May 29, 2024
MILE (Medical Information Leaders In Europe), Datapharm and Original Digital partnered to address a previously unmet need for HCPs to access medicines information 24/7 in a central, trusted location.
Medical Information Leaders in Europe (MILE) started in 2014 as an informal gathering of Medical Information leaders and quickly grew in size and influence. Today it is an industry association with 33 members that collectively represent a wide range of pharmaceutical companies across Europe.
It brings together leaders committed to the creation of innovative medical information solutions that reflect evolving trends in medical information.
MILE connected with Datapharm and healthcare technology company, Original Digital, to investigate the viability of using an established medicines information platform (emc) for the provision of searchable SRDs (Scientific Response Documents).
This would provide a mechanism for HCPs to find information beyond the SmPC and PIL, answering questions which would otherwise be directed to the Pharma company’s Medical Information team.
A Scientific Response Document (SRD) is a written document designed to answer frequently asked questions relating to a specific medicine. Often these questions are not directly covered in the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) or other frequently published medicines information resources.
Before proceeding, MILE and Datapharm approached the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) to establish their position. The MHRA confirmed no opposition provided the solution was compliant with the relevant industry codes and regulations.
As a member organisation, MILE was able to bring valuable expertise and leadership from some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies to collaborate and develop the new search service, ensuring appropriate review and scrutiny from their medical, legal, regulatory and compliance teams.
Four of the top 15 Global Pharma companies were eager to become involved in the pilot, which covered 20 medicines overall and ran during February to December 2023.
Core to MILE’s mission is providing accessible, accurate and balanced medical information to support everyday healthcare decisions. It was therefore essential to make this information available via channels HCPs use and trust. emc, trusted by millions of UK HCPs and patients annually as their vital source of medicine safety information, became a natural choice of channel.
Many HCPs value having an independent one-stop shop for their medicines information. During Datapharm’s annual emc user survey, 97% of UK HCPs said they trust emc for their medicines information, with 81% stating emc is their first choice. Moreover, 74% of HCPs globally consider independent medical websites as either critical or very important for accessing scientific content.
The SRD service on emc enabled HCPs to find answers to their questions 24/7 on a platform they frequently use and trust today, meaning Pharma could reach those growing number of HCPs who search and expect to find online answers. In turn, the HCPs can easily find and access the information to help make the best treatment decisions for their patients.
For Pharma, the service provides an additional self-serve channel with valuable insights on the searches that HCPs are making about their medicines online, increasing their knowledge and ability to ensure they are providing answers to the right questions.
The SRD service included an automated integration which allows synchronisation with the Pharma company’s content management system. Any new SRD versions, status changes, or updates can be synchronised automatically, while giving the company complete control over which documents were available to search on emc. This meant that HCPs only accessed approved, up-to-date information.
Through the service, the Pharma company can upload its SRDs in the background and make them searchable on emc. The healthcare professional, arriving on the medicine’s page, then clicks the ‘HCP Med Info’ tab and self-certifies to access the search feature. They then type in their key word or phrase to find relevant information contained within the SRD.
It became evident during the pilot that there was a positive correlation between the number of SRDs that a Pharma company provided and the search success rate - providing more SRDs meant that HCPs could more easily find relevant results in their searches.
Participating Pharma companies were able to gain insight into how HCPs found the search experience and the results they were getting. To validate the service’s value, a survey was conducted to HCPs on emc, with the vast majority of responses stating they were happy with the way the search works and the results given.
The pilot was a conclusive success - it validated the value for HCPs to have access to self-service SRDs and, through a trusted medicines information resource, proved there was engagement and support from the Pharma industry.
“We are thrilled with the success of the SRD pilot on emc. Not only did it validate the provision of SRDs through a platform that HCPs trust, but it has streamlined how Pharma makes this important information available to HCPs and offered greater insight into the effectiveness of these materials. We are delighted that this service is going into full production.”
- Stefne Pienaar, Vice President, MILE
The SRD service on emc has proven successfully how to address the previously unmet need for HCPs to easily access this information 24/7 via a trusted, independent resource, while also enabling Pharma to measure the effectiveness of their materials.
Following the success of the pilot, the SRD service has now gone into full production. Engagement with the service has grown rapidly, with HCPs conducting daily searches on emc and more Pharma companies joining the service and uploading content.
To learn more about how this service can support your Medical Information functions, get in touch with our team today.
Datapharm runs emc (electronic medicines compendium), the UK’s independent resource trusted by millions of HCPs and patients annually for up-to-date and accessible medicines information. Its digital solutions support Pharma compliance, product information management and audience engagement.
Original Digital is a technology company that helps businesses understand the value of a medical project or idea, helping them to identify and implement it compliantly and cost effectively whilst reducing risk.