Market launch of a prescription medicine for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy
Accompanying measures for comprehensive continuing medical education. A case study from our network partner Dr Martina Hänsel
#Medical training #Produktlaunch #Rx #Strategy consulting
Initial situation
Up to 80% of women suffer from nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) in early pregnancy. Since the introduction of the unique combination of active ingredients in Germany in 2019, affected women have had access to an effective treatment option that had already been in use worldwide for more than 50 years and had been used in more than 33 million pregnancies.
Task
The preparation was to be made known to gynaecologists in private practice in Germany and included in the first-line therapy for NVP. To this end, experts from clinics and practices discussed the current treatment landscape and the potential applications of the new preparation prior to its market launch. The results were published in a special supplement of the journal ‘Frauenarzt’. In addition, press work, symposia at congresses for gynaecologists and obstetricians and certified continuing medical education (CME) were used to inform gynaecologists about the new treatment option and motivate them to use it.
The project was carried out as external support in the Medical Affairs department until the commissioning company had successfully established itself on the market with further products for gynaecology.
Implementation/Results
Together with the experts, the expectations and goals of doctors and patients were discussed in a total of 5 advisory boards with alternating members. A network of opinion leaders and speakers was established.
In the following almost three years, seven industry symposia were held at national gynaecological congresses with a total of 19 presentations on three gynaecological indications, in which the treatment of NPVP was always one of the main items on the programme. All in all, over 1,400 participants attended.
The pandemic posed a particular challenge, as three of the congresses and their symposia had to be moved completely online. At the same time, a large, double-digit number of digital workshops were organised with doctors in smaller groups during the pandemic in order to stay in contact with the target group.
A four-part, CME-certified online training course on the topic of ‘Pregnancy in times of COVID-19’ with a total of 1,261 participants rounded off the training series.
The training courses were flanked by extensive press work with detailed reports on the presentations and a successful and well-trained sales force.
The product was successfully placed on the market and established as a brand among gynaecologists and pregnant women.
