German patient groups held a more positive view of the pharmaceutical industry in 2017. They suggest useful ways that pharma could further improve
Embargoed publication date: Thursday, 31st May 2018 6AM GMTPress release based on the results of a new report: 'The Corporate Reputation of Pharma, 2017—the Perspective of German Patient Groups', 6th edition- The views of 86 German patient groups
- Drawn from a November 2017 - February 2018 survey
19 companies analysed in this report: AbbVie I Amgen I AstraZeneca I Bayer I Biogen I Boehringer Ingelheim I Bristol-Myers Squibb I Eli Lilly I Grünenthal I GSK I Janssen I Merck & Co I Merck KGaA I Novartis I Novo Nordisk I Pfizer I Roche I Sanofi I Takeda
German patient groups have traditionally been suspicious of pharma ...
The relationship between patient groups in Germany and the pharma industry is, in one way at least, more complex than in other countries. Because German people pay a significant proportion of their income towards their healthcare, German citizens—and the patient groups representing them—inevitably suspect for-profit healthcare companies of wishing to exploit the German model of funding national healthcare by charging ever higher prices for their products. Evidence for such suspicion and distrust is readily seen in the fact that fewer patient groups in Germany maintain working partnerships with pharma than do patient groups from almost any other country. - 52% of the 86 German patient groups responding to the 2017 PatientView survey on corporate reputation stated that they worked with at least one pharma company. The equivalent figure among the 1,330 respondent patient groups worldwide in 2017 was 61%.
German patient groups are less confident than patient groups in the rest of the world that the pharma industry carries out its various activities effectively—even key activities, such as innovation, or the provision of high-quality products [see charts 1 and 2].
CHARTS 1 and 2: The percentage of patient groups saying that the pharmaceutical industry was “Excellent” or “Good” in 2017 at the indicators of corporate reputation, plus at the specific activity of being innovative. [The numbers in square brackets are the total numbers of respondent patient groups per country/region]
However, in 2017, German patient groups began to take a more positive view of pharma
In all of the previous years that PatientView has been conducting its annual Corporate-Reputation survey, only a small proportion of the respondent German patient groups described the pharma industry’s corporate reputation as “Excellent” or “Good” (in comparison with the equivalent figures from patient groups worldwide). Therefore, the Germany-wide findings of the 2017 Corporate-Reputation survey are all the more significant. - 39% of 2017’s respondent German patient groups stated that the pharma industry as a whole had an “Excellent” or “Good” reputation—the highest percentage ever
attained from German patient groups [see chart 3]. The equivalent figure in 2017 among patient groups worldwide, though, was higher, at 43%.
CHART 3: Percentage of respondent German patient groups stating that the pharma industry as a whole had an “Excellent” or “Good” overall CORPORATE REPUTATION, 2012-2017
German patient groups also ranked pharma overall 3rd in 2017 for corporate reputation out of eight healthcare-industry sectors. In 2016, by contrast, German patient groups had ranked the pharmaceutical industry just 7th for corporate reputation out of eight healthcare industry sectors.
What these mixed messages indicate ...
- Attitudes among German patient groups vary toward pharma. 2017’s respondent German cancer and multiple-sclerosis patient groups, in particular, gave the survey positive feedback on the integrity and transparency of the pharma industry. Yet the industry’s biggest critics in Germany remain patient groups specialising in mental health, in HIV/AIDS, or in general healthcare.
- Despite holding an overall more positive attitude towards pharma in 2017, German patient groups retain complex needs that must be addressed if pharma companies are to establish more (and better) relationships with these patient groups. Comments from respondent German patient groups show that the patient movement in Germany has a clear 'wish list', which pharma could adopt to improve its corporate reputation.
SUMMARY OF THE 2017 GERMAN PATIENT-GROUP 'WISH LIST'
- Patient Information. The key words repeated throughout the feedback from German patient groups commenting on pharma’s patient information in 2017 were: “assurance”; “understandable”; “objective”; “neutral”; and “honest”. More specific requests relating to patient information were provided—for example, that pharma should ... * Engage patient groups in the design of patient information; * Supply information
that can help support patients coming off mental-health treatments; and * Provide more concrete (rather than general) information on the risks associated with treatment.
- Patient-group relationships. Several German patient groups emphasised that appropriate patient-group partnerships should be sought early on in the cycle of product development, so that patient groups can participate in the co-development of strategies with pharma.
- Patient safety. German mental-health patient groups, particularly, wanted absolute clarity on the
side-effects associated with treatment (especially regarding the issue of dependency).
- Transparency. Many German patient groups referred to transparency as an attribute essential in all pharma-company activities. They felt that transparency needed to be extended, not just to pharma-company relations with patients and patient groups, but also in other areas, such as ... * Research protocols; * Funding of lobbyists; and * The costs of company products to the healthcare system.
- Research and development. The key points in R&D raised by German patient groups in 2017 included ... * The avoidance of duplication in research efforts; * An increase in the number of patients involved in safety studies; and * The necessity to offer tenders for independent studies.
- High-quality products. German patient groups wanted pharma companies contemplating removing a product from the market to first consider
the negative consequences of such removal on patients dependent on the drug.
So, how did the companies perform at corporate reputation in 2017, in the viewpoints of German patient groups?
Ranking at corporate reputation in Germany is measured by German patient groups familiar with a company. In total, 19 companies were included in the 2017 Germany analyses.
- Amgen and Janssen ranked overall 1st in 2017 for corporate reputation among German patient groups familiar with them. Amgen thus retained the number-one rank it achieved in 2016. Janssen's ranking jumped by six positions from 2016.
Companies ranking 1st for each of the 12 indicators of corporate reputation in 2017, according to the 86 respondent German patient groups familiar with the companies
Tables and charts in the 2017 Germany Corporate-Reputation report - The pharma industry’s corporate reputation over time, 2012-2017 (according to German patient groups).
- Companies RANKING 1ST FOR EACH OF THE 12 INDICATORS, 2017 (according to German patient groups familiar with the company).
- Number of German patient groups
familiar, and partnering, with the 19 companies, 2017.
- The types of relationships that German partner patient groups have with pharmaceutical companies, 2017.
- The corporate reputation of the pharmaceutical industry, 2017 v. 2016—compared with that of seven other healthcare sectors (according to German patient groups).
- The pharma industry’s corporate reputation over time, 2012-2017 (according to German patient groups).
- German patient groups’ views on the efficacy of the pharmaceutical industry at the INDICATORS OF CORPORATE REPUTATION, 2017—chart and table.
- German patient groups’ views on the efficacy of the pharmaceutical industry at the INDICATORS OF CORPORATE REPUTATION, 2017 v. 2016 v. patient groups worldwide 2017.
- German patient groups’ views on the efficacy of the pharmaceutical industry at the INDICATORS OF CORPORATE REPUTATION, 2017, compared with the views of patient groups from 16 other countries/regions, plus
worldwide—analysis by each indicator.
- Rankings of 19 individual pharma companies, 2017 v. 2016 (according to German patient groups familiar with the company).
- Positionings of six individual pharma companies, 2017 v. 2016 (according to German patient groups that work/partner with the company).
Charts and tables for each of the 19 companies: - Number of German patient groups claiming familiarity with the company, 2017.
- Number of German patient groups saying that they had a working relationship with the company, 2017.
- Company performance scores among German patient groups familiar with the company, and which worked with the company, for each of the 12 indicators of corporate reputation, 2017.
- Percentage of the German patient groups that worked with the company, but which also
worked with other companies, 2017.
- Profile of respondent German patient groups familiar with the company, 2017—specialties; geographic remit; and types of relationships with the company.
- The company PCRIs (Patient Corporate Reputation Index) for each of the 12 indicators, 2017 v. 2016 v. 2015 (as assessed by German patient groups familiar with the company).
- Overall rankings for the company, 2017 (according to German patient groups familiar with the company).
- Overall positionings for the company, 2017 (according to German patient groups that work with the company).
- Company rankings for each of the 12 indicators, 2017 v. 2016 (according to German patient groups familiar, or working, with the company).
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