Oncologists have no clear leader when asked about the supportive services and tools provided to them by pharmaceutical companies. Our 2019 Leadership study in ImmunoOncology (IO) explored oncologists’ views across multiple engagement channels ranging from digital support solutions (e.g. apps) to more traditional activities such as educational learning.

HealthCare Provider (HCP) engagement profits from activities that are collaborative in their nature. Providing educational support to both staff and oncologists was appreciated by the surveyed oncologists and contributes to their perception of corporate leadership.

While there was no overall leader in HCP engagement, BMS, Merck and Roche formed the top three companies in our survey, yet collectively not even reaching the 50% mark of all responses.

Similar to our findings in patient support programs, over a quarter of oncologists selected “None” tying it in pole position with BMS (26%). This suggests poor awareness, choice or possibly some dissatisfaction with HCP engagement activities offered by pharmaceutical companies.

To be successful, firms need to provide differentiated solutions that are pertinent to oncologists, offering value and optimization in their work with patients.

Utilizing multiple activities to support the varying needs of oncologists can increase customer interactions and these can be tailored using specialized functions such as medical science liaison (MSL). Given growth of different treatment options in oncology, MSLs are viewed favorably as a trusted resource for unbiased, non-promotional information about treatments.

Our latest findings are a timely input as most companies start their brand planning activities across marketing, medical affairs and other teams to drive successful leadership in the eyes of oncologists.

About the study

The 2019 Leadership Study was conducted with 100 oncologists across US and EU using MDOutlook’s proprietary ONCpulse™ service.

The research objectives were to:

• Define the meaning of “corporate leadership” to the oncology community
• Reveal the leaders in oncology and IO and to compare / contrast how companies are evaluated by oncologists
• Assess current drivers & barriers to IO treatment use and identify what oncologists would like to see improved by corporate leaders in the IO space

Please contact us if you wish to be included in the distribution of the study.