Bristol-Myers Squibb and Biogen Are the Pharmas Most Trusted by Doctors, Study Finds

Pharmas providing physicians with frequently-updated digital content enjoy higher trust, per data from the DRG Digital | Manhattan Research Taking the Pulse U.S. 2018 study

NEW YORK, May 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Doctors surveyed for Taking the Pulse® U.S., the longest-running U.S. study of online physician attitudes and multichannel behaviors, rated Bristol-Myers Squibb and Biogen as the most “trusted partners” based on recent digital interactions. Of 2,724 U.S. physicians surveyed by DRG Digital | Manhattan Research, 91% of those that had recently interacted online with Bristol-Myers Squibb rated it a trusted partner, while 90% said the same of Biogen and 82% said they trusted Celgene.

Thirty major and mid-tier pharma companies were scored by Manhattan Research, a leading research and advisory partner to life sciences marketing, customer experience, and innovation teams. The firm asked physicians to rank pharmas across a set of criteria, including quality of digital content, empathy for healthcare professionals, and putting patients first.

For lower-scoring pharmas, the study also revealed a surprising way to improve physician trust: provide useful content and services more frequently online.

“Our previous studies have shown clearly that physicians want highly credible scientific content and non-promotional value-adds from pharma companies,” said Heather Figlar, Director of U.S. Physician Research at DRG Digital. “What’s really interesting here is the relationship between content frequency and physician trust in a particular company.”

Both Bristol-Myers Squibb, which produces the immuno-oncology blockbuster Opdivo, and Biogen, a leader in multiple sclerosis treatments, are working on the frontiers of medicine, with BMS pressing the boundaries of genetic therapeutics and Biogen working to bring groundbreaking treatments for Alzheimer’s and MS to market. Celgene, which U.S. physicians ranked as their #3 “trusted partner,” focuses on cutting-edge treatments for blood cancers.

“A good algorithm for pharmas who want to gain the trust of U.S. physicians is to distribute high-science content across multiple channels, consistently and frequently,” Figlar said. “Doctors in the U.S. are spending more than 3 hours per day in their EHRs, on average - and more than an hour-and-a-half looking for information from external sources. With so much information cluttering their brains, pharmas that effectively execute strong content strategies will stand out as trusted sources of information for these harried professionals.”

Other key findings:

• Physicians inundated with advertising and emails are looking for ways to staunch the flow - 40% opted out of a professional email subscription in the past 6 months.
• U.S. physicians are anxious about the legal, privacy, security and professional implications of emerging technologies like voice assistants and telemedicine - 43% worry that the use of machine learning will diminish their prescribing autonomy over time.
• They’re hopeful that tech giants will positively disrupt healthcare - 54% say they would trust Amazon as a drug distributor.

(Note: “Trusted partner” finding was among physicians who had interacted with the company online in the past three months)

Taking the Pulse® U.S. 2018 is now available to pharma companies and industry partners. To request information about the study, email Digital@TeamDRG.com.

About DRG Digital | Manhattan Research

DRG Digital, a part of DRG, is the life science industry’s partner for data-driven customer engagement and commercial innovation. DRG Digital’s Manhattan Research studies have been the industry’s go-to source for physician, patient and payer multichannel planning for more than 15 years. Brands, marketers and digital teams at 40+ leading life sciences companies rely on our experts, research and analytics to understand their customers and engage them with the right channels, content and messaging.

Visit www.DRGDigital.com or follow @DRGDigital to keep up to date on our analysts’ thinking and access eBooks, infographics, webinars and other resources.

About Decision Resources Group

DRG, a subsidiary of Piramal Enterprises Ltd., is the premier source for global healthcare data and market intelligence. A trusted partner for over 20 years, DRG helps companies competing in the global healthcare industry make informed business decisions. Organizations committed to developing and delivering life-changing therapies to patients rely on DRG’s in-house team of expert healthcare analysts, data scientists, and consultants for critical guidance. DRG products and services, built on extensive data assets and delivered by experts, empower organizations to succeed in complex healthcare markets.

To learn more, visit www.decisionresourcesgroup.com.

Media contact: Penelope Williams, +1-617-747-9090, pwilliams@teamdrg.com