Boehringer Ingelheim India was established in 2003 and manages India and the operations of the neighboring market of the global enterprise. The Company enables access to innovative products as part of its Human Pharma and Animal Health businesses. The focus of Human Pharma therapy areas includes diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions.
Boehringer Ingelheim is working on breakthrough therapies that improve the lives of humans and animals. As a leading research-driven biopharmaceutical company, the company creates value through innovation in areas of high unmet medical need.
In an exclusive chat with Medianews4U Magline Rufina F R, Director – Communications, Boehringer Ingelheim India talks to us on the pharma scene and healthcare in India …
The past two years have been tough, how have you navigated through this crisis?
The past two years have seen a flurry of activity in the global healthcare industry, across sectors ranging from diagnostics and pharmaceuticals to healthcare delivery. It has been a historic period for learning on the run, recognizing capabilities and gaps, connecting to people, and lots more. There has also been a dramatic shift towards the integration of healthcare into people’s lives, with audiences showing an increased appetite for learning about cross-impact between medical conditions, the role of specialized care, and the availability of infrastructure in their neighborhoods.
The need for reliable and credible information sources has accordingly expanded greatly. Effective communication has been key to assuaging anxieties and enabling access to reliable and useful information on a variety of subjects, from the availability of hospital beds or vaccines to information on the management of pre-existing medical conditions.
In this context, it is but natural that digital communication has progressed from being an enabler to becoming an integral component of the business model. To that end, identifying and leveraging the expertise of knowledge bases and people has become increasingly important over the past two years. At Boehringer Ingelheim, we focused on developing content sources and digital competence amongst our teams, as well as a channel infrastructure that is tailored to meet the needs of our diverse audience.
During this crisis how has the pharma industry/healthcare customized their communication strategy for their customers?
Several communication channels have been consistently discussing the role of healthcare professionals in managing the situation over the past two years. As the face of pandemic management, they have been balancing the delivery of care and knowledge-sharing amongst peers and decision-makers. At the same time, they have also been closely following developments in the global healthcare sector as the experiences of countries who were ahead of us in the curve helped guide critical decision-making.
The expertise of healthcare professionals has become increasingly valued since the pandemic began and we have been working with such experts in a manner that’s efficient for them and beneficial to audiences. In this context, a few significant trends have emerged – increased demand for short format packages of usable information, digital patient-doctor interfaces to support consultations, interactive knowledge platforms, and messaging on non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and neurological diseases.
How is Boehringer Ingelheim India reaching out to the masses on noncommunicable diseases?
Boehringer Ingelheim India is committed to bringing value to patients in India through its innovative therapy solutions and delivery of high-quality information on medical conditions through close collaboration with experts from various specialties. We are well aware of the impact of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke on Indians, in terms of both health and financial wellbeing.
To deliver on our commitment, we have engaged in the production of sustainable, easy-to-understand, audience-friendly, and geographically relevant information programmes. We have made significant strides in packaging such programmes, particularly in the area of stroke, with a 360-degree approach covering mass media, public relations, advocacy, and virtual events. The impact is evident from a stroke awareness initiative that earned a Guinness World Records title for “most pledges received for a stroke awareness campaign in one week”.
Our consistent messaging on stroke care, through an effective mix of digital media touchpoints including radio and television, has been a journey of tremendous learning that generated increased audience interest in our other information programs. We look to replicate some of these learnings into other focus therapy areas in the coming years.
What have been the innovations & of the box ideas to reach out to the relevant audience?
There has been considerable commentary on digital fatigue, with the onslaught of webinars and virtual sessions. However, there has been an equivalent increase in viewership for healthcare programs as compared to 2019. A cross-sectional survey of physicians from different specialties across the world found that 59.8% more attended or participated in webinars, with roughly 75% of these participants expressing positive opinions on the shift to webinars. Research from Deloitte also shows that consumers are more willing than ever before to share personal health data since the crisis began.
Beyond innovations in reaching relevant audiences, understanding their evolving needs almost on a real-time basis is key to ensuring the reach and success of healthcare messaging. While the thumb rule of simplified messaging holds, terminologies like mucormycosis and oxygen concentration have now become everyday parlance. The optimal time for information dissemination has also witnessed a shift from weekends to weekdays and during work hours. Healthcare communication strategies that are flexible and adaptable to changing trends, or better still, can pre-empt some of these trends have been key to the success for BoehringerIngelheim’s media outreach efforts.
What are the trends you are seeing in the pharma industry in India and globally?
Digitalization in the Indian pharma industry has been fast-tracked with the adoption of digital engagement channels, and this trend will continue. The industry has adopted multiple mediums to engage healthcare experts through virtual ad-boards, podcasts, and webcasts to discuss and share information on emerging therapies. We expect that such virtual engagements will continue to be an integral part of the new normal. This format allows for wider access to global experts, enabling us to provide scientific knowledge on medical developments with significantly reduced time lags.
The disruption caused by the pandemic has demonstrated that organizations that are able to adapt with innovative work solutions can continue to thrive. The digital medium is expanding as a platform for reliable information, personalized interactions, and innovative healthcare solutions, resulting in a pool of well-informed patients and a better-networked healthcare community.
Way forward in 2022?
We intend to increase our messaging on NCDs in India through a model of partnership with experts in various spheres of care. We believe that this will cater to people’s heightened interest in health and will drive awareness around various NCDs, including diabetes, heart failure, and brain stroke, among others. Our objective is to progress from awareness to engagement, wherein people are equipped with information to be able to engage with their doctors in a meaningful manner and to minimize the economic burden of healthcare to the country.
