.
So in today's episode we reallywant to explore how the new
pricing policy in thisenvironment could accelerate the
urgency for pharma to reallydouble down on brand loyalty,
(01:28):
right.
So patient persistence and evendigital engagement to keep that
loyalty top notch, and patientsupport.
So we're going to dive intotools and digital platforms like
Medisafe and others and reallycan help pharmaceutical brands
maintain their relevance andrevenue amid real volatile but
really competitive pricing formedications, right.
(01:49):
So a couple of things.
Also in the executive ordersthat were put out by the White
House, some other things didn'tget as reported as much.
One of them is the transparencyof medical records.
So what this means is pharmawill now have well, not pharma
necessarily, but doctors, hcps,patients will have much more
transparency into what theactual retail price of the
(02:10):
medication is and being chargedthrough Medicare to the patients
.
So right now, doctors don'tknow how much medications
necessarily cost when theyprescribe them.
They're actually going to seethose results.
You can imagine patients aswell are going to see those
prices and say perhaps, hey,no-transcript, and I know I'm
(02:51):
not going to.
I've already been taking themedication for a while.
There's no reason for me toswitch.
I don't feel side effects etcetera, et cetera.
Right, so you may have thatincreased need for a farmer,
push that.
But we're calling the postscript.
After that script is filled,it's not necessarily going to be
all about the new prescriptionsbeing filled now and that's
your metric and your KPI goingforward.
If you're a brand manager, it'sgoing to pricing that loyalty
(03:13):
could actually have.
It has an impact now, obviously, that persistence and adherence
, which translates into brandloyalty, but putting more effort
and perhaps marketing effortinto protecting that market
share in a price war environmentis definitely going to come to
the fore.
So you know the US ishistorically the world's most
lucrative market for medicationsales.
You know the US pays on average, depending who you talk with.
(03:35):
You know Congressional BudgetOffice reports it's two and a
half times more for prescriptiondrugs on average than other
high income countries.
So you know if you reference inthe end.
The other thing that wentunreported was in the EU trade
agreement that was reached withthe administration.
They actually opened up abullet point in their
announcement that the US would,for the first time ever, follow
(03:58):
the pricing protocols that arealready in place in Europe where
European countries look aroundto the neighboring countries for
the pricing impact right andwhat they think they should be
paying in their country for themedications.
That's something the US hasalways resisted.
They did not compare pricesworldwide for their own US-based
medication pricing, but whathappened was in the EU trade
agreement for tariffs they wentthrough.
(04:19):
Keep an eye on what they'resaying about drug pricing in
particular, because they'vealready put in that they will
open up the U?
S to also look at the prices inall the developed nations.
That was something that wasnever, never done in the past,
and now is wide open as a, as astandard right.
The no-transcript loyalty playwhen patients really have
(05:09):
generic or biosimilar optionsbut they're priced similarly
across the board, right.
So there's two things here.
One, if one medication ispriced significantly lower and
you're seeing campaigns and adsfor that, hey, why don't you
switch over to this medication?
It's a lower price but you'reused to the one you have, you're
comfortable with the one youhave.
You want that brand loyaltyright, and we see that.
You know, in the United Stateswe'll see it all the time.
(05:30):
You can go to a for a homeshopping, you can go to a Home
Depot or you can go to a Lowe's.
You reasons, right, you really,you know, ideally maybe they're
same on some things, but theremay be things that one company
carries that the other onedoesn't.
So we see that all the time inthe US and there's reasons why
brand loyalty is such a bigcomponent of our culture here.
Right, you know it's been achallenging concept when you
(05:51):
transfer that into pharma.
Right, patients really don'tchoose their meds, right, like
they choose their smartphone ortheir you know, their home,
whether they go to Home Depot orLowe's.
Right, but with today'scommoditization is what it is.
On pricing, you know it could bethat you want to create a
meaning, more meaningfulrelationship with patients is
going to become a strategicimperative.
When you look at the, there's areport by the Drug Channels
(06:14):
Institute that came out in 2023,and it said that up to 57% of
US patients switch their brandsor drop therapy within 90 days
of getting new prescription.
Right, so for therapies thatkeep relying on those refill
rates, this can be a crisis ofcontinuity.
Now the issue there is some ofthat's already baked into
forecasting for pharma modelsand brand managers.
They'll tell you that, right, alot of it is about we want to
(06:36):
get new prescriptions in,because we've already built into
the model.
While we know there may be somechurn after 90 days, that's a
historical trend.
However, the brand protectionand market share to go address
that churn is going to nowincrease in value if the pricing
is now a variable that peopleare putting into account.
So you know, pharma has longprioritized market access,
prioritize market access, butwhen you consider it in this new
(06:58):
landscape on pricing, a realdifferentiator could lie in
post-prescription support, andwe know that.
We see that at Medisafe,because we see that successful
patient outcomes it's not justdelivering the pill, it's about
aligning the right behaviors,getting the right nudges at just
the right time for certainpatients, very highly
personalized, based on billionsof data points.
(07:20):
We've collected, at over 10years, anonymous data points
from people on certainmedications.
We know exactly what trends towatch out for and give different
nudges at different times thatwe know will be more effective
to keep patients on treatment.
So you know we've got a digitalcompanions and other platforms
that you may speak to this aswell.
We've got plenty of different.
One of our major differentiators, though, is our adjusted time
(07:42):
interventions right.
So, because we have such alarge data set.
We've actually done lots oftesting and optimization based
on the best and most effectiveways to communicate with
patients who may have fallen offtreatment, or also you know
they need to refill right, so wehave got many you know alerts
and you want to make sure refillis a crucial time for patients,
so you're getting them at theright time.
You've got 10 days to refill,et cetera, et cetera.
(08:03):
Make sure you do it.
So that result is massiveengagement.
I will tell you, in ourplatform, of those people who
visit us on a monthly basis,seven out of 10 are engaging at
least once a day.
So more often than not, they'redoing more.
They're on five or sixdifferent medications, managing
them throughout the day.
So what you see?
There is deeper engagement.
You're going to have higherrefill rates if you engage
(08:24):
patients after that script.
And, frankly, you can get astronger emotional affinity with
a particular brand if pricesare equal across all
alternatives.
Why?
Well, you may have, especiallyfor rare disease.
You have a major patientsupport system that's supporting
patients.
I mean, especially for raredisease.
You have a major patientsupport system that's supporting
patients and you know that.
Hey, you can tap within yourdigital environment and you can
get right in touch with yourpatient support program
(08:45):
caregiver, nurse, like that.
Hey, I've got a question aboutmy refills.
I need to re-auth.
You know you've got digitalcopay cards now that are
involved in the Medisaveplatform.
I'm going to actually tell youwhat your balance is in your
copay card.
Is in your copay card?
If it's running low, you cantap, talk to your patient
support team.
Hey, I've got another refilldue, but it looks like my copay
card has run out.
Can you do anything to help mein that support?
(09:05):
So that type of engagement iscertainly going to be enhanced
with price controls, right, andreally deliver ROI for pharma
partners, because obviously it'seasier to keep someone on path
on medications and have thosebetter impacts than we all hope
happen as opposed to well, giveme a reason to switch.
And I've heard about this othermedication that doesn't cost as
much, right?
So you know the wholeacquisition cost model.
(09:28):
You know it's tougher to moreexpensive to acquire a new
patient than it is to actuallykeep on treatment, and that's
going to be a lot more of afocus when we talk about brand
loyalty, which is really myworld.
Persistence, adherence Are theystaying on their meds on a daily
and hourly basis.
Right, this, you know.
Over 50% of the patients only50% take them as prescribed.
We know that data right.
(09:51):
And it can cost the healthcaresystem over $300 billion in the
US a year.
We've all seen that statistic,right, you know, for
non-adherence.
So you know it's avoidable.
That's an avoidable expensethat we, you know, we see at
Medisafe and that's according tothe WHO.
If people just keep adherent totheir medications, those impacts
that come later down the roadfor not taking their medications
can be sizable right.
And the other challenge is onaverage, brands lose 80% of
their patients in those firstsix months of therapy if they
(10:14):
don't have effective supportinterventions, especially for
certain medications.
And this comes from Capgemini,there's a report on that and
I'll link to that in the shownotes.
So when you think, everyadditional refill equates to
meaningful revenue retentionmargins for the pharmacist, but
also, we hope and we trust,better impacts for patients
because we know they'rerefilling their meds, they're
taking them on time and they'reengaging and adhering and being
(10:37):
persisting on the medications,the way they're all designed.
This is why you're going to seea much higher increase on
patient support, digitalengagement programs.
They really are going to startbeing reviewed as revenue
preservation engines, really asa strategic competency.
(11:08):
We're already seeing it now.
I can attest to that digitaltransformation.
It's often always focused on,like simplifying the CRM model,
optimizing, you know, the salesteam field force engagement,
which is still there.
But now pharma is going to beinvolving we already see it
their digital proficiency intotrue patient-centric ecosystems.
Right, and you know thechallenge here for pharma is you
(11:32):
can't.
I think gone are the days andwe've seen this across the board
where you can simply put oneapp out there for your single
brand and trust that patientstaking five other medications
which is, on average, what wesee at Medisafe are actually
going to integrate with that onebrand, when they also have to
manage five other medicationsthat aren't referenced in that
specific brand app, right.
So let me download it.
Nice to have it on their phone.
If they have any reference forthis new medication they're on,
but they're not going to engageon a regular basis and message
(11:54):
with you on a as-needed basis ina way where they're taking six
other medications and they're ona single platform.
That's managing all that, right.
So you know, when you havepersonalized educational modules
, they got tailored to thediagnosis, the diagnosis stage?
Are they onboarding?
Are they on a deep titration?
Week two hey, you need to taketwo doses of this med now, not
(12:14):
one right and then integratedco-pay support as well.
That's going to be primarily ahuge value now going forward for
pharma teams.
You know, with Medisave we'vegot more than 13 million people
installs of the app.
You know we're in 157 countriesand territories and you know 27
(12:34):
language, so that's going tomatter as well.
You speak to people the waydigital platforms can do it in
ROI strong basis and in the waythat they want to be contacted
to, at the right time and usingthe right method.
And you know, with our platform, we're seeing anywhere from a
20 to 30 percent adherence forcertain programs we're doing at
Pharma Partners and that'sactive users that we have on the
medication and they may beenrolling in pharma programs as
well.
And when you embed digitaltools like that into the therapy
(12:56):
journey, it's a natural part ofpeople's day, especially, like
I said, on our platform.
People are engaging at leastonce a day seven out of 10
people who come on a on amonthly basis to Medisafe right.
So you're shaping theirexperience, their support.
You can send them surveys.
How are you doing on your meds.
And the best thing aboutMedisafe is the patients use it
in an anonymous fashion if theylike.
If they want, they could set upan account.
(13:17):
We encourage that so that theycan.
You know, if they lose theirphone or they buy a new phone,
their account can be transferredover with all their data.
Otherwise they lose it, butthey have the option to stay
anonymous as well.
So we're getting a lot of thatdata in that.
We know, not only in a specificmedication but also competitor
medications as well, if they'reswitching over.
We're going to be able toaddress when people switch over
when is their most likelihood ontime and a trend that we see if
(13:41):
they're going to switch to acompeting medication and you can
imagine a scenario wheremessaging can be sent ahead of
that switch to patients when,for example, their copay balance
is going to a certain level orwhatever it is to keep them on
brand and to increase that brandloyalty and a supported patient
feels really confident and canbe proactive with the brand and
(14:03):
you can anticipate thosechallenges ahead of time and
message patients.
Hey, I was just about to reachout to you because I heard blah,
blah, blah and in certaindigital platforms like Medisafe,
instead of having the supportteam constantly reaching out,
you can actually havebi-directional support.
So on our platform they can hey, now I need to talk to a nurse
or my support team tap I have anissue, or hey, I just ran out
(14:23):
or I see something's going on.
That bi-directionalcommunication, which doesn't
exist necessarily with othersolutions, is key and we see it
definitely have an impact on alack of abandonment on scripts.
So, ultimately, that patientexperience is really becoming a
battleground and you know,digital loyalty infrastructure
is really what we would call akey moat around that market
(14:44):
share.
So, as we see, pharma companieskeep an eye out for them,
preparing to really supportdigital solutions.
With this MFN status, again,there's a September 29 deadline
that's supposed to happen.
That may obviously get extendedthrough whether it's legal
things, also through otherdelays.
I think part of what we seewith the tariffs.
As long as countries wereengaging and trying to work with
(15:06):
solutions, some deadlines couldbe overlooked as things were
progressing with certain pharmacompanies and we're already
seeing some pharma companiesagreeing to more investment.
In the United States We've gota $50 billion investment by one
company, including a newproduction plant in the Virginia
area.
We've got sizable priceincreases that we're seeing on
the GLP-1s happening in Europe.
So you are seeing somefluctuations in the market
(15:28):
already as a result of what theWhite House has put out with
their executive orders.
So you know we see pharmacompanies, we see it here.
I can tell you that they're nowinvesting in solutions that
really secure that patientloyalty and, you know, reinforce
persistence and adherence andyou know you're making those
experiences, especially ifyou're getting on a new rare
medication.
Try to get that onboarding ascomfortable as possible and be
(15:51):
there as a support system,whether digitally or, you know,
with a nurse and support team tohave a top notch with the
patients there.
And the other point there isyou know you're with a patient
support team.
You may be supporting 20% ofthe whole patient population
there and the 80% of thepopulation you want to make sure
they're doing okay too.
So the regular check-ins can behelpful as well with digital
solutions, very ROI compatibleand it can enhance ROI because
(16:13):
you're still touching base withthe remainder of the population
that may not be as acutelytalking with their support team.
The way we say, the top 20% areright.
So when you look at thatenvironment of tighter
reimbursement as well, becausereimbursement rates are going to
be tied to patient efficacy,which they always are and they
are now.
But when that loyalty is evenmore of a, when the patient
(16:33):
length of on and at medicationis being increased, because one
of the variables is loyalty andthey're staying on the
medication longer, therefore theefficacy can be there as well,
so is that environment on thatreimbursement based on that is
going to be even more powerfulgoing forward than it is now.
Consider the digital solutionslike Medisafe and others, with
support teams that areprotecting brand market share
(16:55):
and relevance.
That's for sure, and reallywe're seeing it now.
That's for sure, and reallywe're seeing it now.
Now's the time for Palmerreally re-imagining what that
brand value means after thefirst script and launch and
really keeping patients onlonger and how they do that in
effective ways.
It's student feedback.
If you like the podcast, pleaselike and subscribe.
Thanks so much for coming intoday.
Have a great day, everyone.
Bye.
Welcome to Postscripts, the podcast
exploring what happens after thefirst prescription.
We cover the latest innovationsin patient access, support,
digital tools, HCP engagementand pharma marketing that drive,
we hope, better outcomes forpatients.
This podcast is forinformational purposes only and
does not constitute the givingout of any medical advice or
should it be used to influenceany clinical decision-making.
(00:22):
Patients should always consulttheir healthcare professionals.
Welcome to the podcast.
My name is Brian Carr from theMedisave team, and although any
opinions expressed here areexpressly my own and not those
of Medisave or its partners.
So let's take a look at the newpricing paradigm.
This is pharma's pivotal moment.
With the recent executiveorders by the administration,
they're invoking what they'recalling a most favored nation
(00:44):
pricing model for prescriptiondrugs.
Here in the United States thisis outlined in the Making
America Healthy Again initiativeand covered by CNBC and others
where this is under the MFNmodel, which is the most-favored
nation, that Medicare plans andthe patients for them would pay
no more than the lowest price.
The pharmaceutical companiesare charging in other developed
(01:05):
nations, such as Germany, canada, uk, et cetera, and that sounds
great for patients in thesystem at face value.
But look for pharmamanufacturers it could have a
seismic impact on the revenuestructures, their future
commercialization strategies.
So in today's episode we reallywant to explore how the new
pricing policy in thisenvironment could accelerate the
urgency for pharma to reallydouble down on brand loyalty,
(01:28):
right.
So patient persistence and evendigital engagement to keep that
loyalty top notch, and patientsupport.
So we're going to dive intotools and digital platforms like
Medisafe and others and reallycan help pharmaceutical brands
maintain their relevance andrevenue amid real volatile but
really competitive pricing formedications, right.
(01:49):
So a couple of things.
Also in the executive ordersthat were put out by the White
House, some other things didn'tget as reported as much.
One of them is the transparencyof medical records.
So what this means is pharmawill now have well, not pharma
necessarily, but doctors, hcps,patients will have much more
transparency into what theactual retail price of the
(02:10):
medication is and being chargedthrough Medicare to the patients
.
So right now, doctors don'tknow how much medications
necessarily cost when theyprescribe them.
They're actually going to seethose results.
You can imagine patients aswell are going to see those
prices and say perhaps, hey,no-transcript, and I know I'm
(02:51):
not going to.
I've already been taking themedication for a while.
There's no reason for me toswitch.
I don't feel side effects etcetera, et cetera.
Right, so you may have thatincreased need for a farmer,
push that.
But we're calling the postscript.
After that script is filled,it's not necessarily going to be
all about the new prescriptionsbeing filled now and that's
your metric and your KPI goingforward.
If you're a brand manager, it'sgoing to pricing that loyalty
(03:13):
could actually have.
It has an impact now, obviously, that persistence and adherence
, which translates into brandloyalty, but putting more effort
and perhaps marketing effortinto protecting that market
share in a price war environmentis definitely going to come to
the fore.
So you know the US ishistorically the world's most
lucrative market for medicationsales.
You know the US pays on average, depending who you talk with.
(03:35):
You know Congressional BudgetOffice reports it's two and a
half times more for prescriptiondrugs on average than other
high income countries.
So you know if you reference inthe end.
The other thing that wentunreported was in the EU trade
agreement that was reached withthe administration.
They actually opened up abullet point in their
announcement that the US would,for the first time ever, follow
(03:58):
the pricing protocols that arealready in place in Europe where
European countries look aroundto the neighboring countries for
the pricing impact right andwhat they think they should be
paying in their country for themedications.
That's something the US hasalways resisted.
They did not compare pricesworldwide for their own US-based
medication pricing, but whathappened was in the EU trade
agreement for tariffs they wentthrough.
(04:19):
Keep an eye on what they'resaying about drug pricing in
particular, because they'vealready put in that they will
open up the U?
S to also look at the prices inall the developed nations.
That was something that wasnever, never done in the past,
and now is wide open as a, as astandard right.
The no-transcript loyalty playwhen patients really have
(05:09):
generic or biosimilar optionsbut they're priced similarly
across the board, right.
So there's two things here.
One, if one medication ispriced significantly lower and
you're seeing campaigns and adsfor that, hey, why don't you
switch over to this medication?
It's a lower price but you'reused to the one you have, you're
comfortable with the one youhave.
You want that brand loyaltyright, and we see that.
You know, in the United Stateswe'll see it all the time.
(05:30):
You can go to a for a homeshopping, you can go to a Home
Depot or you can go to a Lowe's.
You reasons, right, you really,you know, ideally maybe they're
same on some things, but theremay be things that one company
carries that the other onedoesn't.
So we see that all the time inthe US and there's reasons why
brand loyalty is such a bigcomponent of our culture here.
Right, you know it's been achallenging concept when you
(05:51):
transfer that into pharma.
Right, patients really don'tchoose their meds, right, like
they choose their smartphone ortheir you know, their home,
whether they go to Home Depot orLowe's.
Right, but with today'scommoditization is what it is.
On pricing, you know it could bethat you want to create a
meaning, more meaningfulrelationship with patients is
going to become a strategicimperative.
When you look at the, there's areport by the Drug Channels
(06:14):
Institute that came out in 2023,and it said that up to 57% of
US patients switch their brandsor drop therapy within 90 days
of getting new prescription.
Right, so for therapies thatkeep relying on those refill
rates, this can be a crisis ofcontinuity.
Now the issue there is some ofthat's already baked into
forecasting for pharma modelsand brand managers.
They'll tell you that, right, alot of it is about we want to
(06:36):
get new prescriptions in,because we've already built into
the model.
While we know there may be somechurn after 90 days, that's a
historical trend.
However, the brand protectionand market share to go address
that churn is going to nowincrease in value if the pricing
is now a variable that peopleare putting into account.
So you know, pharma has longprioritized market access,
prioritize market access, butwhen you consider it in this new
(06:58):
landscape on pricing, a realdifferentiator could lie in
post-prescription support, andwe know that.
We see that at Medisafe,because we see that successful
patient outcomes it's not justdelivering the pill, it's about
aligning the right behaviors,getting the right nudges at just
the right time for certainpatients, very highly
personalized, based on billionsof data points.
(07:20):
We've collected, at over 10years, anonymous data points
from people on certainmedications.
We know exactly what trends towatch out for and give different
nudges at different times thatwe know will be more effective
to keep patients on treatment.
So you know we've got a digitalcompanions and other platforms
that you may speak to this aswell.
We've got plenty of different.
One of our major differentiators, though, is our adjusted time
(07:42):
interventions right.
So, because we have such alarge data set.
We've actually done lots oftesting and optimization based
on the best and most effectiveways to communicate with
patients who may have fallen offtreatment, or also you know
they need to refill right, so wehave got many you know alerts
and you want to make sure refillis a crucial time for patients,
so you're getting them at theright time.
You've got 10 days to refill,et cetera, et cetera.
(08:03):
Make sure you do it.
So that result is massiveengagement.
I will tell you, in ourplatform, of those people who
visit us on a monthly basis,seven out of 10 are engaging at
least once a day.
So more often than not, they'redoing more.
They're on five or sixdifferent medications, managing
them throughout the day.
So what you see?
There is deeper engagement.
You're going to have higherrefill rates if you engage
(08:24):
patients after that script.
And, frankly, you can get astronger emotional affinity with
a particular brand if pricesare equal across all
alternatives.
Why?
Well, you may have, especiallyfor rare disease.
You have a major patientsupport system that's supporting
patients.
I mean, especially for raredisease.
You have a major patientsupport system that's supporting
patients and you know that.
Hey, you can tap within yourdigital environment and you can
get right in touch with yourpatient support program
(08:45):
caregiver, nurse, like that.
Hey, I've got a question aboutmy refills.
I need to re-auth.
You know you've got digitalcopay cards now that are
involved in the Medisaveplatform.
I'm going to actually tell youwhat your balance is in your
copay card.
Is in your copay card?
If it's running low, you cantap, talk to your patient
support team.
Hey, I've got another refilldue, but it looks like my copay
card has run out.
Can you do anything to help mein that support?
(09:05):
So that type of engagement iscertainly going to be enhanced
with price controls, right, andreally deliver ROI for pharma
partners, because obviously it'seasier to keep someone on path
on medications and have thosebetter impacts than we all hope
happen as opposed to well, giveme a reason to switch.
And I've heard about this othermedication that doesn't cost as
much, right?
So you know the wholeacquisition cost model.
(09:28):
You know it's tougher to moreexpensive to acquire a new
patient than it is to actuallykeep on treatment, and that's
going to be a lot more of afocus when we talk about brand
loyalty, which is really myworld.
Persistence, adherence Are theystaying on their meds on a daily
and hourly basis.
Right, this, you know.
Over 50% of the patients only50% take them as prescribed.
We know that data right.
(09:51):
And it can cost the healthcaresystem over $300 billion in the
US a year.
We've all seen that statistic,right, you know, for
non-adherence.
So you know it's avoidable.
That's an avoidable expensethat we, you know, we see at
Medisafe and that's according tothe WHO.
If people just keep adherent totheir medications, those impacts
that come later down the roadfor not taking their medications
can be sizable right.
And the other challenge is onaverage, brands lose 80% of
their patients in those firstsix months of therapy if they
(10:14):
don't have effective supportinterventions, especially for
certain medications.
And this comes from Capgemini,there's a report on that and
I'll link to that in the shownotes.
So when you think, everyadditional refill equates to
meaningful revenue retentionmargins for the pharmacist, but
also, we hope and we trust,better impacts for patients
because we know they'rerefilling their meds, they're
taking them on time and they'reengaging and adhering and being
(10:37):
persisting on the medications,the way they're all designed.
This is why you're going to seea much higher increase on
patient support, digitalengagement programs.
They really are going to startbeing reviewed as revenue
preservation engines, really asa strategic competency.
(11:08):
We're already seeing it now.
I can attest to that digitaltransformation.
It's often always focused on,like simplifying the CRM model,
optimizing, you know, the salesteam field force engagement,
which is still there.
But now pharma is going to beinvolving we already see it
their digital proficiency intotrue patient-centric ecosystems.
Right, and you know thechallenge here for pharma is you
(11:32):
can't.
I think gone are the days andwe've seen this across the board
where you can simply put oneapp out there for your single
brand and trust that patientstaking five other medications
which is, on average, what wesee at Medisafe are actually
going to integrate with that onebrand, when they also have to
manage five other medicationsthat aren't referenced in that
specific brand app, right.
So let me download it.
Nice to have it on their phone.
If they have any reference forthis new medication they're on,
but they're not going to engageon a regular basis and message
(11:54):
with you on a as-needed basis ina way where they're taking six
other medications and they're ona single platform.
That's managing all that, right.
So you know, when you havepersonalized educational modules
, they got tailored to thediagnosis, the diagnosis stage?
Are they onboarding?
Are they on a deep titration?
Week two hey, you need to taketwo doses of this med now, not
(12:14):
one right and then integratedco-pay support as well.
That's going to be primarily ahuge value now going forward for
pharma teams.
You know, with Medisave we'vegot more than 13 million people
installs of the app.
You know we're in 157 countriesand territories and you know 27
(12:34):
language, so that's going tomatter as well.
You speak to people the waydigital platforms can do it in
ROI strong basis and in the waythat they want to be contacted
to, at the right time and usingthe right method.
And you know, with our platform, we're seeing anywhere from a
20 to 30 percent adherence forcertain programs we're doing at
Pharma Partners and that'sactive users that we have on the
medication and they may beenrolling in pharma programs as
well.
And when you embed digitaltools like that into the therapy
(12:56):
journey, it's a natural part ofpeople's day, especially, like
I said, on our platform.
People are engaging at leastonce a day seven out of 10
people who come on a on amonthly basis to Medisafe right.
So you're shaping theirexperience, their support.
You can send them surveys.
How are you doing on your meds.
And the best thing aboutMedisafe is the patients use it
in an anonymous fashion if theylike.
If they want, they could set upan account.
(13:17):
We encourage that so that theycan.
You know, if they lose theirphone or they buy a new phone,
their account can be transferredover with all their data.
Otherwise they lose it, butthey have the option to stay
anonymous as well.
So we're getting a lot of thatdata in that.
We know, not only in a specificmedication but also competitor
medications as well, if they'reswitching over.
We're going to be able toaddress when people switch over
when is their most likelihood ontime and a trend that we see if
(13:41):
they're going to switch to acompeting medication and you can
imagine a scenario wheremessaging can be sent ahead of
that switch to patients when,for example, their copay balance
is going to a certain level orwhatever it is to keep them on
brand and to increase that brandloyalty and a supported patient
feels really confident and canbe proactive with the brand and
(14:03):
you can anticipate thosechallenges ahead of time and
message patients.
Hey, I was just about to reachout to you because I heard blah,
blah, blah and in certaindigital platforms like Medisafe,
instead of having the supportteam constantly reaching out,
you can actually havebi-directional support.
So on our platform they can hey, now I need to talk to a nurse
or my support team tap I have anissue, or hey, I just ran out
(14:23):
or I see something's going on.
That bi-directionalcommunication, which doesn't
exist necessarily with othersolutions, is key and we see it
definitely have an impact on alack of abandonment on scripts.
So, ultimately, that patientexperience is really becoming a
battleground and you know,digital loyalty infrastructure
is really what we would call akey moat around that market
(14:44):
share.
So, as we see, pharma companieskeep an eye out for them,
preparing to really supportdigital solutions.
With this MFN status, again,there's a September 29 deadline
that's supposed to happen.
That may obviously get extendedthrough whether it's legal
things, also through otherdelays.
I think part of what we seewith the tariffs.
As long as countries wereengaging and trying to work with
(15:06):
solutions, some deadlines couldbe overlooked as things were
progressing with certain pharmacompanies and we're already
seeing some pharma companiesagreeing to more investment.
In the United States We've gota $50 billion investment by one
company, including a newproduction plant in the Virginia
area.
We've got sizable priceincreases that we're seeing on
the GLP-1s happening in Europe.
So you are seeing somefluctuations in the market
(15:28):
already as a result of what theWhite House has put out with
their executive orders.
So you know we see pharmacompanies, we see it here.
I can tell you that they're nowinvesting in solutions that
really secure that patientloyalty and, you know, reinforce
persistence and adherence andyou know you're making those
experiences, especially ifyou're getting on a new rare
medication.
Try to get that onboarding ascomfortable as possible and be
(15:51):
there as a support system,whether digitally or, you know,
with a nurse and support team tohave a top notch with the
patients there.
And the other point there isyou know you're with a patient
support team.
You may be supporting 20% ofthe whole patient population
there and the 80% of thepopulation you want to make sure
they're doing okay too.
So the regular check-ins can behelpful as well with digital
solutions, very ROI compatibleand it can enhance ROI because
(16:13):
you're still touching base withthe remainder of the population
that may not be as acutelytalking with their support team.
The way we say, the top 20% areright.
So when you look at thatenvironment of tighter
reimbursement as well, becausereimbursement rates are going to
be tied to patient efficacy,which they always are and they
are now.
But when that loyalty is evenmore of a, when the patient
(16:33):
length of on and at medicationis being increased, because one
of the variables is loyalty andthey're staying on the
medication longer, therefore theefficacy can be there as well,
so is that environment on thatreimbursement based on that is
going to be even more powerfulgoing forward than it is now.
Consider the digital solutionslike Medisafe and others, with
support teams that areprotecting brand market share
(16:55):
and relevance.
That's for sure, and reallywe're seeing it now.
That's for sure, and reallywe're seeing it now.
Now's the time for Palmerreally re-imagining what that
brand value means after thefirst script and launch and
really keeping patients onlonger and how they do that in
effective ways.
It's student feedback.
If you like the podcast, pleaselike and subscribe.
Thanks so much for coming intoday.
Have a great day, everyone.
Bye.
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