In an ongoing series, Q&A sessions with media experts from CMI/Compas explore what pharma needs to know about how physicians are using apps in their practice. An app – short for application – is software, typically small and specialized, that runs on mobile devices, although they can be found on most digital platforms. Kelly McFadden, Media Supervisor, Communications Media, Inc. sat with colleague Theresa Heintz, Sr. Associate, Strategic Marketing & Corporate Communications, CMI/Compas, to discuss apps and how pharma can learn from current trends.

1. Page 1
PHARMA HOT
LIST Q&A
In an ongoing series, Q&A sessions with media
experts from CMI/Compas explore what
pharma needs to know about how physicians
are using apps in their practice.
An app – short for application – is software,
typically small and specialized, that runs on
mobile devices, although they can be found on
most digital platforms. Kelly McFadden, Media
Supervisor, Communications Media, Inc. sat
with colleague Theresa Heintz, Sr. Associate,
Strategic Marketing & Corporate
Communications, CMI/Compas, to discuss apps
and how pharma can learn from current trends:
Pharma Hotlist: Apps are Good
Medicine
February 2015
TH: What is the current landscape in apps?
KM: In the digital world we now live in, apps are
everywhere. Apps are used not only on mobile
phones, but also on desktops, laptops, tablets,
and wearable devices, making these tools much
more accessible to patients and caregivers. This
paradigm shift has started to empower patients
to take a more active role in their health
management.
Interesting to note, however, is that there are
over 40,000 medical apps available in the Apple
store alone. Many are simple tracking tools for
patients, but about 31% of these apps are
intended for physicians to use in a clinical
setting.

2. Page 2
According to mHealth App Developer
Economics 2014, on average, each of the
leading Pharma companies has 60 apps in the
Apple App Store and Google Play. If a brand
wants to create or sponsor an app, they will
also need a plan to promote it to the intended
audience, or the app will become lost among
competitors.
The iPhone is the dominant platform used by
physicians, with 48.2% accessing apps through
their phone, with the iPad as the second
choice. In fact, Apple has integrated a Health
app into their latest iOS, which integrates
information from multiple other apps to display
in a simple dashboard, useful for patients
tracking their health.
According to Manhattan Research, 95 million
Americans used their mobile phones to access
healthcare tools or to search for healthcare
information in 2013, a 27% increase over 2012.
It is clear that smartphones and tablets have
brought convenience, accessibility, and privacy
to patients as they manage their condition.
TH: What should pharma know about apps?
KM: They need to recognize that everyone is a
patient, everyone has an HCP, everyone goes to
the doctor, and everyone’s using their phone.
Geo-targeting can bring a brand message to
patients when they’re at the point of care,
when they have opted-in to receive location-
based messages in apps they are already using.
Geo-targeting can get as granular as a specific
aisle in a pharmacy, so if a patient is in the cold
remedy aisle they could be alerted that there is
a coupon for Tylenol® for that day. Brands can
reach patients when they’re looking up content
that is relevant to what the brand is trying to
communicate. Targeting can be based on
audience demographics. There’s different ways
to target based on pharmaceutical products,
such as diabetes treatments. Someone who has
to test their blood sugar can monitor progress
in an app, bring it to their doctor at their next
appointment, and the app will show the doctor
how they’re doing – and a brand message can
be part of the experience. In a way it helps
make treatment adherence productive and
could result in better health outcomes.

3. Page 3
TH: How are doctors using apps with and for
their patients?
KM: The biggest consumer apps across the
health industry are fitness trackers, and HCPs
are taking note. HCPs are even “prescribing”
them as a health regimen for their patients. The
integration of digital apps and health is huge for
the pharma industry because it allows the HCPs
to reach the patient when they want to be
reached. 39% of physicians surveyed in CMI’s
2014 Media Vitals™ What Prescribers Want and
Need From Pharma: A Look Across 10
Specialties report feel wearable technologies
and apps can help manage the health of their
patient populations.
But it isn’t just patients that use apps –in their
practice, 40% of physicians feel drug reference
apps are extremely or somewhat important to
clinical decisions, with 54% choosing Epocrates
as their go-to app.
TH: What’s trending in apps for pharma?
KM: Apps that deal with compliance, tracking
capabilities, and knowing how the patient is
doing on a day-to-day basis. For instance, for
patients going through chemo or radiation, it’s
helpful to track symptoms in real time and then
talk to their doctor about it. Real-time tracking
is what’s hot in pharma apps. They help the
doctor help the patient the best way that they
can.
TH: Are apps changing the landscape of how
marketers are reaching their target audiences?
KM: Apps are slowly changing the landscape of
how marketers are reaching their audiences –
both HCP and patient/consumer. However,
while many pharma companies are creating
apps, they are having some trouble gaining
traction because there are so many choices
available.

4. Page 4
A pharma brand needs to define their goal and
the metrics that will measure success. Often
“engagement” is part of the discussion – but
what is engagement for your brand? Time
spent? Registration? Prescribing the app? An
app must help achieve goals like increasing
scripts, through savings card redemptions, for
example, in order for the app to be relevant in
the marketing mix.
When considering apps as part of your brand’s
promotion, create or sponsor an app that is
easy to use for patients, integrates into
workflow for physicians, and doesn’t force
branding into the experience with a heavy hand.
The key to adoption is value that satisfies a
need.
For more insights on what
pharma needs to know about
apps contact Kelly McFadden
at
kmcfadden@cmimedia.com.