Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies have opened a whole new world for pharmaceutical companies’ commercial activities. Platforms like IQVIA’s Next Best ingest multiple streams of data from HCOs, HCPs and patients, process it, and give sales reps recommendations for the next engagement action to take. These recommendations take the guesswork out of HCP interactions and give pharma companies deeper customer insights to make effective outreach decisions with speed, accuracy, and confidence. With Next Best, sales reps can deliver personalized, seamless customer experiences where they reach the right HCPs with the most impactful message and content through their preferred channels at the optimal time.

In the U.S. and other markets, pharma companies can quickly and easily access large amounts of relevant data for fueling Next Best programs. But in the EU, pharma companies must take a different approach to data collection and analysis due to stricter privacy regulations and added complexities.

This blog shares some of IQVIA’s learnings from implementing Next Best programs in Europe and sheds light on specific approaches to analyzing data for AI-driven recommendations while maintaining compliance and protecting patient privacy.

From measuring engagement effectiveness to optimizing promotional spend across Germany, Belgium, and Sweden, a clear theme has emerged – pharma companies looking to modernize and elevate their outreach strategies must recruit vendors who have deep expertise and knowledge in navigating local regulations.

Machine learning provides insight while protecting patient privacy.

In 2018, the EU established the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which requires businesses to protect the personal data of any EU citizen. Under GDPR, consent requests for the use of patient data must be easy to understand, easy to access, and clearly define how personal data will be used. The data must also be anonymized to protect the patient’s identity, meaning IQVIA and its customers can’t link patients with doctors. Several countries have also established their own laws that limit access to physician- and patient-level data, including Germany’s Statute for Secure Digital Communication and Applications in the Health Sector.

Because of these strict and complex rules, some healthcare companies are hesitant to use AI and ML technologies for commercial insights, but it is our experience that they are missing out on valuable insights.

AI/ML algorithms that power Next Best recommendations can analyze various kinds of data to provide critical engagement insights without compromising privacy laws. IQVIA can run a series of models on the lowest available granularity, such as specialty, and segments, and then combine the results to arrive at HCP-level recommendations. There are some exceptions, like the UK, where IQVIA may run models on the HCO level, and then aggregate results to comply with data privacy rules.

Commercial teams can leverage this decision intelligence to gain efficiencies and increase precision for marketing and sales strategies. They can achieve high-value results when they work with expert teams grounded in both the technology platforms and the regulations that govern data privacy.

Digital engagement channels deliver a high volume of objective data to fuel AI and ML.

Since the onset of COVID-19, reps have engaged with HCPs through more digital interactions which has substantially increased the volume and complexity of data available for analysis. Now that every HCP interaction is recorded digitally and in real-time, pharma companies have access to objective data on physician interest, engagement, and responsiveness that can be leveraged to design and refine their Next Best engine for greater sales productivity and customer satisfaction.

GERMANY: Measuring engagement effectiveness among physicians for greater personalization

A global pharma company recognized that the increased number of communication channels in their promotional campaigns was making it difficult to measure engagement effectiveness. To solve for this, the company partnered with IQVIA to deploy an AI/ML engine that answered questions about the impact of their commercial efforts among physicians across Germany.

The IQVIA analytics team created an algorithm that analyzed historical marketing activity and prescription data. The analysis adhered to Germany’s data privacy rules while still delivering actionable insights at an HCP segment level. The algorithm evaluated thousands of raw data input lines over three years, linking upticks in prescriptions to specific multi-channel marketing efforts.

With these actionable insights, the commercial team could predict sales from channel activities targeting specific HCP segments across their product portfolio. They harnessed these insights to:

• Craft future campaigns across different HCP segments and geographies
• Decide on future investment for non-personal channels
• Customize their marketing messages
• Determine level and frequency of contact for HCP segments
• Optimize resources across the product portfolio to drive increased prescription rates

UK: Optimizing promotional budget allocation by measuring HCP responsiveness to campaigns

A UK life sciences company recognized the need to improve the way their promotional budget was being allocated across campaigns. To solve for this, it needed to understand and measure HCP responsiveness to its outreach efforts.

IQVIA helped the company combine HCP-level promotional activity data with HCP-level prescription data. Customized machine learning techniques were then applied to measure HCP responsiveness and sensitivity scores to promotion tactics.

The results included:

• Sensitivity scores generated for each HCP to determine the Next Best customer
• Dynamic sensitivity scores that are updated as the campaign progresses
• Promotional optimization that tells the customer when to promote and who to target
• Early tracking, reporting, and adjustment of campaigns based on segment and geography
• Up to a 30% increase in promotional effectiveness

Sweden: Driving performance uplift across sales channels leveraging actionable recommendations

A Swedish life sciences company had multiple data assets available in IQVIA’s business intelligence solution, Orchestrated Analytics, including HCP-level touchpoints and subnational Rx sales performance. It wanted to apply advanced analytics to this available data to optimize future outreach activities and generate actionable, evidence-based recommendations.

IQVIA ran a series of advanced analytics models to link the company’s sales and market share with various activities, across various HCP segments. The models generated actionable, evidence-based recommendations, which drove and improvement in sales performance.

The combined power of artificial and human intelligence yields the best results.

In addition to IQVIA’s Next Best platform, global pharma companies can rely on its country-specific expertise in deploying AI/ML technologies that are compliant with local regulations and unique data governance requirements. Armed with the right technology, expertise, and processes, these companies can gain previously unseen insights to fuel their commercial activities, drive more impactful engagements, and boost revenue growth while protecting patient privacy. To learn more about how IQVIA can help you achieve greater HCP satisfaction in the EU and other markets across the globe, please contact us.