Chart market shifts with data and AI

When pharmaceutical companies introduce a new brand, charting success is critical. Monitoring launch uptake through traditional prescription tracking is not enough to correct course if necessary. Drug companies need deeper insights into dynamics like provider adoption, patient acquisition, and the impact of payers. They need the ability to track brands from the moment the prescription is written to when it’s filled, with a clear view of the patient’s clinical profile.

Case in point is the launch of a leading brand. Introduced in 2014, it took-off with rapid trajectory. When growth unexpectedly slowed, and began to decline, Optum applied their expertise and insights to find out why and whether or not this decline can be predicted.

Working to identify and better understand this trend, Optum applied the power of its Market Clarity Data, a comprehensive data-set, that includes integrated claims and EHR data, deterministically linked with transactional pharmacy claims across most US payers and payment types.

This data enabled early insights into market performance by comparing written prescriptions (WRx) to dispensed prescriptions (DRx), revealing WRx as a leading indicator, as it takes patients days or even weeks to fill a prescription.

Tracking “New-to-Brand” written prescriptions discovered the earliest insights into brand performance; which in this case, highlight changes in launch trajectory a full year in advance.

By comparing prescription volume across the competitive landscape, Optum data enables brand managers to assess shifting market dynamics. Market Clarity Data also revealed prescribing patterns. Although specialists were early adopters of this leading brand, they were the first to decrease initiation to patients. This was a key indicator of the need to adjust marketing and provider targeting strategies.

Severity of illness was determined using Optum A.I., Natural Language Processing to classify the patient-provider conversation notes into standard categories of severity, based on qualitative mentions of severity and quantitative mentions of affected area percentage. Understanding the changing clinical profile of patients is a related driver of market change.

This A.I. also uncovered rationale for brand discontinuation, highlighting challenges with access and efficacy.

By gaining deeper understanding about market shifts earlier, and with more clinical specificity, life science companies are empowered to make rapid, data-driven decisions.

See how Optum expertise and Market Clarity Data can deliver deep insights for greater competitive advantages.