Getting Social in the Real World

Although it would be facetious to say that social media has reached a tipping point into ubiquity, it is only relatively recently that it has been used by pharma to collect and analyze patient data. This use of social media may only be in its infancy but as a quick and inexpensive way to gather large-scale, real-world data it is growing rapidly.Technology always outstrips the glacial pace that industry moves at, but this ‘sudden’ move creates a sharp learning curve for many pharma companies. Issues around regulation and resources will hinder some, while others will fail to see the value of ‘social health’.Popular social media platforms offer new opportunities for learning from patient experiences, says Stephanie Manson, a senior director of HEOR Excellence at Novartis.Crucially, social media can provide a window into the patient ’s world for those working in drug development, she says. “People are looking for practical ways to live with and manage these conditions. Having a first-hand understanding of how patients experience symptoms or how their daily lives are impacted may be valuable in helping to make our work patie nt-centric.”Data from social media shows how people really talk about health, says Amr Makady, Pharmacoeconomic Assessor and Policy Advisor at theDutch National Healthcare Institute. The Innovative Medicines Institute (IMI)Get Real study is exploring the potential for gathering data via social media to supplement other evidence.“[In oncology], ...
Source: EyeForPharma - Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Source Type: news