Launching and selling pharmaceutical products in the UK healthcare market is a challenging and multifaceted process. The NHS is a vast and complex organisation, with a wide range of stakeholders who play critical roles in determining access to medicines. For analysts supporting pharmaceutical sales and market access teams, it is essential to have a clear understanding of these stakeholders, their priorities, and their information needs. This understanding is key to enabling effective engagement, ensuring successful product launches, and fostering long-term relationships.
In this blog post, we’ll delve into the types of NHS customers that pharmaceutical professionals engage with, their information requirements, and how open-source real-world data (RWD) can be used to meet these needs. We’ll also explore the distinct challenges and strategies involved in the launch phase and the growth phase of selling pharmaceutical products.
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Who Are the Key NHS Customers?
Pharmaceutical sales and market access professionals interact with a diverse range of NHS stakeholders, each with their own responsibilities, priorities, and decision-making processes. These stakeholders can be grouped into four broad categories: payors, clinical decision-makers, nurses, and management. Below, we’ll explore these roles in detail.
1. Payors
Payors are responsible for funding and commissioning healthcare services and medicines. They ensure that resources are allocated efficiently and that treatments deliver value for money. Key roles within this category include:
- Commissioners: Often part of Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), commissioners decide which services and treatments are funded for local populations. They focus on cost-effectiveness, population health outcomes, and alignment with national guidelines, such as those from NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence).
- Public Health Teams: These teams work to improve population health and prevent disease. They prioritise interventions that address health inequalities and reduce the burden of chronic conditions.
- Medicines Management Teams: These professionals oversee the safe, effective, and economical use of medicines within NHS organisations. They evaluate prescribing patterns, ensure formulary compliance, and assess new therapies for inclusion.
Information Needs:
Payors require robust evidence of cost-effectiveness, budget impact models, and data demonstrating how a product aligns with NHS priorities, such as reducing hospital admissions, improving quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), or addressing health inequalities.
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2. Clinical Decision-Makers
Clinicians are central to prescribing decisions and the delivery of patient care. Their influence on the adoption of new medicines is significant. Key roles include:
- Consultants and Specialists: Senior doctors who lead care in specific therapeutic areas, such as oncology, cardiology, or diabetes. They are often early adopters of innovative treatments but require strong clinical evidence to support their prescribing decisions.
- General Practitioners (GPs): GPs manage a broad range of conditions in primary care and act as gatekeepers to specialist services. They need concise, practical information about how a product benefits their patients and fits into existing care pathways.
- Pharmacists: Pharmacists, both in hospitals and the community, are involved in the practical implementation of prescribing decisions. They influence formulary inclusion, ensure safe use of medicines, and provide input on product usability.
Information Needs:
Clinicians require high-quality clinical trial data, real-world evidence of efficacy and safety, and clear guidance on how a product fits into treatment pathways. They also value tools such as patient case studies and decision aids that can simplify complex information.
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3. Nurses
Nurses play a vital role in the NHS, often acting as the bridge between patients and the wider healthcare team. Their involvement spans a wide range of settings, from hospitals to community care. Key roles include:
- Specialist Nurses: These nurses focus on specific conditions or therapeutic areas, such as oncology, diabetes, or respiratory care. They play a key role in educating patients, monitoring treatment adherence, and managing side effects.
- Practice Nurses: Working in GP surgeries, practice nurses support chronic disease management, administer vaccinations, and provide lifestyle advice. They are often involved in delivering patient care plans designed by GPs or consultants.
- Community Nurses: These nurses provide care in patients’ homes or community settings, often managing long-term conditions or post-hospital discharge care.
Information Needs:
Nurses need practical, patient-focused information, such as treatment administration guides, advice on managing side effects, and educational materials for patients. Their insights into patient experiences and adherence can be invaluable for pharmaceutical teams.
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4. NHS Management
NHS managers oversee the operational and financial performance of healthcare organisations. They are often involved in strategic decisions about service delivery and resource allocation. Key roles include:
- Hospital Managers: Responsible for managing budgets, staff, and service delivery within hospitals. They are interested in treatments that improve efficiency, reduce length of stay, or avoid costly complications.
- Service Development Leads: These professionals focus on redesigning care pathways to improve outcomes and reduce costs. They may evaluate new technologies or therapies for their potential to streamline services.
Information Needs:
Managers require evidence of operational benefits, such as reduced hospital admissions, shorter treatment times, or cost savings. They also value data on patient outcomes and resource utilisation to support business cases for adopting new treatments.
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The Role of Open-Source Real-World Data
Real-world data (RWD), derived from sources such as electronic health records, registries, and public datasets, is increasingly recognised as a valuable resource in pharmaceutical sales and market access. Open-source RWD, in particular, offers several advantages:
1. Demonstrating Local Relevance
NHS stakeholders often prioritise data that reflects their specific patient populations and healthcare settings. Open-source datasets, such as those from NHS England, Public Health England, or local Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), can provide insights into disease prevalence, treatment patterns, and health outcomes at a regional or local level. This helps pharmaceutical teams tailor their messaging to the unique needs of each customer.
2. Supporting Value Propositions
Payors and managers need evidence that a product delivers value for money. RWD can complement clinical trial data by demonstrating real-world effectiveness, cost savings, or health system efficiencies. For example, an analysis of hospital admissions data might show that a therapy reduces emergency visits, supporting its inclusion on formularies.
3. Building Credibility and Trust
NHS stakeholders are often sceptical of data provided solely by pharmaceutical companies. By incorporating open-source RWD into discussions, sales and market access teams can enhance their credibility and demonstrate a commitment to transparency.
4. Enabling Better Conversations
RWD can help pharmaceutical professionals ask better questions and engage in meaningful discussions with NHS customers. For example, rather than presenting generic data about a product’s benefits, teams can use local prescribing data to identify unmet needs or highlight disparities in care.
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The Launch Phase vs. The Growth Phase
The process of selling pharmaceutical products evolves significantly between the launch phase and the growth phase, requiring different strategies and approaches.
The Launch Phase
The launch phase is focused on gaining initial access and adoption. Key activities include:
Building Awareness: Educating NHS stakeholders about the product’s clinical benefits and cost-effectiveness.
- Overcoming Barriers to Access: Engaging with payors and medicines management teams to secure formulary inclusion and funding.
- Targeting Early Adopters: Identifying and engaging with consultants, specialists, and key opinion leaders (KOLs) who can champion the product.
The Growth Phase
Once the product is established, the growth phase focuses on expanding its use and sustaining access. Key activities include:
- Broadening Engagement: Engaging with a wider range of stakeholders, including GPs, practice nurses, and community pharmacists.
- Demonstrating Real-World Value: Using RWD to show how the product performs in real-world settings, addressing any concerns raised during the launch phase.
- Supporting Long-Term Adoption: Providing ongoing education, tools, and support to ensure the product remains a preferred choice.
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Conclusion and Call to Action
Understanding the diverse roles and information needs of NHS customers is essential for pharmaceutical sales and market access success. By leveraging open-source real-world data, analysts can help their teams build stronger relationships, address NHS priorities, and ultimately improve patient outcomes. Furthermore, recognising the distinct challenges of the launch and growth phases allows teams to adapt their strategies and maintain momentum throughout the product lifecycle.
At Eye4Health Ltd, we specialise in helping pharmaceutical companies navigate the complexities of the NHS, providing tailored insights and data-driven strategies to achieve success. Whether you’re preparing for a product launch or looking to sustain growth, our team can support you with expert analysis, stakeholder mapping, and real-world data solutions.
Contact Eye4Health Ltd today to learn how we can help your organisation build stronger relationships with NHS customers and unlock the full potential of your products. Together, we can make a difference in improving access to medicines and patient outcomes.
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