3 Trends That Will Shape Pharma Marketing in 2022

Last year around this time, when we shared a peek at our 2021 trends report, we told Playbook readers that – in terms of the pandemic and the changes it brought to life and business – “we’re not out of the woods yet.” Things are settling down into a new rhythm, but let’s be honest: That statement still holds. We have no idea when “this” will end, but it’s safe to say things will not go back to the way they were. The good news is that even though COVID-19 is still with us, we’ve gotten better at managing rapid change and flexing to meet whatever comes next.

Speaking of what’s next, once again, we’re pleased to share with you a peek at this year’s trends report. For this edition of Playbook, we’ve picked three trends to highlight, so you can stay at the top of your marketing game.

Digital Medicine

At the crossroads of computer technology and drug development, digital therapeutics have become a fully-fledged part of healthcare – and full competitors to traditional medications. In fact, in February 2020, clinicaltrials.gov showed ~460 wearables studies underway – and, according to Kaiser Associates and Intel, 70% of clinical trials will incorporate some type of wearable sensors by 2025. What’s more, 38% of U.S. adults say they would spend a lot of money on wearable technology that detects potential health issues.

“We’re seeing, and expecting, increased pharma partnership with wearable technology,” says Sean Hartigan, SVP, Strategic Planning, Intouch Group. “It’s being demonstrated more and more that we can improve patient health through ongoing monitoring. Pharma alliances with wearable providers offer a new service and a health benefit. There’s also the potential for associated increased brand equity in these partnerships.”

Inequity & Inclusion

The 2020s will, ideally, continue what 2020 and 2021 began, in acknowledging and addressing inequality, racism, poverty, and a lack of diversity. The conversation is louder and broader, but the need for real change remains great, especially in healthcare where it’s literally life or death.

Some industry efforts working to uncover, quantify, and address inequity in healthcare and healthcare marketing include Health4Equity, a three-year effort to track and act on healthcare inequities, including COVID-19 vaccination, Black maternal health, and prostate-cancer screening. The Conscious Language Guide helps HCPs find ways to eliminate carelessly hurtful language and improve the degree of empathy with which they communicate. The Chrysalis Initiative, an Intouch client, equips Black women and other disparate groups with mentoring and resources to disrupt the disparities these women face too often in breast cancer care.

“Inequities remain in health access, to clinical trials, diversity, inclusion, and belonging,” says Stewart Young, SVP, Strategic Planning, Intouch Proto. “Leaders are growing along their personal journeys of awareness, understanding, empathy, and sensitivity. But there’s work to do.”

Patient Empowerment

Whether it’s managing care, tracking health records, attending telehealth appointments, self-monitoring, adjusting privacy preferences, crowdsourcing recommendations for providers or treatment, the patient has power like never before.

“The patient is in the driver’s seat,” notes Intouch Group innovation director Linda O’Neill. “There is so much integration, the patient must have a voice and own control of their data. Pharma needs to advocate for this, not against it.”

It’s also important to keep in mind the practicalities of the prescribing chain. Even an empowered patient, who understands the treatment options available to them, may find themselves with a prescription that is unaffordable to them. Which means that increasingly, payers are an important factor in all that we do.

More Trends, More Insights

As we said in the beginning, what we’ve covered here is just a bite-size piece of the 2022 trends we’ve compiled. To learn more, about the trends we touched on in this edition, along with those we didn’t cover – including empathy and mental health, the new hybrid world, and the ongoing changes the pandemic continues to bring to how the world does business, plus actions you can take for each, get the complete POV here.