Advertising to  Patients with Sensitive Conditions

A pharma company needed to achieve a highly efficient cost-per-acquisition (CPA) for a psychiatric medication used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. They wanted to increase the number of prescriptions written for their drug, but they faced stringent regulations when marketing directly to patients.

Advertising to individuals with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia necessitates an ethical approach prioritizing patient well-being and dignity. The classification of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia as “sensitive conditions”¹ requires compliance with strict data protection regulations.

Adfire Health was one of three healthcare media vendors tasked with increasing scripts for patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

 

1. The categorization of “sensitive condition” is influenced by privacy laws like HIPAA, anti-discrimination laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and regulatory guidelines emphasizing ethical and responsible communication)

Adfire Health devised a comprehensive and meticulously crafted strategy to target HCPS treating patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The strategic approach encompassed the following components:

Reaching Patients Through HCPS: By engaging with prescribing doctors, Adfire Health effectively extended its reach to patients, as doctors’ knowledge is often disseminated to their patient base, resulting in an estimated outreach of approximately 6.5 patients for each HCP targeted.

Handcrafted Doctors Audiences: With its proprietary database, Thumbprint, Adfire Health targeted HCPs in the top deciles of prescribers for patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Adfire Health was also able to target prescribers of competitor medications.

Targeting Client Lists: Adfire Health targeted the client’s doctor list to deliver tailored healthcare marketing messages and drive engagement.

Multi-Faceted Strategy: The campaign executed a holistic approach by combining cross-device targeting, in-app advertising, and retargeting strategies, creating a powerful synergy that maximized the campaign’s impact.

Increasing Efficiency: Adfire Health engaged doctors prescribing medications for bipolar Disorder on average 7.7 times, and Adfire Health engaged doctors prescribing medications for schizophrenia approximately 5 times, signaling an exceptionally efficient targeting strategy.

Compliance with Regulations: Adfire Health adhered to ethical marketing practices by advertising accurate information to HCPS and trusting HCPs to prescribe medications to their patients properly. By complying with FTC, FDA, and ADA regulatory guidelines, Adfire Health maintained the accuracy and balance of its’ clients’ advertising content.

Adfire Health’s campaign generated results that not only exceeded expectations but also outshone the competition:

3x Greater Patient Reach: Adfire Health extended its reach to an estimated 437,000+ bipolar disorder patients, a figure that towered over the second-best competitor by a factor of three. Similarly, for schizophrenia patients, Adfire Health’s reach extended to an estimated 327,000+, surpassing the closest competition by a factor of three.

Remarkable Cost Efficiency: The campaign stood out for its excellent cost efficiency. The “Cost Per Projected Bipolar Disorder Patients Reached (CPDx)” was impressively low, recorded at $0.31. In contrast, competitors struggled with costs ranging from $0.67 to $1.01. For schizophrenia patients, the “Cost Per Projected Schizophrenia Disorder Patient Reached (CPDx)” ranged from $0.41 to $0.45, a substantial cost advantage over competitors, who incurred costs ranging from $0.97 to $1.34.

Note: The figures and data presented are based on actual campaign results, but specific numbers may vary depending on the campaign scale and various contextual factors.

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At Adfire Health, we work with healthcare marketers to create optimized, highly effective, data-based digital engagement strategies. With Thumbprint™, our segmented data ecosystem of over 8.2 million healthcare professionals, we can offer direct access to healthcare professionals nationwide.

We bring our years of hands-on experience to every new campaign and work with you to get the best results possible. Contact us to learn more about what we can do for your business.