Pharmaceutical Industry Sees a Sharp Rise in Patient Adherence Program Budgets

Recent Cutting Edge Information study finds US companies’ patient adherence budgets increased more than 275% in three years

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The average budget for patient adherence activities at surveyed drug companies dramatically increased between 2009 and 2012, according to research by Cutting Edge Information.

“Patient Adherence and Compliance: Improving Outcomes through Patient Engagement Programs”

Cutting Edge Information’s recent study, “Patient Adherence and Compliance” found that the sharpest budget increases occurred between 2011 and 2012. Overall patient adherence team spending more than doubled from $239,000 in 2009 to $535,000 in 2011. Overall budgets nearly doubled again in 2012, reaching $1,031,000.

The budget increases are part of a recent pharmaceutical industry trend that has seen companies shifting more resources to patient-centric efforts. Drug companies are trying to combat non-adherence costs that neared $290 billion in the US alone.

“In the struggle to retain revenue lost to non-adherence, pharmaceutical companies are in a phase of significant growth,” said Michelle Vitko, senior research analyst at Cutting Edge Information. “Growth in adherence spending has been on the rise for the last few years and spiked last year.”

In the US specifically, patient adherence budgets rose 281% from 2009 to 2012. Surveyed US drug companies’ patient adherence budgets averaged $400,000 in 2009. By 2011, US budgets reached $613,000. Like the overall average budgets, US patient adherence budgets spiked in 2012, reaching $1,525,000 — higher than the average Europe/Canada or Asia Pacific budgets.

“Patient Adherence and Compliance: Improving Outcomes through Patient Engagement Programs” (http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/research/marketing/patient-adherence/) benchmarks patient adherence team structures and resources and explores best practices among top-performing companies. Use this report to:

• Design empowered patient adherence teams and effective, well-supported patient programs.
• Track major increases for digital and mobile platforms, where teams get major bang for the buck.
• Treat patients as a core customer group by reinforcing patient-centric strategy.
• Understand and overcome common internal and external challenges that face patient programs.
• Compare staffing benchmarks and see which functions take part in patient programs.

For more information about patient adherence contact Cassie Demeter at 919-433-0389.