2014 Trailblazer Awards

Pharmaceutical/Biotech

Eli Lilly and Company

Pharmaceutical/Biotech Company of the Year

Lilly is an example of a company that even in the face of patent expirations of blockbluster drugs has overcome the odds and remained on top. In 2013, it continued to meet performance goals. Revenue increased 2% to $23.1 billion following the loss of U.S. exclusivity for Cymbalta, a product indicated for major depression in December 2013. Net income increased 15%, and earnings per share increased 18%. Even eight of its products and its animal health business exceeded $1 billion in annual sales. How did Lilly do it? One word. Innovation.

Year 2014 saw the last of its patent expirations of Evista, an osteoporosis treatment, in March. But while these events were happening, and while it might have been easier to slash research and development budgets going into 2014, Lilly’s commitment to patients grew even stronger. It kept innovating. In 2013, Lilly submitted four major regulatory filings for new products, a record for the company. It strategically positioned itself to grow and leverage its leadership and strengths in two primary therapeutic areas: Diabetes and Oncology.

Expanding Its World-class Diabetes Portfolio

Lilly’s commitment to the growing global epidemic of diabetes is unwavering. Lilly has already developed and marketed a world class portfolio of insulins including Humulin and Humalog. Lilly is adding to that portfolio other top of the line insulins, injectables and oral treatments. In 2013, Lilly submitted empagliflozin, an oral therapy for type 2 diabetes, jointly developed by Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), for regulatory approval in the U.S., Europe and Japan, which showed significant reductions in HbA1c (blood glucose) levels, body weight and systolic blood pressure in Phase III trials. Lilly also submitted dulaglutide, an injectable which showed effectiveness in lowering HbA1c in six Phase III trials and also showed weight reduction over the course of the trials. In addition, Lilly submitted a new insulin glargine product in partnership with BI for the treatment of type 1 and 2 diabetes. Its basil insulin, peglispro, is currently in Phase III trials, and if successful, expects it to be submitted in 2014.

Growing Its Solid Leadership in Oncology

Lilly is continuing to tackle some devastating and difficult-to-treat cancers known to mankind with two late stage molecules, ramucirumab and necitumumab, both of which came from its ImClone Systems acquisition in 2008. Ramucirumab, a single-agent biologic indicated for the use in patients with gastric cancer, a disease with no approved standard of care in the U.S. and Europe, showed positive results in two Phase III trials. The biologic was submitted for regulatory approval in 2013 based on data from the REGARD trial, and due to the success of the biologic in the RAINBOW trial, Lilly plans to submit ramucirumab in combination with chemotherapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) later in 2014.

Successful results were also seen with necitumumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody. It showed overall increased survival as a first-line treatment for patients with stage IV metastatic NSCLC, when taken in combination with chemotherapy. Lilly expects to file regulatory submission before the end of 2014. If approved, necitumumab would be the first biologic agent approved to treat squamous NSCLC.

Prepared For Future Innovation

And Lilly will continue to keep discovering new molecules and developing products through its Capital Funds Portfolio, in partnership with its venture capital partners. The Capital Funds Portfolio is an alternative R&D model which will help Lilly facilitate early stage development beyond Lilly’s walls. For example, Arteaus Therapeutics, which Lilly acquired at the end of 2013, is included in the portfolio as a virtual “Project Focused Company” (PFC). Each PFC is formed around a particular molecule, which may have come from Lilly, another pharma or biotech firm, or academia. This strategy will help ensure that new molecules are discovered, risks are mitigated and funds are expanded to develop potential new medicines. Lilly is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to innovating and bringing crucial medicines to the patients who need it most.

For years, Lilly has had a proven track record, but in 2013, Lilly proved that determination can overcome anything, spur growth and most importantly, deliver results.

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Advertising Agency

Intouch Solutions

Advertising Agency of the Year

On the leading edge. That’s where you’ll find those companies that dare to imagine new possibilities, then move quickly to innovate and create. Intouch Solutions is one of these innovators—for proof, you need only look at their record. As the PM360 Agency of the Year and Gold Award winner for Consumer Website/Online Initiative, this company has a lot to celebrate.

“We’ve stayed true to our original name, brand and industry niche for 15 years,” says Faruk Capan, CEO. “Yet we’ve always been the agency of the future. We strive to stay on the leading edge—a few years ahead of everyone else.”

Getting There First

When pharma first began to look at social media as a marketing channel, the hurdles and challenges were overwhelming for most of the industry. But Intouch Solutions sought to quell this overwhelm and was the first agency to take a good look at these challenges.

Over time, the company developed products to cut the problem down to size. Their suite of social media tools broke new ground and included products such as share>>send>>save, Pharma Wall, and ssshare.it. So from its beginning, Intouch has held out digital—and especially customer-centric digital—as the future for pharma marketing, and its innovations are all designed to push the boundaries of this future.

Innovate and Repeat

Case in point: Given Imaging created a capsule-sized camera for exploring the small bowel where 75% of Crohn’s patients suffer lesions. But patients didn’t know this technology existed and therefore, were not getting the benefits that could be had.

To remedy this situation, the agency built an interactive DTC website that simulates the PillCam’s journey through the body and what the camera reveals. It quickly became a clear and understandable jumping off point for conversations between patients and their physicians to talk about Crohn’s disease.

And there’s much more to this innovation story. Award-winning solutions created by Intouch Solutions include work for Genzyme, the KidneyAPPetite app and the Sanofi US Diabetes’ Interactive GetBloodSugarControl YouTube Channel. The list goes on—how does Intouch Solutions do it? It could lie in how this agency treats its employees.

Why They Don’t Just Call It Work

Less than 10%. That is Intouch Solutions’ turnover rate, and a chunk of that loyalty is probably due to good pay, benefits, bonuses and the like. However, ICE also has a lot to do with it. ICE, the company’s own “university,” stands for Intouch Continuing Education, designed to help employees enhance their skill and knowledge. Employees can attend up to seven different schools under the ICE umbrella, including the School of Pharma, at which they can get a good glimpse into pharma industry dynamics.

Maintaining a high level of creativity is paramount in this field, but creativity needs an outlet—a way to recharge itself. So although you won’t find “Beer Pong” on any of the agency’s school curricula, it is an annual event—a competition that employees highly anticipate and enjoy. Other perks employees relish: Chair massages (who wouldn’t?), Friday summer hours—all things that led the agency to receive several nods from the Kansas City Business Journal as Best Place to Work. No doubt the agency headquarters’ move to an all-new 90,000-square-foot space this month will further boost creativity and collaboration.

Putting the “Care” in Healthcare

Employees are also held together by shared passion. Through financial contributions, pro bono work and donated time, the company benefits more than 20 charitable organizations involved in caring for people who struggle with melanoma, arthritis, cystic fibrosis, AIDS, hemophilia and Parkinson’s. Employees also deliver meals to the elderly, bike for MS—and mentor young girls in the STEM fields.

With 200 awards and nominations under its belt in just 15 years, (including a Clio and two OMMA awards for Given Imaging’s website), Intouch Solutions has a lot to celebrate—and a lot to be grateful about. So it’s no surprise that this agency wants to give back to its communities—and enjoys doing it.

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Brand Champions

Honoring The 2014 Brand Champions

A champion can mean different things to different people. Some still think of knights in silver armor battling each other to see who is worthy of being called the best. But others hear the word and recall a person who stood up for a cause and inspired others to stand up beside them. Or maybe even a person who took up a fight on behalf of someone else. Each of these notions fit into what we think makes great Brand Champions. They are armed with sharp strategies to battle their competitors and capture a higher market share. They know how to inspire the members of their brand and agency teams to jump into the unknown and try new approaches to reach their target audience. They are prepared to battle for greater access to their medications and more value-added services because they generally want to help make the lives of patients better in any way they can. These are people worthy of our attention.

And it seems that the rest of the industry agrees. After taking a break from honoring champions in the Men’s and Women’s Health therapeutic areas last year, we heard your calls to bring those categories back. This year, we are pleased to present a total of 16 Brand Champions. These individuals from pharma and medical device companies impressed our judges with their innovative ideas, outstanding leadership qualities, strong communication skills and their ability to deliver results. They accomplished everything from launching the very first marketing campaign for a 60-year-old drug to using social listening to create the tools needed to improve patient-doctor dialogue.

Based on what each one accomplished, we are also looking forward to seeing what they do next. And two of our brand champs have already begun new chapters in their careers. Charles Hampsey, who was honored for his work in Managed Markets as the Associate Director, Customer Marketing at Eisai, is now the Director, Payer Marketing at Bayer HealthCare. And Carrie Schaal, who was honored for her work in Innovation as the Commercial Training Development Group Commercial Lead, Innovation at Genentech, is now Director, U.S. Specialty Care Academy at AstraZeneca. But no matter where any of the following people may end up or what they do next, they will always be champions.

To go right to one of our winners, click on their link below:

Autoimmune: Nick Ferrara of Janssen Biotech
Cardiology: Misty Nail of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Central Nervous System: Crystal Friend of Acorda Therapeutics, Inc.
Dermatology: Adelle Walker of Allergan
Diabetes/Metabolic Disorders: Jon DeBoer of Eli Lilly
Gastrointestinal: Mike Cvijanovich of Entera Health
Hematology/Oncology: Kes Kotani of Baxter
Infectious Disease: Jasper Beard of ViiV Healthcare
Innovation: Carrie Schaal of Genentech
Managed Markets: Charles Hampsey of Eisai
Medical Device/Diagnostics: Sylvia Bartley BSc, Hons; PhD of Medtronic
Men’s Health: Kelly Marie Young of Eli Lilly
Ophthalmology: Jason Menzo of Nicox Ophthalmic Diagnostics
Pain/Inflammation: Jonathan Kuhn of Acorda Therapeutics, Inc.
Respiratory: Stephanie Tsolakis of Teva Respiratory
Women’s Health: Mary Claire Kenworthy of Avion Pharmaceuticals

 

Autoimmune

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Nick Ferrara of Janssen Biotech for Stelara

Where there is a challenge, there is a pioneer. And where there is a pioneer, there is a champion looking to tackle a challenge and overcome it. For Janssen Biotech, Inc. (JBI), that champion is Nick Ferrara. His challenge? Convincing rheumatologists to step outside of their “comfort zones,” and expand treatment methods for psoriatic arthritis to include Stelara. For four years, Stelara was used exclusively for the treatment of psoriasis, but it recently received FDA approval as a treatment for psoriatic arthritis. However, in this highly competitive market, getting doctors to switch to a new treatment option is not an easy task. Not easy, true, but for Nick Ferrara it was eminently doable.

To create a highly innovative, multi-faceted campaign, Nick strategically employed his experience with rheumatologists, offering insight on the benefits of implementing this treatment.

He spearheaded the core launch of promotional materials for Stelara and solidified the brand with a riveting campaign video that showcased the benefits of using the treatment. But, that’s not all. Nick upped the ante by developing an informative, easy-to-use, easy-to-access, digital sales tool for sales reps.

Nick’s efforts made him a significant contributor to the steady growth of Stelara during 2014, establishing the brand as the “primary contributor” in operational sales growth at JBI’s parent company, Johnson & Johnson. The company also experienced an 11% increase in pharmaceutical earnings, exceeding original sales goals by 30%. With stats like these, Nick Ferrara truly earned the title Brand Champion—and probably more than a few pats on the back.

Cardiology

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When you try to think of a word to describe a Brand Champion, there are several that come to mind: Fearless, warm, approachable, professional, team player, detailed, dedicated and pioneer. Misty Nail not only exudes all these qualities, she embodies them. Misty’s knowledge and experience in the field of marketing are unparalleled, and this has served her well in her career at Novartis. When she is greeted with a challenge, she is not daunted by the task at hand, rather, she is inspired by it, turning that challenge into an opportunity to flex her creative muscle.

In the marketing industry, there are many obstacles that arise, time and budget being the constant hurdles to overcome. But for Misty, they are mere inconveniences that she optimistically tackles head on—and conquers. This determination has been the cornerstone to her success and has benefited the projects she has spearheaded, such as Novartis’ new pilot program with CMI/Compas. She had to convince her team, her boss and even her boss’ boss to take a chance on this new kind of program with no record of success.

But, for Misty, success is not only measured in the amount of triumph and achievements in her professional endeavors, it is also grounded in the belief, support and respect of her co-workers and superiors. Of course, success in moving the promotional needle doesn’t hurt either. And she proved capable of earning both kinds of success when the aforementioned program she championed was named “Most Innovative Solution” at Novartis. Now the whole industry knows what Novartis already does: Misty Nail is a Brand Champion.

Central Nervous System

Crystal-Friend

Crystal Friend of Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. for the Epilepsy Disease-State Awareness Initiative

Innovation is often borne of a mission. It is also inspired by passion and sparked by the need for change. Crystal Friend, leader of Acorda’s cluster seizures disease-state awareness (DSA) initiative, demonstrated this when launching her DSA campaign in March 2014. Her mission: To provide education to help physicians diagnosis cluster seizures using clear terminology specific to this type of epilepsy—an effort that will assist in the proper diagnosis and treatment of epileptic patients.

Aware of the need for a change in the doctor-patient dialogue, Crystal conducted research, in part using social listening platforms to identify and address the language ambiguity that surrounds typical cluster seizures terminology. What Crystal saw was an opportunity to clearly define vocabulary that both doctors and patients could use and understand during the diagnosis process. Crystal and her team then developed a unique website, clusterseizures.com, designed as a single-scrolling page—the preference of physicians who use iPads for disease-state research.

The site’s single-scroll design offers HCPs a continuous journey, leading them to spend more time on the page. And as a well-versed website, it offers multiple calls-to-actions for HCPs. They can sign up to receive all of Acorda’s up-to-date treatment information and the best, most current practices in identifying and diagnosing cluster seizures. Because Crystal is well versed in the industry’s tight regulatory environment, she is able to ensure the compliance of this innovative digital channel.

Crystal is passionate, relentless and insightful, all of which only add to the focus she brings to maintaining a high-quality educational resource for HCPs. Her dedication to excellence is inspiring, and her innovation is the work of a true Brand Champion.

Dermatology

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Adelle Walker, Marketing Director, Allergan Medical Dermatology

Determination. Perseverance. Ambition. Those qualities helped Adelle Walker to become a pioneer in the world of DTC marketing at Allergan. Adelle has proven to be the kind of visionary that Allergan values because she has leveraged DTC marketing to make an impact for her brands, for physicians and for the patients who use Allergan products.

Adelle’s accomplishments have been acknowledged internally and externally. In 2011, Adelle was named a top 25 DTC marketer of the year for her work on a digital campaign for the condition of severe underarm sweating.

More recently, Adelle has been recognized for her contributions in launching the successful DTC campaign for Aczone, titled “Mirror Image.” Determined to increase sales, Adelle acted as the driving force, leading a combined internal and agency team, as she initiated the necessary changes required to elevate awareness of the brand. Under Adelle’s leadership, the team developed a breakthrough creative campaign for use in multiple mediums to spread the word that Aczone was an appropriate dermatologist-prescribed treatment for women of any age.

As a result of her keen marketing insights, the Aczone DTC campaign helped to double overall acne market growth rates while increasing the brand’s  market share just three months post-campaign launch. Her efforts helped maintain Aczone in its No. 1 position within its field while increasing consumer awareness—including a 200% increase in website visits and a 700% increase in “Find a Dermatologist” searches.

“Because of Adelle Walker’s tenacity, drive and focus to target a very specific type of acne sufferers, our DTC launch is one of the more successful campaigns we’ve executed,” explains Dale Taylor, CEO at AbelsonTaylor, the agency behind the “Mirror Image” campaign. “Her commitment to measurement and flawless execution led us to achieve our mutual goals in record time.”

Diabetes/Metabolic Disorders

Jon-DeBoer

Jon DeBoer of Eli Lilly for Humulin R U-500

How do you introduce the U.S. to a product that has already been available since 1952? That was the impossible challenge Jon DeBoer faced as he was tasked with “launching” Humulin R U-500. Humulin R U-500 is the only FDA-approved concentrated insulin currently available, but it has never had dedicated sales and marketing support. Jon DeBoer changed that.

Among the many things he did to lead the brand, three created new life for this older brand: Engaging the sales force to secure strong collaboration, supporting safe and effective use of the product, and increasing awareness through an award-winning HCP campaign launch. He accomplished the first by offering learning opportunities for the sales force through seamlessly blended market data and product information that explained the clinical and business implications of the product. Regular trips with sales reps ensured an understanding of sales force, customer and patient needs.

Next, he worked with GSW to create innovative customer support tools that addressed one of the brand’s most important aspects: How to convert dosage from standard U100 insulins. The pieces included an interactive iPad presentation to show how to convert doses and correctly write the prescription, an initiation kit to support dose conversion and ensure clarity for patients regarding their new dosages, as well as a handout for patients to take to their pharmacists to confirm the prescription of this little-used insulin. Finally, he partnered with GSW to create the brand’s very first campaign, which involved showing patients stuck in the world’s largest syringe during everyday mealtime moments.

The stopping power of the campaign is undeniable and thanks to Jon’s determination, focus and innovation, Humulin R U-500 was given new life in an already crowded diabetes market.

Gastrointestinal

Mike-Cvijanovich

 

Mike Cvijanovich of Entera Health for EnteraGam

When creating new things, especially if it is something that has the potential to be a game changer, one can always expect to come across skepticism. Innovation and change require thick skin, determination and a strong work ethic. Mike Cvijanovich demonstrated all of these attributes as he successfully launched a new product into the gastroenterology market.

Mike was handed a monumental challenge that he met head-on with admirable expertise, insight and leadership. He succeeded in launching EnteraGam, a new prescription medical food product indicated for the dietary management of enteropathy under physician supervision. Of course, this wasn’t easy considering the skepticism associated with such a unique therapy: “What is a medical food?” “Why haven’t I heard of this brand before now?” “Who is Entera Health?” All questions that Mike was forced to address in his multi-channel marketing plan.

He relied heavily on digital tactics to make the biggest impact and collaborated with his team to create digital experiences for both HCP and patient audiences. Not only that, he made sure these experiences were customized to gastroenterologists, gastro NPs and PAs, and pharmacists with relevant messages that would resonate with each of them. Even better, the banner ads used to draw them in would actually go to a microsite that supplied the exact type of info promised, rather than just directing them to the brand website.

Mike’s innovative customized experiences proved to both create interest and motivate action. Thanks to his coordinated efforts, EnteraGam is off to a great start and we can’t wait to see what Mike does next with his exceptional branding skills.

Hematology/Oncology

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Kes Kotani of Baxter for Advate

For the last decade, Baxter’s Advate has led the FVIII hemophilia category across the globe. But the competitive landscape is poised to change dramatically with the introduction of several new products expected over the next two years. These new entrants are expected to shake up the market by offering new options and trade-offs to physicians and patients around the world. With such formidable challenges, how could Baxter reinvigorate its brand and grow its global position in the expanding hemophilia category?

Enter Kes Kotani, Group Marketing Manager, Global Hemophilia Marketing, for Advate. Kes had six months to launch a new creative concept for a global audience, including an overhaul of all promotional materials and development of an HCP website. Among his many challenges: Addressing the distinct needs of diverse stakeholders while seamlessly evolving the global brand based on customer insights. The global Advate campaign was officially launched at the recent World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) convention in Melbourne, Australia. Although it is too early for quantifiable results, the brand has received “overwhelming” positive feedback.

Throughout the project, Kes garnered high praise for adroitly leading a global team. At every step of the creative process, he made sure to engage all team members and establish shared ownership of the deliverables. With Kes Kotani in the lead and a winning global team, Advate should continue to dominate the hemophilia category both here and abroad.

Infectious Disease

Jasper-Beard

 

Jasper Beard of ViiV Healthcare

Medical conferences can be big, noisy and crowded affairs at which it’s nearly impossible to be heard. ViiV Healthcare Product Manager Jasper Beard had an ambitious goal: Find a better, more cost effective way to deliver brand messaging and product information to HCPs at these conferences. He found a novel digital advertising platform and solution that could cut through the clutter: the Zen app from watzanHEALTH. Zen uses a person’s interests and his or her friend’s actions to highlight options. A peMediarsonal “heat map” replaces printed guides and lists crammed into apps. Jasper used Zen to create an advertising program around ICAAC—The Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents & Chemotherapy—one of the most important infectious disease conferences.

During ICAAC, doctors could use Zen to balance the time spent devoted to posters, sessions, booths and other activities. They could also use Zen like FourSquare to check in and network. And for the marketer, the app delivered invaluable data. That means, unlike general conference ad spending, Jasper could identify who used Zen. He was also able to identify their interest in safety, efficacy, polytherapies, other topics and their key influences. That data could be used to direct his team’s future marketing programs.

As one of our judges commented, “Jasper’s out-of-the-box thinking and ability to navigate in a matrix environment really stood out. One of the biggest challenges faced in the industry is trying to figure out ways to increase our brand presence and provide product specific information for HCPs as advertising prices increase, and he’s figured it out.” Or to tweak the title of a classic book, it’s Zen and the Art of Marketing.

Innovation

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Carrie Schaal, Former Commercial Training & Development Group Commercial Lead, Innovation, Genentech

What do the Food Network series Chopped and Genentech’s commercial training and development (CT&D) program have in common? Well, under the creative leadership of Carrie Schaal, the reality kitchen show in which the challenge is to take a mystery basket of ingredients and turn them into a high-quality dish, served as a model to help employees learn and apply the “innovation skill of association.” Carrie built the CT&D Innovation curriculum at Genentech, branding, defining and structuring innovation training in the commercial organization. This included identifying eight core “innovation behaviors” that empower employees to engage and act.

Carrie has successfully launched several curricula, notably training on “Design Thinking” and “Coaching to Innovation,” as well as the introduction of web portals and software to build strong networks and facilitate individual learning.

Program stats attest to Carrie’s impact: The one-day Chopped event attracted over 150 employee participants, and following the event, activity on the CT&D Innovation web portal increased by 50%. Furthermore, projects emerging from many of Carrie’s workshops have had a high rate of success; for example, IdeaLab is an open-innovation event for employees to share new creative ideas for the business.

As one of our judges wrote, “Carrie’s work included an array of features critical to true innovation: Tailored to unmet needs, relevant, actionable, creative, and yet practical.”

Managed Markets

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Charles Hampsey, Associate Director, Customer Marketing, Eisai (currently Director, Payer Marketing at Bayer HealthCare)

A true leader takes charge when faced with a challenge and is not afraid of change. These are not only the virtues of a leader, but of a Brand Champion. As a customer marketing and managed markets guru in the era of healthcare reform, Charles Hampsey proved to be quite the master of all trades. He was able to educate, strategize and develop communication efforts that helped push Eisai to the forefront of healthcare quality programs. He also led Eisai’s Quality Enterprise program and served on the company’s Health Care Reform Task Force (HCTF), where he implemented multi-faceted engagement on clinical performance measures that helped shape the national quality agenda.

As a member of HCTF, his job was to deliver new avenues for Eisai to engage with payers and measure developers on the adoption of robust quality measures for federal programs under the Affordable Care Act. To accomplish this, Charles demonstrated how his company can help inform the shift to value-based payment systems, ensuring that patients who benefit from their products are not left at a disadvantage due to poor measurement criteria. In addition to these efforts, Charles was also committed to securing patient access to Eisai medications throughout the transition. Notably, he promoted Eisai as a leader in cancer care standards as well as executed a Quality & Value Plan for epilepsy, oncology and obesity that outlines national quality initiatives and gaps in quality measurement.

Charles Hampsey does not let change deter him from achieving his goals. His hard work, determination and tireless efforts have paid off and earned him recognition as a true Brand Champion.

Medical Device/Diagnostics

Sylvia-Bartley

 

Sylvia Bartley, BSc, Hons; PhD of Medtronic for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Procedure Workflow Analysis iPad Application

As the Senior Global Marketing Manager for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Neurosurgery at Medtronic, Sylvia Bartley is dedicated to helping patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). One of Sylvia’s goals was to use data to disseminate DBS best practices worldwide. She led a cross-functional team to collect observational procedure workflow data in DBS centers worldwide. The procedure workflows were used to create an app that enables DBS centers to analyze and benchmark their own workflows. Thus, the DBS Procedure Workflow Analysis (PWA) iPad app was born.

PWA helps DBS centers evaluate implantation procedure workflows using a step-by-step time analysis. Surgeons can easily document, analyze and measure their workflow efficiency over time. The PWA project has collected 200 DBS lead implantation procedure workflow steps from 132 DBS centers in 23 different countries. What’s more, Sylvia collaborated with a global team of DBS physicians on this initiative, the outcomes of which are published in Stereotactic Functional Neurosurgery, 2012 Vol: 91(1):1-11.

Sylvia was also instrumental in connecting PWA to generational marketing programs. In 2009, Sylvia initiated Medtronic’s Young Neurosurgeons’ Training Program (YNTP), which allows leading surgeons to train fellows—the preeminent program of its type in DBS. These YNTP fellows can use the PWA app to improve their efficiency. As the PWA grows over time, it will become the definitive reference, documenting state-of-the-art DBS procedures.

One of our judges says, “Sylvia Bartley took a challenging promotional situation in having products that were less innovative than the competition and created an opportunity to establish solid relationships with key players in her therapeutic area while also adding significant value to benefit Parkinson’s patients. Very well done!”

Men’s Health

Kelly-Marie-Young

 

Kelly Marie Young of Eli Lilly

Due to her continuous efforts to achieve new heights—and her openness to listen to those around her—Kelly Marie Young from the Cialis HCP Marketing team was named this year’s Brand Champion for Men’s Health. Her curiosity, team collaboration and drive inspire the people she works with to strive for greatness as well. With Kelly’s passion and guidance, her team and brand became unique, inventive and inspirational.

As just one example, she helped launch an innovative rich media campaign that leveraged new technology to inspire action from HCPs. That campaign became the first in the industry to lead to more than three times the engagements rates for HCPs compared to existing rich media campaigns. She has also brought other innovative HCP marketing opportunities to the brand and helped refocus existing campaigns. These include the brand’s 2013 non-personal promotion efforts, which is now demonstrating a positive ROI according to measurements by an independent third party.

Kelly is also continuously pushing others toward success and striving for greatness. Despite the success she already brought to the brand, she wants more. Currently, she is working with her team to extract deeper performance analytics and audience insights to further optimize their campaigns. And she wants to extend the brand’s ceiling even further through customer-centric programs and impactful content engagement.

But you also cannot dismiss this team member’s ability to maintain a comfortable environment that allows others to engage freely by challenging, questioning and supporting each other. Kelly Marie Young’s actions and methods pushed for the best and for the success of everyone, which has brought out the best in her brand.

Ophthalmology

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Jason Menzo, Senior Director and Head of Marketing & Operations, Nicox

In less than a year, Sjögren’s syndrome went from a little known, overlooked and underappreciated afterthought to front page news in the eye care marketplace. How did it happen? A small team of passionate and skilled professionals at Nicox, Dudnyk, Pascale Communications, The Willow Group and The Keil Group, led by Jason Menzo made it their mission to bring this horrible disease into the limelight.

Sjögren’s syndrome is a progressive autoimmune disease that begins as routine dry eye and dry mouth, but over time transforms into a serious systemic autoimmune disease that dramatically increases morbidity and mortality from lymphoma, among other complications. A novel new diagnostic test, Sjö (Nicox, Inc., Fort Worth) that can detect the presence of biomarkers associated with the early stages of the disease, brought hope for early intervention. But while eye care professionals are in a unique position to be on the front line of diagnosis, most are either unfamiliar with the disease or believe well-entrenched myths that underplay its prevalence or seriousness. How to make the connection?

Jason and his team started with a highly impactful, emotional, unbranded multi-channel campaign focused on overcoming the disease’s myths and bringing the disease to the front page. They followed with an emotionally charged brand launch that emphasized early detection with a bold, arresting branded multi-channel campaign. In both phases, the team remained laser focused on a select group of high-value, targeted professionals to maximize ROI. The team’s efforts were also endorsed by the Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation and supported by the patient community.

Already thousands of patients have been screened using Sjö—95% of whom would have otherwise been overlooked due to the limitations of traditional testing and lack of awareness.

Pain Inflammation

Jonathan-Kuhn

 

Jonathan Kuhn, Senior Director, Global & Brand Marketing, Acorda Therapeutics, Inc.

Being conventional never earned anyone the title Brand Champion; however, being a creative, lateral thinker will earn you that distinction, and it perfectly describes Jonathan Kuhn. As Senior Director of Global and Brand Marketing of Acorda, Jonathan works to improve the lives of those afflicted with disorders of the central nervous system, like Multiple Sclerosis. However, he spent the majority of the past year expertly executing the launch of a topical pain product as well as the lifecycle management of the existing Capsaicin pain franchise with a specific focus on serving unmet areas.

His outside-the-box thinking has helped to pinpoint the breach in communication between doctors and patients and generate new online strategies that encourage open dialogue. What’s more, he has extended this platform to simplify the communication processes among physicians, which, in turn, enhances the quality of care for patients. Jonathan also earns high praise for his ability to make all parties who work with him feel as though they are batting for the same team. He views agencies as true partners and develops a strong chemistry with the people he works with. This makes for easy collaboration and a better end result, including more valuable and effective strategies and tools for patients. These are the qualities that have made Jonathan stand out as a respected leader and have also elevated him to Brand Champion.

Respiratory/h2>
Stephanie-Tsolakis

 

Stephanie Tsolakis of Teva Respiratory for QVAR

What makes a true Brand Champion? True Brand Champions lead by example and serve as visionaries for their brand. They are able to push the brand forward while motivating employees, consumers and other external targets to believe in their idea. In that sense, Stephanie Tsolakis is a true Brand Champion. Through her leadership, insight and deep knowledge of the respiratory category, she has proven to be an irreplaceable asset to the QVAR brand.

A key challenge she faced: Ensuring that all stakeholders understood the objectives and the brand experience she wanted to establish for QVAR. She began by crafting a digital strategy focused on defining, identifying, reaching and acquiring prospects with a high probability to convert to the brand. Search engine marketing was used to drive these targets to the brand website, while offline tactics, such as a pharmacy-based adherence program, also helped with this effort. Stephanie was also a vocal champion of mobile marketing and beat several larger competitors to the mobile market. Not only did she expertly manage these interactive projects involving multiple agency partners, but through these digital solutions and the offline pharmacy program, she helped increase adherence substantially—and provided patients with information about their disease and treatments that was previously difficult to find.

QVAR has grown an average of 20% per year over the past three years in terms of total prescriptions. This is a remarkable feat for a mature product and a testament to Stephanie’s strategic excellence and leadership. The success of QVAR confirms the impact of Stephanie’s integrated marketing strategy.

Women’s Health/h2>
Mary-Claire-Kenworthy

 

Mary Claire Kenworthy of Avion Pharmaceuticals for the Prenatal Products Portfolio

In the U.S., 40% of adults experience difficulties swallowing pills—an issue that affects twice as many women as men. And until recently, it was unheard of for any prescription prenatal vitamin to be small in size, inexpensive and still contain a robust, complete formula—in fact most resemble horse pills. It was a huge challenge but Mary Claire Kenworthy and Avion Pharmaceuticals overcame it and brought significant change to the prenatal market. They successfully launched Prenate Mini, an easy-to-swallow gel capsule designed to provide nutritional needs required for women who are pregnant or trying to conceive.

The campaign was as equally impressive as the pill itself. With her exceptional branding skills, Mary Claire directed the focus toward highlighting the core benefits of the brand with the tagline: “The Mini with the Max.” And to help tell the brand story they created their own character, “Miss Mini,” who embodies the spirit of many young pregnant women and was included throughout the brand’s promotional materials. They even ran a complimentary campaign that was a bit tongue-in-cheek showing animals with long, thin necks—such as giraffes and ostriches—with large pills stuck in their throats along with the tagline, “Pregnancy has its challenges; your prenatal vitamin shouldn’t be one of them.”

Under Mary Claire’s guidance, Prenate Mini has grown from a new product launch in 2012 to one of the top three  prescribed prenatal vitamins. Mary Claire has proven to be a catalyst for remarkable change, and her commitment, focus and drive is a significant contribution to the success of her brand.

Initiatives

Pharma’s Trailblazing Initiatives

Marketers can never rest. They constantly need to explore new messaging channels as they emerge, while also seeking fresh ways to engage audiences using more traditional methods. That is the very reason we added 10 new Initiative award categories this year—EMR Program, Point of Care, Corporate Campaign, Sales Aid, CRM Initiative, Pharmacy Campaign, Payer Access Program, HCP Education, Patient/Consumer Education and Multi-cultural Campaign—to highlight the mix of the many new avenues for reaching audiences with a few that marketers already know well.

However, even some of the more familiar channels are undergoing noticeable changes. Take sales aids, for instance. Instead of simply leaving printed materials behind after a physician visit, marketers are now actively engaged in creating interactive iPad presentations for physicians. Meanwhile, other channels, like payer access programs, become even more important as our healthcare system continues to evolve. And, no matter what the channel is, marketers are not taking a wait and see approach, but proactively stepping up their game.

Nowhere was that proactive stance more evident than in the insights, innovations and creativity contained in the overwhelming number of submissions we received this year. Our judges had a difficult time last year selecting just one winner in each category based on strategy, planning, execution and the challenges the marketing teams had to overcome. But this year the number of submissions nearly doubled—as did the unique initiatives from which our judges chose. We were simply compelled to recognize even more of the industry’s outstanding work, and thus created Gold and Silver awards for each Initiative category. Each winner demonstrated strategies, campaigns or offerings that could be described as ingenious, problem-solving and, yes, trailblazing—but something else, too, not nearly as tangible, but everywhere evident. And that is a genuine passion for helping patients to achieve better health outcomes, something that can neither be underestimated nor etched on a trophy. We are truly honored to recognize the following winners.

To go right to one of our winners, click on their link below:

APP

CRM INITIATIVE

CONSUMER WEBSITE/ONLINE INITIATIVE

CORPORATE CAMPAIGN

DTC CAMPAIGN

DTP CAMPAIGN

EMR PROGRAM

HCP EDUCATION

INTERACTIVE MARKETING PROGRAM

MULTI-CULTURAL CAMPAIGN

PATIENT/CONSUMER EDUCATION

PAYER ACCESS PROGRAM

PERSISTENCE/ADHERENCE PROGRAM

PHARMACY CAMPAIGN

POINT OF CARE

PR CAMPAIGN

PRODUCT LAUNCH

PROFESSIONAL CAMPAIGN

PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE/ONLINE INITIATIVE

SALES AID

SELF-PROMOTION

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

UNBRANDED CAMPAIGN

VIDEO/TV CAMPAIGN

App

Gold Winner: ResearchShare (JTE Multimedia)

App_Gold_Research-Share_JTE-Multimedia

Recently, research is being restricted by a strict mirroring of labeling in much of what the researcher writes, thereby removing elements of wisdom gained in clinical practice when it comes to the use of a given drug. JTE Multimedia set out to create an app in which peer-reviewed medical content could be safely shared and discussed among peers, whether on or off-label. Their innovative breakthrough is ResearchShare, a combination eReader/Forum software app developed for mobile/tablet use. Featuring exclusive content from select peer-reviewed journals, ResearchShare allows users to engage with the articles in a closed, secure environment in real time, which also encourages peer-to-peer engagement. The system also includes a database of MSLs by region, so that doctors may reach out to a peer with any questions that only an educated professional can answer. By removing sales representatives from engaging in any potentially “off-label” discussions with HCPs and facilitating contact with company-appointed peers, ResearchShare reduces liability and risk.

Here’s how it works: Healthcare providers can locate an article in the public domain relevant to their field of study and subsequently invite their peers to a virtual forum where they can theorize, speculate and present knowledge without fear that their findings will become public. That’s because the app was built using a double-encrypted server database. Invited users are identified and verified through the secure server. In fact, every facet of the discussion group—from the participants to the comments themselves—is encrypted.

JTE foresees a tremendous potential for ResearchShare beyond HCPs and the pharmaceutical industry. The technology could be adapted for academic institutions, libraries or any individual with a desire to analyze and discuss clinical research in a moderated, dynamic and intimate environment.

Silver Winner: MyHizentra Infusion Manager App (CSL Behring, 23K Studios)

App_Silver_MyHizentra-CSL-Behring

The MyHizentra Infusion Manager App was developed to give patients with primary immunodeficiency disease (PIDD) a simple, convenient and useful method to track their subcutaneous infusions of Hizentra. What does MyHizentra do? The app creates customized self-infusion reminders that are accessible on all cloud-synced electronic devices. It also helps patients keep a detailed record of every infusion, including date, time, infusion sites and other notes that the user may wish to share with his or her doctor. Plus, patients can scan the QR code of each vial of Hizentra, allowing for the entire infusion history to be indexed for discussion with the healthcare team or in the event of a recall or alert.

One Trailblazer judge had this praise for the app: “MyHizentra stood out because it acknowledged patients’ emotional motivations to adhere. There are a lot of resources that assume a patient’s lack of adherence is a rational choice that can be solved with data. The decision to adhere to therapy is often emotional, and the ability to personalize the app was a great choice.”

Consumer Website/Online Initiative

Gold Winner: A Bright Idea: PillCamCrohns.com (Given Imaging LTD, Intouch Solutions)

Consumer-Web-Online_Gold_PillCamCrohns-Intouch

Of the estimated one million people who suffer from Crohn’s disease, 75% have lesions in their small bowel. Since traditional diagnostic methods can’t view this area directly, many patients didn’t have a clear image of what was happening in their bodies. Fortunately, Given Imaging offers a solution that sheds light on the condition. PillCam SB is a vitamin-sized capsule equipped with a miniature video camera that can move through the GI tract and transmit images to a recorder worn on the waist. But Crohn’s patients didn’t know it existed, and therefore weren’t talking with their doctors about it.

One solution: A DTC website that would raise awareness about PillCam SB among Crohn’s disease patients located throughout the United States. PillCamCrohns.com simulates the camera pill’s journey through the body. Visitors are also prompted with questions about their disease and treatment, which form the basis for a customized discussion guide that helps them talk with their doctors.

The site exceeded traditional metrics for success: A paid search campaign increased site visits by 761.6%—in just one month. And nearly 70% of those visitors completed the interactive experience. Nearly one thousand visitors have downloaded their customized doctor discussion guides. Plus, users stayed on the site for an average of 4:06 minutes, more than double the industry average.

Our Trailblazer judges were also drawn in: “PillCamCrohns.com brings the experience of using PillCam to life. For those suffering from Crohn’s, this site provides a straightforward path to understanding the use of PillCam and has a drawing and incentivizing approach to drive patients to learn more. Very well done.”

Silver Winner: Gilenya.com (Novartis, FCB Health)

Consumer-Web-Online_Silver_Gilenya-Novartis-FCB

GILENYA (fingolimod), the first prescription oral therapy for relapsing forms of MS, had a simple marketing goal: Develop meaningful connections across the MS community.

The “Hey MS, Take This!” campaign was inspired by the voices of people who are passionate about taking ownership of their condition. Gilenya.com has become a central platform to amplify and unite these voices, creating a rallying cry that instills trust and confidence in others to ask their doctors about GILENYA by name.

The website creates a social media-driven experience where visitors can watch videos, find events, research MS and GILENYA, and interact by leaving their own “Hey MS, Take This!” messages—offering those with relapsing MS a single online destination for engaging with other patients, and connection to the brand’s intriguing Facebook, Twitter and YouTube offerings.

Following the campaign launch, the marketing team was able to deliver on multiple objectives, including an 82% increase in patients who perceived GILENYA to be “recommended by relapsing MS patients” and a 21% increase in patients requesting GILENYA by name.

Corporate Campaign

Gold Winner: Amgen Biotechnology’s Corporate Campaign (Amgen Biotechnology, Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide)

Corporate_Gold_Amgen_Ogilvy

Proving that you are a leader in the pharmaceutical industry can be extremely challenging, as it is an ever-evolving, competitive marketplace. However, in the competitive market of biosimilars/biologics, Amgen has managed to gain recognition as a trusted industry leader. How did they achieve such an impressive status? Simple, by proving they understood the many challenges that face the biosimilar/biologics industry. Amgen accomplished this through creating not one, but three innovative campaign strategies, each one solidifying their excellence. They had the unbranded campaign: “Manufacturing matters when you choose biologic medicine,” the branded campaign, “Biotechnology by Amgen: Because manufacturing matters, make sure it’s made by Amgen,” and finally the evolved campaign, “Take a deeper look at Amgen’s reliability and quality.”

Their triple threat of campaigns targeted various stakeholders including specialists, primary decision makers, payers and policy makers—all of which have their own specific needs and requirements. And like their stakeholders, each of the three campaigns had a specific target objective to hit. One of their first objectives was to point out that not all biosimilars/biologics are created the same. Next, they wanted to make sure that their audience had a firm understanding of how drugs are made, and that there are different manufacturing requirements for small and large molecule drugs. Amgen also clearly stressed that using their biologics will provide consumers with peace of mind because of the unsurpassed quality and reliability that is found in each and every one of their products.

Silver Winner: Alkermes “Your Challenges are Our Challenges” (Alkermes Pharmaceuticals, Palio+Ignite)

Corporate_Silver_Alkermes_Palio-Ignite

Alkermes’ “Your Challenges are Our Challenges” campaign was developed to create awareness and support the psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, advocacy groups and payers of the central nervous system (CNS) healthcare community. The campaign was spearheaded to make Alkermes’ presence known in the CNS marketplace and to showcase the value that they can bring to healthcare providers. Their innovative strategy began with researching the current practices in CNS care. What they found was that therapies for schizophrenia and other serious CNS diseases are in dire need for improvement. But, instead of just creating treatment therapies in the lab, Alkermes devised a multi-media campaign strategy that provided their audience with a real-world view of current challenges the industry faces. The intimate peek they offered into CNS care enforced their main objective, “Your challenges are our challenges.”

As one of our judges noted, “Alkermes did a great job of demonstrating the corporate ambitions in their strategy and creative execution. Their results were a strong reflection of the dedicated approach.”

CRM Initiative

Gold Winner: Yervoy® (ipilimumab) Be Heard. It’s Time to Talk Options. (Bristol-Myers Squibb, MRM//McCann)

CRM_Gold_Yervoy

A diagnosis of metastatic melanoma, a type of skin cancer with a slim five-year survival rate, can be devastating. The news can leave patients and their families feeling overwhelmed, full of hard questions—and most often heading to the Internet for answers.

To address this reality, MRM//McCann spearheaded a comprehensive campaign for Bristol-Myers Squibb’s immunotherapy, Yervoy. “Be Heard. It’s Time to Talk Options” urges patients to have a voice in discussing their treatment options with their physician.

The biggest challenge was time. Given the seriousness of the condition, there is a narrow window of time for patients to research and learn about treatment options. Oncologists, for their part, had to be receptive. In addition to time constraints, the program had to empower patients to take an active part in their treatment decision—helping them to prepare for the conversation with their physician by providing information about the disease, immunotherapy and talking treatment options.

The integrated campaign combined traditional materials such as educational brochures with search engine marketing and a call-to-action strategy to support the campaign on the Yervoy website. To address the narrow time frame, patients registering on the site are mailed an information packet within 48 hours.

The program continues to exceed all KPI goals and has been continuously refined to better serve patients.

Silver Winner: Faces of Celiac (Quest Diagnostics, CDMiConnect)

CRM_Silver_Faces-of-Celiac

The “Faces of Celiac” campaign’s website, celiacanswers.com, is an initiative created to provide people who are experiencing chronic gastro-intestinal symptoms with an informative platform to research the possibility of celiac disease. The successful campaign was executed by covering a variety of media outlets like DRTV, print and banners. Although, the website is not used to diagnose the disease, it serves as a prompt for patients to ask their doctors to be tested for the disease.

How it works: CeliacAnswers.com is a user-friendly site that provides consumers a survey with symptom-specific questions. Each symptom is cleverly matched with original CGI emoticons, which help sufferers relate to a symptom. Upon the completion of the survey, depending on whether their assessment is positive or negative, the site explains what the patient’s next step should be.

“The creative implementation of the celiac campaign was very clever and turned out to be very effective in connecting with patients,” explains one of our judges.

DTC Campaign

Gold Winner: Faces of Celiac (Quest Diagnostics, CDMiConnect)

DTC_Gold_Faces-of-Celiac-Quest

Celiac disease is constantly misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, meaning millions of people are affected by it and don’t know it. So how can people be aware that their issues could be caused by celiac disease? Of course this wasn’t easy but “Faces of Celiac” set out to deliver information that has been absent to millions of sufferers for far too long. They assured that one symptom doesn’t define celiac disease, but one test can.

Through both print and DRTV markets, the campaign ensured that health-seekers were more aware of the disease. The main objectives were to get people to think about the possibility of having the disease, drive them to get more information through the website and have them get tested. To help users identify their symptoms, the campaign created original animation and CGI, presenting the many symptoms of celiac disease as mischievous (yet likeable) emoticons. Each emoticon personifies one symptom, to help suffers better relate to the campaign and answer the call to action.

Once at CeliacAnswers.com, visitors were compelled to assess their condition and take the symptom survey. Additionally, the site has a social component and encourages users to share their own stories.

The results from “Faces of Celiac” speak to the campaign’s appeal with an increase in website visits (23,000 after 7.5 weeks in just two markets), test volume (up 65%) and sales (up 10%). The Symptom Survey is also the top page viewed with a 24% completion rate. There is no denying that “Faces of Celiac” succeeded in taking the first step toward an elusive diagnosis.

Silver Winner: Latuda DTC Campaign (Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, JWT)

DTC_Silver_Latuda_Sunovion

The Latuda DTC campaign was developed to target younger adult woman with bipolar depression. To gain recognition among these patients, the campaign focused on 1) Creating top-of-mind awareness of Latuda as a treatment for depression associated with bipolar disorder (bipolar depression); 2) Generating branded patient/HCP discussions. How did Latuda accomplish these goals? They developed a unique creative campaign called “Blinds,” using the image of sun-streaked blinds to help convey Latuda as a treatment option for people suffering from bipolar depression. The blinds imagery built on the sun that is part of the Latuda logo.

In addition to the campaign’s TV spot (which also won Silver in our Video/TV campaign category), companion print ads were placed in special interest publications, Health magazine, and large-circulation entertainment books such as People and Entertainment Weekly to expand awareness and reach. And it worked: Latuda advertising awareness is now the second highest in the market, and call to action measures, including intent to talk to doctor and visits to the brand website are well above norm.

DTP Campaign

Gold Winner: Kadcyla Symmetry (Genentech, Sudler & Hennessey)

DTP_Gold_Kadcyla_Genentech-Sudler

Genentech’s Kadcyla is a first-in-class breast cancer therapy for eligible patients with HER2+ metastatic disease that works differently than any breast cancer treatment. It combines the widely used breast cancer medicine Herceptin with a cytotoxic agent designed to target HER2 expressing cells. The company wanted a campaign that could display these and other product attributes. The creative team had a breakthrough with the “symmetry” concept in which a figure is heroically positioned and framed by butterfly wings that show science on one side and humanity on the other.

The campaign tested well above category norms through two rounds of U.S. market research over the three-year development time span. The benefits of the drug proved to be clearly conveyed and aligned with the desired communication objective. The Kadcyla Symmetry campaign helped build awareness with patients at product launch and beyond.

One of our judges sums it up best, “The spirit of the campaign is extremely motivating, much like its intention, and carries through on the promise of product benefits for improved life benefits. The images represent a clinical component and marry it well with an emotional angle that may connect with patients on a psychological level. The interpretation of the woman as caterpillar turned butterfly is inspiring.”

EMR/EHR Program

Gold Winner: Merck Vaccines Population Health Collaboration (Merck, Practice Fusion)

EMR-EHR_Gold_Merck-Vaccines

One of the current trends in healthcare is Population Health Management. By focusing on high-priority health conditions across entire patient populations, healthcare providers can deliver higher quality healthcare at lower costs. Merck collaborated with Practice Fusion, a leading EHR company, to educate Practice Fusion’s healthcare providers on the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) adult vaccine guidelines. The program also raised awareness of the need for individual patient vaccination.

This program was one of the first—if not the first—collaboration between a pharma company and an EHR provider directed toward Population Health Management. The program raises awareness among healthcare providers of the tools within the Practice Fusion EHR platform that can assist providers with understanding their performance-to-healthcare measures, such as the CDC Immunization Guidelines. Practice Fusion healthcare providers can use dashboards to measure their progress toward healthcare measures and benchmark their performance against their peers. Specific vaccination dashboards show them how their patient population compares to other providers on the Practice Fusion platform, giving them a better idea of which patients they need to notify about vaccinations based on certain CDC adult immunization guidelines.

“Merck Vaccines has taken a true leadership role within pharma by partnering with a key EHR provider to implement a program that will add value to physicians, patients and back to Merck as well,” says one of our judges. “Thanks to Merck for paving the way for others in the industry to form similar partnerships that will add value.”

Silver Winner: PDR BRIEF (4th Channel, A PDR Network Company)

EMR-EHR_Silver_PDR-Brief_4thChannel

The adoption of some form of EHR platforms by more than 80% of healthcare providers has had a significant impact on the healthcare industry as provider workflow, patient interaction and treatment decision-making are all evolving. Meanwhile, brand marketers are searching for meaningful and useful ways to be involved in this new channel that supports—not interrupts—a provider’s workflow.

PDR BRIEF offers one such solution as it is integrated into the EHR software to provide users with critical and timely drug information right at the moment when providers are making their treatment selections. PDR BRIEF splits its information into two halves. The top half of the display shows updated drug information, including label updates, Boxed Warnings, drug alerts and REMS programs (where applicable). Meanwhile, the bottom half is for brand support messages such as additional clinical data, provider resources, patient education materials, CRM program information, coupons, co-pay discount offers and more. To date, nearly 50 brands are using the platform, which is available on 33 industry-leading EHR/ePrescribing partners across 225 EHR platforms.

HCP Education

Gold Winner: Getting Straight to the Point at the World Diabetes Congress (Novo Nordisk, Biosector 2)

HCP_Gold_World-Diabetes-Congress

When you think about medical conferences the words “lectures,” “posters,” and “case studies” all come to mind. One thing you wouldn’t expect to find is a play. Yet at the 2013 World Diabetes Congress in Melbourne that is exactly what Novo Nordisk and Biosector 2 offered to an audience of over 400 HCPs and congress delegates. “Getting Straight to the Point,” was a theatrical performance consisting of three mini-dramas written in collaboration with leading specialists in diabetes and performed by internationally acclaimed actors and experts.

This innovative platform was used to challenge misconceptions surrounding the successful management of type 2 diabetes and encourage a more open, honest and shared HCP-patient dialogue. Placing the realities of type 2 diabetes center stage, delegates were encouraged to examine issues from a more empathetic stance.

To provide a holistic approach to the insights presented on stage, the production also incorporated discussions with a world-class faculty of multidisciplinary experts. To ensure that delegates were proactively involving themselves, the following elements were set up: Electronic voting, Q&A windows and an injection station that enabled delegates to feel the sensation of inserting an injection needle. It is safe to say it made an impact on HCPs: 80% of attendees felt that their understanding of communication barriers around injectable treatments for type 2 diabetes improved.

Our judges were just as impressed when they heard about it: “The Novo Nordisk symposia presentation was exceptional and one that not only captured the HCPs’ interest but left them more informed and ready for discussions with patients—exceptional idea.”

Silver Winner: Respimat Inhalation Demonstrator (Boehringer Ingelheim, Bang & Olufsen Medicom)

HCP_Silver_Respimat_BI

With a simple and aesthetically pleasing design, the Respimat Inhalation Demonstrator makes it easy for HCPs to experience and show patients the ease of inhalation from Respimat. The Demonstrator attaches to the Respimat inhaler on one end, and on the other, a cable is connected to a smartphone or iPad. Combined with an app, users can then simulate an inhalation cycle and experience how easy it is. They simply strive to get a balloon visualized on the smartphone/iPad within a certain inhalation range. The app also provides feedback when the inhalation is too strong or weak. After a successful inhalation it encourages users to hold their breath to complete the process—a last step that is generally lacking for all inhalation products.

Our judges had plenty of great things to say about the Demonstrator including, “very user-friendly and great for interaction between patients and doctors,” “a creative way to help understand ease of inhalation with the device,” and “a great use of the iPad as a teaching tool.”

Interactive Marketing Program

Gold Winner: Cubicin iPad App (Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Dudnyk)

Interactive_Gold_cubicin

After two indications and more than 10 years of clinical experience, a plethora of data was available for sales reps to use when discussing Cubicin. But, as always, the question became: “What is the best way to use it?” The company had developed an app to help the sales force discuss the data, but it didn’t have the ideal setup. That changed when Dudnyk was awarded the business.

The agency streamlined the content and made the app easier for reps to use. Based on the reps’ usage data, Dudnyk scaled down the app substantially and gave the homepage a facelift in order to prioritize content and enhance the user experience so that sales reps could easily find the content that matters most to individual audiences. They also reorganized the data to create a more compelling brand story and added other new features to make reps’ lives easier. The “Patient Profiler” was added to engage physicians and help them better understand the appropriate patient for Cubicin. To simplify the process of following up after each call, Dudnyk added a “Bookshelf” with all of the digital resources that could be shared with physicians. Now reps could email information requested by the physician directly from the app.

Both reps and physicians are pleased with the changes as Cubist has received positive feedback from the field. The “Patient Profiler” and “Bookshelf” are big hits in particular, as physicians find them to be very informative and more in line with how they now receive clinical content.

Silver Winner: Levemir: Geo-Dome Mobile Formulary Campaign (Novo Nordisk, Physicians Interactive)

Interactive_Silver-Levemir

“The Levemir campaign took on a new scope for an interactive project,” explains one of our judges. “Linking consumers to a formulary win campaign was quite innovative, and it got consumers talking about something positive.” To give a bit more detail, Novo Nordisk worked with Physicians Interactive’s Media Solutions Division, Tomorrow Networks, in a campaign that was so highly targeted that patients or HCPs had to be within a 500-foot geographical “dome” to receive one of 20 potential mobile banner ads. In order to determine where these domes would appear, the teams leveraged health-specific data including prevalence rates, regional Rx prescribing activity and formulary coverage to find high-potential zip codes and physician offices.

More than 6,500 healthcare practices were targeted. HCPs within those areas would receive the banner ads via some of the most frequently used medical apps. Meanwhile, consumers who entered the geographical “dome” areas could also receive the ads through any of 300 potential apps (including news, weather, sports and other categories). And the ads certainly drew both parties’ attention: The average click-through rate was six times higher than standard web industry averages.

Multi-cultural Campaign

Gold Winner: Multiple Myeloma in the African American Community (Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, Snow Companies)

Multi-Cultural_Gold

Multiple myeloma has so little awareness that the second most prevalent blood cancer after non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is often confused with melanoma, a form of skin cancer. This is especially troubling for African Americans as they are twice as likely as Caucasians to get this form of cancer. In fact, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) reports that “among African Americans, myeloma is one of the leading causes of cancer death.”

Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company and Snow Companies set out to resolve this lack of disease awareness with their “Multiple Myeloma in the African American Community” campaign. At the center of the campaign is a free, educational DVD featuring various perspectives of those affected by multiple myeloma within the community. The video also encourages viewers to be active participants in their healthcare decision-making, aims to de-stigmatize participation in clinical trials and stresses the importance of finding support through patient advocacy and support groups.

The National Office of Minority Health (Washington, D.C.) and all of its state-run chapters, as well as the African Methodist Episcopal Church and its Health Ministry were enlisted to help spread awareness of the initiative. Since making the DVDs available in late 2013, over 1,300 have been distributed, but demand for more copies continues to increase as awareness spreads. That is why there are now plans to feature this content online and to allow site visitors to request copies of materials, including the DVD.

Put simply, as one of our judges did, “This campaign is a powerful, engaging and moving effort. Great job.”

Silver Winner: Hypertension U.S. Hispanic Campaign (Novartis, Prime Access)

Multi-Cultural_Silver

The Novartis Exforge brand team was in need of new growth opportunities as they operated in a highly competitive market already dominated by generic medications. Market research uncovered such an opportunity: Not only do Hispanic consumers have little to no awareness of Exforge, but they are also unaware of what normal blood pressure readings should be and believe their current medications are effectively controlling their blood pressure even though their readings are still high.

But in order to effectively reach this audience, Novartis and Prime Access knew they needed a campaign that was specifically tailored to them. They developed a campaign that had the broadest possible appeal and resonated with the audience regardless of age, gender, country of origin or geographical region. The concept: A successful Hispanic restaurateur juggling different aspects of his daily life (job, family, responsibilities and so on). This aspirational depiction with its themes of self-actualization and empowerment resonated deeply with respondents. Already the campaign is showing positive results as both call volume and the overall number of new-to-brand patients have increased.

Patient/Consumer Education

Gold Winner: HIV Answers Program and Awareness Campaign (Gilead Sciences, Digitas Health LifeBrands)

Patient-Consumer-Ed_Gold

Despite representing only 12% of the U.S. population, African Americans account for 44% of new HIV infections—eight times the rate of Caucasians. And young black gay men (ages 13 to 24) account for 55% of new infections among young gay and bisexual men—the highest rate overall. Yet, young black gay men are historically underserved by the healthcare industry.

When Digitas Health LifeBrands conducted extensive research to learn more about reaching this underserved demographic, they made some startling discoveries. Many thought that treatment made you look or feel sicker, or that HIV could be “treated” with improved diet or nutritional supplements. Respondents also explained that they face incredible societal stigma and would prefer discretion when dealing with HIV.

Digitas Health LifeBrands partnered with Gilead Sciences to develop “HIV Answers,” a comprehensive mobile-first treatment initiation support program that included a responsive website and apps for both iOS and Android smartphones. The app was even made to be discrete—titled “Answers” on the phone home screen and password protected to keep personal information private. The program’s other resources include simple answers to questions about treatment; a 5-step plan to help users transition from diagnosis to starting treatment; and informed doctor-patient conversations with a list of common questions.

Response from the young black gay men community has been positive. One member of the Philadelphia ASO community said, “[This] is one of the most impressive educational tools I have seen for people living with or affected by HIV. It’s user-friendly and provides answers to the key questions people with HIV—especially those newly diagnosed—need.”

Silver Winner: Asante Solutions SNAP Insulin Pump Video-In-Print Patient Education Brochure (Asante Solutions, DePirro/Garrone, Vpak Media)

Patient-Consumer-Ed_Silver

Asante Solutions knew that once insulin pump users could see their SNAP Insulin Pump in action they would believe in the product. The only issue: How to get it in front of their eyes. The market for insulin pumps is crowded, and highly competitive and while doctors may offer recommendations to patients, they often leave the decision up to them. Asante Solutions is a start-up that can’t compete with the big budgets of larger companies, but they offered an innovative product. Their SNAP Insulin Pump made setup and management of insulin delivery easier and could save patients valuable time each week.

Asante and their agency, DePirro/Garrone, partnered with Vpak Media to create a Video-In-Print Brochure containing a high-definition LCD screen that started playing when opened. In addition to the six demonstration/comparative videos included in the Vpak brochure, the brochure contained a 28-page printed booklet allowing patients to further explore the SNAP’s features. Sales figures have been promising: In offices in which the Video-In-Print Brochure were distributed, patient requests for the pump far exceeded requests from offices that did not receive the brochures.

Payer Access Program

Gold Winner: BELVIQ® (lorcaserin HCl) for chronic weight management (Eisai, Palio+Ignite)

PayerAccess_Gold

Any prescription drug is going to have a hard time finding success if payers are not covering it. So when Eisai was preparing to launch BELVIQ, which was approved for use in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in adults who are obese or are overweight and have co-morbid conditions, their first task was to educate payers that obesity is not only a disease but an epidemic. At the time, many payer formulary decision-makers believed that obesity was a lifestyle or cosmetic issue and a large number of plans specifically excluded the entire weight loss category from their drug formularies.

The first part of their strategy: Educate payers about this significant unmet need around the rise of obesity in the U.S. and the burden this illness has on patients, employers and payers. Several medical organizations, including the World Health Organization and American Medical Association, have recognized obesity as a disease. The BELVIQ value proposition, which emphasized efficacy, percent of patients to goal, durability of response, tolerability and safety data, was a key component of this initiative. The campaign materials also indicated the potential economic benefits that could be realized with weight loss and improvements in cardiometabolic parameters for obese patients and overweight patients with a co-morbid condition.

In March 2014, The U.S. Office of Personnel Management advised 250 Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) carriers that it is no longer permissible for FEHB carriers to exclude weight loss medications from coverage. And according to Fingertip Formulary, more than 60% of insured commercial lives now have access to BELVIQ.

Silver Winner: Biotechnology by Amgen: It’s in our DNA (Amgen Biotechnology, Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide)

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With the biosimilars market becoming more competitive, Amgen wanted to make sure their company stayed top of mind among healthcare decision-makers. One key to doing that was reminding doctors, payers and patients that not all biosimilars/biologics are made the same.

The “Manufacturing Matters” campaign emphasized the fact that how a drug is made (and who makes it) impacts quality and reliability of that medicine to the market. Meanwhile, another campaign, the “DNA Tree” was made to ensure stakeholders choose Amgen. The stunning visual included a tree composed entirely of DNA strands supporting a child on a swing with his mother pushing him. The copy complements this image by assuring all that biologic medicines at Amgen are rooted in quality and nurtured by reliability.

“I liked how Ogilvy showed all the steps that have to take place in order to get medication into the hands of the patient,” offers one of our judges. “The ads were easy to understand, which is a key component to marketing.”

Persistence/Adherence Program

Gold Winner: Crestor® Augmented Adherence Program: SMS e-Savings Text Service (AstraZeneca, PSKW)

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Since its launch, the Crestor co-pay team has worked to implement a successful adherence program built around a strong co-pay assistance strategy. In 2014, the team tested a new adherence channel. This new channel used an SMS e-savings texting service that connected Crestor patients to the savings program directly through their mobile devices.

Working together with PSKW, AstraZeneca wanted to make sure that patients had easy access to savings off their prescription and a motivation to remain adherent. The SMS e-Savings Text Service was designed to help accomplish both goals. This Crestor experience is being used within AstraZeneca to develop a model for enterprise-wide best practices and standard processes. As one judge says, “The use of text with the savings ‘hook’ allows great patient intimacy that facilitates adherence.”

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, inflammation, autoimmune, oncology, infection and neuroscience diseases. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.

PSKW is the innovation driver in biopharma loyalty relationship marketing. From co-pay incentive cards, vouchers and coupons to leading-edge digital and mobile adherence marketing techniques, the PSKW team works as a strategic partner with brand teams to effectively and efficiently build trial, compliance, and adherence.

Silver Winner: Avastin CARES (Genentech, CDMiConnect)

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Sometimes what cancer patients need most is not more information about another potential treatment, but a little empathy. Just hearing from someone who understands what they are going through can motivate them to stay on treatment and continue their battle. Genentech and CDMiConnect understood this when they developed the support program Avastin CARES (Clear Answers, Resources, Education and Support).

All of the program’s materials feature rich stories from Avastin patients who share very personal perspectives on coping and living with cancer. To ensure patients never felt overwhelmed, information was only given to them when they needed it. The Starter Kit included a DVD, MOA tool and caregiver brochure. Patients were further supported by direct mail, emails and outbound phone calls based on their specific cancer type.

Over 90% of patients in the program were satisfied with the call center support program, and the e-mail open rates ranged between 40% and 50%. CARES patients also stayed on Avastin significantly longer and demonstrated a strong knowledge about the brand’s ability to starve the tumor.

Pharmacy Campaign

Gold Winner: Merck Adult Vaccination Program (Merck, JUICE Pharma Worldwide)

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The role of the pharmacy has evolved under the Affordable Care Act—it is no longer just a place for filling prescriptions. Pharmacists are taking a more proactive and preventive role in patient healthcare, as they are likely to see patients more often than their doctors. This uniquely positions pharmacists as advocates of adult vaccination. Even the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agrees—the agency has enlisted pharmacists’ help in improving the abysmally low vaccination rates. Despite this call to action, pharmacists may not know how to better integrate vaccinations into their daily work. There was no true repository for adult vaccination information and best practices specifically tailored for pharmacists. No center of excellence.

Merck and JUICE Pharma Worldwide filled the void by creating a content marketing stream directed at pharmacists with The Merck Adult Vaccination Program (MAVP). The website gives pharmacists access to tools, information, news and best practices to establish year-round vaccination programs. And the “Pharmacy Insider” series of videos provides practical advice from real pharmacists on how to overcome the day-to-day challenges of implementing these programs.

The content created through the program has already been embraced by pharmacists nationwide. So far, nearly 30,000 pharmacies have enrolled with the website’s Pharmacy Locator, which offers a list of vaccinating pharmacies for patients and physicians. One sign that the program was successful in generating valuable information: National retail pharmacy chains and organizations reached out to share the information on their own sites, truly getting MAVP into the social sphere.

Silver Winner: Restasis Solutions at the Shelf Program (Allergan, Rx EDGE Pharmacy Networks, Beacon Healthcare Communications)

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Why not advertise your brand at the exact place where patients are making treatment decisions? That is what Rx EDGE Pharmacy Networks and Beacon Healthcare Communications offered Restasis with the Solutions at the Shelf program. For Restasis, a treatment for chronic dry eye disease, the pharmacy shelf near OTC artificial tears was the perfect place to create disease and brand awareness. For starters, the usage of artificial tears is often the first line of treatment for dry eye symptoms. And eye care products are one of the top 10 best-selling OTC categories.

The campaign succeeded in gaining consumers’ attention with the headline “Are your dry eyes a sign of a type of Chronic Dry Eye disease?” Followed by, “If you use artificial tears often….” The communication vehicle also served as a branded information dispenser with disease-awareness information, a short questionnaire to encourage people to assess their dry-eye profile, advice about getting the right diagnosis and more. The strategy proved successful: Total Rx sales volume increased 6.5% and ROI exceeded 7:1.

Point of Care

Gold Winner: SermoSolves (Sermo)

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Our judges couldn’t stop raving about this platform. One called it an “excellent demonstration of what is possible with technology and open collaboration. Perhaps this can open possibilities for company participation in the future.” Another said it’s, “Inspiring! Crowdsourcing medical knowledge is a terrific application with clear patient benefits.” In case you haven’t caught on, SermoSolves is a clinical crowdsourcing tool allowing physicians across the U.S. to collaborate on interesting and urgent patients cases. It also lets physicians target doctors in specific specialties (e.g., a heart issue can be targeted to cardiologists). Cases can be urgent or educational for physicians, a way to share unusual symptoms or to seek urgent input. The recent release improves usability and adds targeted physician specialties for better response rates, and ultimately better patient care.

Sermo understands a physician’s daily challenge of clinical efficiency while struggling with administrative and practice management tasks. The company rebuilt SermoSolves to better fit a doctor’s practice and meet their needs for greater peer collaboration. They also ensure that physicians feel safe using the platform. To help demonstrate its global potential, Sermo created a documentary about Floating Doctors, a non-profit relief organization that uses SermoSolves to help solve tough cases in rural Panama, Honduras and Haiti.

Since the redesign and involvement with Floating Doctors in the fall of 2013, clinically oriented discussion on Sermo increased by 100% and SermoSolves usage by 400%. Additionally, the average solve time for cases has declined fourfold.

Secure Rx (MediScripts)

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MediScripts provides a solution to the pharmaceutical industry’s dwindling sales forces and marketing budgets, as well as the increasingly limited access to physicians. Secure Rx: It’s the medium they pioneered 30 years ago and it’s as effective as ever today. The initiative offers a cost-effective Point of Care channel that enables pharmaceutical brands to engage physicians when they are making critical clinical decisions—branded messaging right on their prescription pads. Companies can choose which physicians to target based on a variety of criteria including list match, specialty, prescription decile and therapeutic class. Another benefit of Secure Rx: Companies can easily measure the channel’s effect and prove the value of each marketing dollar spent. Last year alone, Secure Rx prescription pads delivered more than one billion ad impressions. They also offer pharma companies an average 19.9:1 ROI!

And our judges also responded. “Sometimes we get too complicated or too dependent on technology,” one judge notes. “This initiative is impressive for its very basic simplicity.”

PR Campaign

Gold Winner: Introducing Diclegis: Overcoming an Unfortunate Legacy to Begin a New Dawn for Morning Sickness (Duchesnay USA, Makovsky)

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As many as 85% of pregnant women experience morning sickness, viewing it as a rite of passage they must grin and bear. What few realize is that Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy (NVP) is actually a condition that can be treated. And 30 years ago, Bendectin was an approved treatment for the condition, before it was voluntarily withdrawn from the market following an alleged association with birth defects. And that legacy has hurt the market for new treatments ever since. When Duchesnay USA was preparing to launch Diclegis, it had to find a way to overcome Bendectin’s poor reputation, the notion that pregnant women shouldn’t take any prescribed medications and the idea that morning sickness couldn’t even be treated.

To assure pregnant mothers the treatment was safe, Makovsky aligned Diclegis with one of the most significant “safety” advocacy groups in the country: March of Dimes. Together they created “The Better Morning Tour,” an awareness campaign designed to shift patient-HCP dialogue around NVP symptoms and treatment options. Additionally, prior to approval they held meetings with maternal-fetal health HCPs and women’s health and pregnancy-advocacy groups to offer open access to company leadership and safety data. Separately, they also provided top-tier pregnancy and mommy bloggers access to a clinical trial investigator to answer questions about Diclegis.

These efforts and more helped news coverage of Diclegis’ approval reach nearly one billion media impressions. Online searches about morning sickness also increased by 30% from three months prior to FDA approval to three months after.

Silver Winner: Alme for Healthcare (Next IT)

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Next IT’s Alme platform incorporates elements of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) to provide concierge-style services to consumers as well as business benefits to companies. Today, Alme serves airlines, telecom giants, healthcare payers, financial institutions and even the U.S. Army. While the product is proven within enterprises, launching Alme for Healthcare wasn’t easy.

A.I. is a difficult sell. Hollywood portrays A.I. akin with Space Odyssey’s HAL, Iron Man’s J.A.R.V.I.S. or Knight Rider’s K.I.T.T., making it difficult to believe that this technology is real. But the Alme platform is very real and offers substantial value by helping patients make better wellness choices, adhere to treatment plans and gain access to health information. In order to prove Alme’s value in healthcare, Next IT devised a strategic media plan including interviews with some of the top technology media outlets (Semantic Web and TechCrunch) as well as lending their knowledge as A.I. experts in a New Yorker article about the movie Her. Since its launch, Next IT has more than tripled its number of healthcare clients, and over half of its current sales funnel is attributed to the industry.

Product Launch

Gold Winner: Ignited We Stand (Celgene, The CementBloc)

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It can be hard enough to create a campaign for a single indication, but after Celgene’s solid-tumor product was approved for its third indication, the marketing challenges grew. The goal was to develop a single unifying campaign championing all three indications for the chemotherapy agent. Further complicating things, the ad had to appeal to a diverse target audience of HCPs engaged in the care of three different types of metastatic cancer. Thus, the marketing team was tasked with developing one cohesive brand story that fit a splintered target audience.

To overcome these hurdles, The CementBloc focused on the one thing that united all three of these types of patients. In the lives of those fighting metastatic disease, the small differences make all the difference in the world. The brand represents a spark of optimism based on the product’s clinical profile, and that spark can be shared across patients to help to ignite the fight against metastatic disease. In a category dominated by campaigns featuring data curves and benign human moments, this campaign imagery focused on emotion.

Silver Winner: BETHKIS Launch Campaign (Cornerstone Therapeutics, Sentrix Health Communications)

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Cornerstone Therapeutics gave Sentrix Health Communications one directive for the BETHKIS Launch Campaign: It must have a hummingbird. But that was the easy part. After all, the drug was entering into a category with several already-established heavy hitters in the treatment of cystic fibrosis. And not only did the campaign have to find a way to compete with the drug category’s leaders, it had to act fast because a generic entrant was soon to hit the market.

Like any great marketer would, they used what they had to their advantage. The hummingbird became a metaphor for the speedy delivery of BETHKIS to the lungs, represented by specially crafted flowers, and the treatment’s ability to deliver quick relief to cystic fibrosis sufferers. It also opened the door to the use of great colors. The blue and green hummingbird against a green background and mist comprised of complimentary colors really made the campaign jump off the page and force HCPs to take notice.

Professional Campaign

Gold Winner: Humulin R U-500 “Stuck” Campaign (Eli Lilly, GSW)

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Despite being approved for decades, Humulin R U-500 had never been marketed. It is the only concentrated insulin available in the United States, but until recently only a small percentage of people needed this type of insulin. However, with the growth of diabetes, as well as the number of people with high degrees of insulin resistance, Humulin R U-500 started to become a necessary option.

For the insulin’s very first campaign, Eli Lilly and GSW wanted to show how it felt to need large amounts of insulin every day. Patients felt they couldn’t escape the rising levels, so the campaign shows patients in the world’s largest syringe as the insulin levels rise.

In order to create the campaign, they built a canister and added in liquid while the models were inside. Later, CGI was used to add in the plunger and needle. Finally, the images of the giant syringe were inserted into ads that showed these patients trapped in mealtime moments at work or with family. The campaign reminds endocrinologists that there is a solution beyond patients injecting larger and larger volumes of insulin into their bodies—sometimes more can mean less.

Three months after the campaign launched in September 2013, the ad that was displayed without a logo achieved nearly 95% unaided recall.

Silver Winner: COMBIVENT RESPIMAT “With a Twist” (Boehringer Ingelheim, Sentrix Health Communications)

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How do you make something that already works, work better? Sentrix Health Communications struggled with that question when updating the campaign for Boehringer Ingelheim’s COMBIVENT RESPIMAT. The COPD inhaler had recently undergone a few changes as the discontinued aerosol inhaler was replaced with a model powered by a unique twisting mechanism. While the initial switch campaign only ran a few months, the eye-catching black and white ad was considered a stand-out in the category.

Sentrix wanted to honor the original campaign while ushering in a new era. The solution: tone down the large fields of black from the previous campaign and present a white-on-white color treatment to showcase the models. But they also wanted to add a “twist” as a nod to the inhaler’s new power mechanism. So they focused on a singular characteristic of each model in the ad, such as a lock of hair, headphones or glasses, and accentuated those in orange. The product’s sales force loved the new ad, calling it “magnificent,” “unique,” and “the most professional pieces [they] have ever seen.”

Professional Website/Online Initiative

Gold Winner: “Master of Elusion” (AbbVie, Area 23)

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As many HCPs know, treating Hepatitis C (HCV) can be tricky—just when you think you’ve found a treatment that has the virus cornered, it still finds a way to escape your grasp.

As part of a highly integrated campaign, the creative strategy for the site was built around that notion of HCV being the “Master of Elusion,” with the virus hiding behind everything from a couch to a computer screen. The site also played up these arresting images in lieu of content-heavy materials in response to the target audience’s preference for simple, bold visuals. Each educational module featured dynamic visual elements that mimic the elusive nature of the virus. This gave the site a unique interface and experience that harnesses a doctor’s natural curiosity while creating a level of interactivity. Even better, this is one of pharma’s first ever self-optimizing websites, meaning it learns to cater to how physicians interact with the site. For example, the modules on the home page grow and shrink based on user interaction, allowing for easy identification of the overall community’s interest. It also encouraged repeat visits to see if there were shifts in how a physician’s peers were using the site.

The distinctive design has led to nearly 197,000 unique visitors to date—nearly 10 times the number of specialists who were considered to be the primary audience for the site. As the first professional site of its kind, CTHEVIRUS.COM has helped successfully establish AbbVie as a leader within the HCV category and has pushed the standards of educational interactivity.

Silver Winner: BELVIQ—Making Weight Loss Matter (Eisai, Havas Lynx)

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For more than a decade, prescription and over-the-counter weight loss treatments were known to have problems with safety, tolerability and efficacy. Physicians had nothing they could trust to help patients with long-term weight loss, and they were frustrated by their inability to help.

All that changed in 2012 when Eisai and partner agency Havas Lynx had the opportunity to introduce physicians to BELVIQ, a drug with proven weight loss and management through year two.

Their chosen creative approach, “Bundle,” depicts weight loss and management as the result of a collection of lifestyle choices and changes, with BELVIQ an essential element of those choices.

The BELVIQ HCP website, created to support this position, provides physicians with current facts about obesity in America, BELVIQ’s MOA, primary and secondary endpoints, safety profile and resources for physicians, among other materials.

Since its launch in October 2013, the website has had more than 243,051 unique visitors. And new prescriptions have increased month over month, overtaking its main competitor in July 2014.

Sales Aid

Gold Winner: Giazo (Salix Pharmaceuticals, The CementBloc)

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When Salix Pharmaceuticals’ Giazo was approved as a treatment for mild to moderate ulcerative colitis (UC)—but only for men—the company was faced with a significant sales barrier. All of the other UC treatments available were for both genders, so why would physicians choose an option with a limited treatment spectrum?

The campaign was infused with a masculine tone and visual language—something the gastroenterology community had never seen before—in order to force gastroenterologists to confront unabashed truths about their male UC patients. Reps were armed with iPad-based materials, visual aids and leave-behinds to get them talking about it with doctors. This helped spark a new conversation that created brand awareness. Since the campaign’s launch in February 2013, the use of Giazo continues to increase as awareness of the brand spreads within the gastroenterology community. And Giazo is also now viewed as a valuable part of the UC franchise, as it plays a role in Salix’s overall portfolio strategy.

One of our judges may have put it best: “There was a clear line of sight from strategy to execution. It was a great segmentation choice, and the compelling images that mirrored the target audience helped the creative break through the monotony of other sales aids. It was ‘in your face’ but not insulting or minimizing the disease. Nice!”

Silver Winner: T-App (Publicis Touchpoint Solutions)

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Most field representatives spend only 30% of their time selling, while more than 20% of their time is spent planning and auditing. Publicis Touchpoint Solutions wanted to change that by offering representatives a tool that could make the process more efficient and easier to measure.

Working with InfoCepts and using MicroStrategy’s cloud-based, mobile platform, Touchpoint developed T-App to provide representatives with all of the information they would need on five key screens. 1) The Cover Page provides a quick glance summary of key performance metrics. 2) Performance offers more details on those metrics at all levels of geography. 3) Activity shows a summary of actions taken in the field, such as sales calls and samples provided. 4) Managed Care provides insight into the performance in the top managed care plans. 5) Incentive Compensation (IC) Scorecard measures sales incentive dollars, which often helps motivate the sales team.

But the key is that representatives love using it. One of our judges even gave this glowing review: “I ran a sales region and would have loved to have this tool to help me diagnose everything from reach and frequency to trends.”

Self-promotion

Gold Winner: Ice Cream Campaign (Klick Health)

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Sometimes the best way to attract new talent is to literally give them a taste of what life is like at your company. When that happens to be free ice cream on a scorching 90° day, then you are likely to make more than a few people think about working for you—especially if you’re standing right outside your competitors’ offices.

Klick may have ruffled a few competitive feathers with their tactics, but they also impressed others, including our judges. Consider the facts: In the span of two weeks, Klick developed and implemented a guerilla recruitment campaign that covered 30 offices across three states (New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania), ran a 15-second digital spot in the elevators of those office buildings to announce their arrival and deployed ice cream trucks and carts wrapped in custom-designed Klick branding that distributed 785 ice cream treats. And they did it all for under $30,000, which is a fraction of the cost of an executive recruiter.

Most importantly, there was also some sound reasoning behind the madness. As a healthcare agency headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Klick understood that they were not top-of-mind with some U.S. agency people looking to change jobs. So they sought to show them just what kind of culture Klick has and provide a taste of what it’s like to work there. In the end, they received hundreds of CVs and business cards, as well as dozens of calls and meetings. They even scooped up a VP-level executive.

Silver Winner: PulseCX Brand Launch (PulseCX)

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The Roska name has been around for more than 30 years, and during that time healthcare communications has evolved tremendously. In today’s world, customers expect a superior customer experience (CX) that allows them to interact with brands 24/7, on their terms (time and place), and specific to their unique needs. The team at PulseCX identifies strongly with this new reality and decided it was time for their name to reflect it as well.

When it came to rebranding the agency, they took the same approach as they do with every client—establishing the goal to fully engage their target audiences and measurably increase the impact of the new brand. They studied the key trends in the marketplace, the customer journey was mapped, the brand promise was established (Inspired Experiences), and key “moments of truth” were identified when customers will be most receptive to specific communications. The net result was a true reflection of the importance of the customer experience for any successful brand. It’s important to recognize that this process also allowed every employee to put their fingerprints on the new brand. So in the end, PulseCX isn’t just a new name, it’s a new identity.

Social Media Campaign

Gold Winner: “HEY MS, Take This!” (Novartis, FCB Health)

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“I’m not MS girl. I’m just like everyone else, and I have a lot to do.” That comment from a person with relapsing MS inspired Novartis and FCB Health to launch their “HEY MS, Take This!” campaign. To do a better job of reaching patients with relapsing MS, they turned to the MS community and found that many of the people with relapsing MS took ownership of their condition with an independent and courageous attitude. And where better to do that than social media?

The campaign broke new ground by establishing an authentic community for engagement and relationship-building across several channels, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The companies began in earnest with materials that featured real people (known as GILENYA (fingolimod) Guides) as well as a range of content that the MS community could “like” and “share.” Once user-generated messages began to flow in, the GILENYA team was able to spark a two-way conversation through a moderated wall on Facebook—a rarity for pharma.

Ultimately, the campaign got people talking about both relapsing MS and the brand. In fact, there was:

  • An 82% increase in patients who perceived GILENYA to be “recommended by relapsing MS patients.”
  • A 22% increase in patients who consider GILENYA.
  • A 21% increase in patients requesting GILENYA by name.

But this new community also remains a place where people can take charge of their disease. So far, more than 500 people have shared their very own statements, including, “HEY MS, you may have moved in, but this is still my house!”

Silver Winner: ReNEW CML Social Media (ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, LehmanMillet)

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Patients who are “toughing out” life with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) could use a place to seek the advice of others facing the same struggles. A place where they could find support around issues of drug intolerance, resistance and more. And while the web is filled with patient education sites in this area, no company had developed a social media presence to reach patients directly and encourage peer-to-peer advocacy. ARIAD Pharmaceuticals and LehmanMillet have done just that with ReNEW CML.

Patients are encouraged to “like” the Facebook page and follow the Twitter feed in order to receive daily posts and updates about CML and related topics such as blood cancer, cancer awareness, CML in the news, CML science and research, health and wellness, living life with CML, and CML inspiration. They can also participate in discussions via the platforms, which are moderated by LehmanMillet. To date, the CML community has embraced ReNEW with 27,349 likes on Facebook and more than 670 followers on Twitter.

Unbranded Campaign

Gold Winner: Teva Oncology Franchise “In a Word” Campaign (Teva Oncology, AbelsonTaylor)

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An identity can rarely be boiled down to a single aspect or word. And yet, Teva Oncology had an identity issue. The Teva name is largely associated with generics, but the company has many branded business units in the U.S., including Teva Oncology. And despite being the 10th largest oncology company in the U.S., awareness of the business was low. So they decided to work with AbelsonTaylor to ensure their identity was clear.

The first step was establishing a vision. Teva Oncology’s is, “To change the course of cancer care—one patient at a time.” But the creative team wanted to make sure these weren’t just words, that the deeper meaning behind them could be seen and felt through an impactful visual. And once again, identity became a key theme. Just as Teva Oncology is more than its generics parent company, patients are more than just their disease. The campaign used common words in oncology—chemotherapy, apoptosis, metastasis, malignancy—and found words within them that showed these people weren’t defined by their cancer.  For instance, the main ad shows Joan, a patient going through chemotherapy, is also a mother by highlighting the “mother” within “chemotherapy.” Meanwhile, the tagline read, “We see so much more than just cancer.”

Now that the vision of the company is clear, people can see beyond the parent company’s reputation and know that Teva Oncology is on a mission to help people with cancer. Because they know each and every one is so much more than their disease.

Silver Winner: The Question AFib Experience (Daiichi Sankyo, FCB Health)

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Atrial fibrillation (AFib) accounts for 23.5% of strokes in 80- to 89-year-olds and 1.5% in 50- to 59-year-olds. Additionally, up to three million people each year have a stroke related to AFib. So doctors are well aware that they could use new treatments options, but they just aren’t sure which ones should replace the old guard. FCB Health used this fact to help establish Daiichi Sankyo as the place to turn for new AFib treatments.

In order to accomplish this, FCB turned Dallas, TX, the site of the American Heart Association’s 2013 Scientific Sessions, into a living canvas for its “Question AFib” campaign. This 360° unbranded awareness campaign brought physicians face-to-face with the immense uncertainties regarding AFib. The question mark, which was central to the campaign, was littered throughout Dallas to provide a sense of mystery and drive physicians to the Daiichi Sankyo booth. And it worked: Awareness of Daiichi Sankyo exploded and booth traffic exceeded their wildest imaginations.

Video/TV Campaign

HUMIRA at Work (AbbVie, Publicis Kaplan Thaler)

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Campaigns for RA treatments tend to focus on how patients will once again be able to open a can, brush their child’s hair or turn a key. But AbbVie and Publicis Kaplan Thaler discovered that patients suffering from RA wanted more than that. Instead, while speaking with RA patients who had success with HUMIRA, the team discovered that the treatment did more than just help them function—it helped them regain their lives. It offered them a sense of normalcy. They could once again engage with people in everyday ways that made life meaningful. Whether that meant just taking a morning walk with their spouse or getting the kids to school.

That’s why the team decided the video needed to focus on functional and emotional efficacy. So rather than making HUMIRA seem extraordinary, they highlighted a simple benefit: HUMIRA could just make you feel ordinary again. The video included beautifully shot moments, both large and small, such as a mother enjoying making breakfast with her family or playing a game of soccer in the background. Images that would encourage patients suffering from RA and reluctant to move on to a biologic treatment like HUMIRA to at least discuss it with their doctor.

One of our judges provided the perfect three words to sum up this video: “Excellent. Innovative. Creative.”

Silver Winner: Latuda (Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, JWT)

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Sunovion Pharmaceuticals and JWT were facing several challenges when trying to generate awareness for Latuda as a treatment for bipolar depression. For starters, Latuda had absolutely no recognition among bipolar depression patients. Add to that the fact that during their depressive episodes patients may have difficulty engaging in day-to-day activities, their relationships may suffer, health and hygiene can be neglected and they may have irrational thoughts. So motivating them to talk to their doctor during this time of need is challenging.

The creative minds behind the campaigns decided to turn to TV—the channel of choice for their target audience. The “Blinds” campaign was developed to position Latuda as a treatment option for sufferers of bipolar depression by using the iconic image of blinds open to the sun. The spot quickly delivered on the campaign’s goals. After only two months, it reached 84% of the unaided awareness six-month goal. And Latuda advertising awareness is now among the highest in the market.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Ron Pantello

Founder of Lally, McFarland & Pantello and Former CEO and Chairman of Euro RSCG Life Worldwide

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Let me tell you a story about Ron Pantello. Or better yet, let’s start with David M. Paragamian’s story about Ron. The President & Global Chief Operating Officer of The APO Group, a Huntsworth Health Company, eagerly jumped at the chance to tell such a tale.

“When I started my career in brand management at Procter & Gamble’s pharmaceutical business, Ron was ‘my account guy’ at Lally, McFarland & Pantello,” explains Paragamian. “He led. He charmed. He helped build brands. Twenty years later, Ron paid me the ultimate compliment by selecting me as President for then Euro RSCG Life LM&P, the oldest, largest flagship agency in the network. Every day since, I’ve come to work knowing the goal was to live up to the standard that Ron set. Ron didn’t just speak to values, integrity and doing the right thing—he held high expectations for his employees—married with true kindness.”

Everyone who has worked with Ron can tell a similar story. You would be hard pressed to find a more respected and beloved individual in this industry. Why? Ron treated every employee with great care and respect—something they would not forget.

A Company Culture Like No Other

Ron’s marketing career began with USV Pharmaceuticals, a division of Revlon. Eventually, he moved onto the agency side joining Sudler & Hennessey, a division of Young & Rubicam. While at S&H, he learned a lot about how to treat employees from Matt Hennessey, one of his many mentors, who often said, “The assets of the agency go up and down the elevator twice a day.”

In 1980, Ron took that idea with him when he, along with John MacVean Lally and James McFarland formed their own agency. Lally, McFarland & Pantello was built on that idea: An agency with the happiest, most talented people would be successful. On the business side, the company became a success, but it also became a place employees truly loved. In fact, even after employees left for “greener pastures,” many returned later in their careers. As Ron likes to say, “They were always welcomed home.”

Laura Schoen, Chair, Latin America and President, Global Healthcare Practice at Weber Shandwick, says that while she has worked with many amazing leaders, “No other CEO has ever put a human face on the word ‘leader’ like Ron did.”

What made Ron such a great leader? Schoen explains that one day, while working for Ron, a major client decided to move its business to another agency without any reason. That night Ron called to reassure her that she could sleep soundly because this was not her fault. “Shit happens!” he told her. But he also gave this piece of advice, “Tomorrow, come to the office with your head high. Your team will react to what they read in your eyes.”

Undeniable Instincts

One of Ron’s favorite campaigns emphasizes the idea that “simple is powerful.” Not so simple, arriving at that concept. Wyeth Laboratories’ new product Protonix, a treatment for GERD, was a challenge. It was a late arrival in the market with no apparent advantages. But after studying every bit of clinical research they found an obscure article measuring the product’s effect at night. No other product in the category had such a study—giving them something that no competitor could say: “Works Nights”—that simple phrase made Protonix a $2 billion brand.

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“Ron has instincts like very few I have ever worked with,” explains Michael McNamara, EVP, Director of Client Services at H4B Chelsea. “He could always quickly see the big picture without needing a lot of detail.”

Leaving the Industry With a Legacy

In 1990, LM&P was sold to Euro RSCG, a part of Havas, where Ron eventually became the CEO for Euro RSCG Life Worldwide and responsible for over 42 healthcare companies around the globe. In all, Ron spent 40 years in the industry, achieved countless accomplishments, but his favorite: Giving something back to the industry that gave so much to him.

To honor the industry, Ron, together with David Gideon, formed the Medical Advertising Hall of Fame. They also decided to publish a two-volume history about the industry to ensure its memories will not be lost. Ron considers this to be his greatest gift to the industry. Meanwhile, we consider Ron to be this industry’s greatest gift. His presence will always be felt as people pass down their Ron Pantello stories as an example of the ideal to strive toward.

Marketer of the Year

Steven Millerman

CEO of Prime Access

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As non-pharma industries continue to leverage the diverse consumer landscape of the U.S., the pharma industry, for decades running, has only been engaged in exploratory conversations regarding multicultural marketing. Now and then an isolated investment is made—lasting for no longer than a year—to satisfy an annual brand plan. The question is, what’s missing? Why has pharma not made multicultural marketing a strategic imperative that is organically integrated into day-to-day business?

What has been missing is an acknowledgment that the need is dire. “When it comes to healthcare, U.S. multicultural groups continue to be significantly underserved and under-reached by traditional marketing and communications methods,” our winner, Steve Millerman, CEO, Prime Access, said in a July 2013 press release. “These are the fastest growing U.S. populations that already account for over a third of our demographic makeup, presenting a tremendous opportunity for healthcare companies to increase their reach, business impact, and help address certain healthcare disparities.”

Solid Expertise and Leadership

Steve Millerman understood the need and knew what it would take to fulfill it. In fact, he cracked that code and after years of brand management on the client side—from smaller to multibillion dollar brands—he initiated a series of methodologies and strategic integrations in the overall brand plan. It all began in his previous role at Novartis where he led the cross-cultural marketing capability. In that position he oversaw corporate and brand-specific strategy across key U.S. ethnic groups including Hispanic, Asian, Eastern European and African American markets. Additionally, Steve played an active role on the Executive Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Council where he successfully demonstrated the impact of D&I on Novartis’s business.

In June 2013, Steve transitioned to the agency side where he became the Chief Executive Officer at Prime Access, one of the largest independently owned healthcare agencies reaching the U.S. Hispanic, African American, Asian American, LGBT and other diverse U.S. populations. The goal was to evolve the pharma industry and develop new methodologies and capabilities specifically relevant for pharma. Recognizing this major marketing need and gap, the advertising industry also set its eyes on Steve and Prime Access. The industry’s thoughts were perfectly captured in the title of a Portada, July 2013 article: “Novartis’ Millerman joins Prime Access as CEO. Will he get Hispanic Pharma Marketing moving?”

Transforming the Pharmaceutical Industry

In fact, Steve did get multicultural pharma marketing moving. From his early days on the client side, to leading Prime Access, his journey has been a tremendous success. Steve’s ideas on new methodologies and approaches were highly relevant and well received by the industry. In 2013 and 2014 alone, he generated a significant amount of new investment activity in the marketplace for more than 10 brands across pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Alcon, Genentech and others—something never before accomplished in such a short period of time.

Steve’s influence on pharma’s multicultural strategies has been noticeable to both clients and agencies. In 2013 and 2014, he was recognized with a number of Business Excellence Awards, as well as a Gold DTC Perspective Award for Best Multicultural Campaign of the year.

Steve has also proven his worth as one of the top multicultural marketers, not just in pharma, but in any industry. His “Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Campaign” won the prestigious Mosaic Award for best multiethnic media usage from the American Advertising Federation in September 2013—in a competition against campaigns from all industries.

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Steve is a recognized key opinion leader within the multicultural healthcare marketplace and has been a featured speaker at the Portada Hispanic Advertising and Media Conference, DTC National and DTC Multicultural Health National Conferences, Association of National Advertisers Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference, and DiversityInc’s Innovation Fest!, among others.

Unlike past pharma industry attempts to better understand where multicultural marketing fits in the overall pharma mix, Steve’s leadership has led to long-lasting capabilities and brand revenue impact not previously seen. Steve’s expertise, leadership and innovation in the multicultural marketing model are true testaments to the idea that the pharma industry can be transformed by knowing when to evolve a strategy to better meet the need. That is why PM360 honors Steve as Marketer of the Year.

Medical Device

Stryker

Medical Device Company of the Year

Almost 75 years ago, Stryker’s founder, Dr. Homer Stryker, an orthopaedic surgeon in Kalamazoo, Michigan, started his business to invent medical products like the walking heel, the turning frame bed and the electric cast cutter to meet the needs of his fellow healthcare providers and their patients. This passion for innovation has been the cornerstone of the company ever since. In 2013, Stryker launched a new mission statement, 11 words that are at the heart of everything they do: Together with our customers, we are driven to make healthcare better.

Just as the healthcare environment has changed since the days of Dr. Stryker, the company has continued to evolve the way they innovate. Today, Stryker is building upon its product development strength by broadening the lens of innovation to include procedural solutions that will help enhance the patient and customer experience while improving clinical outcomes and creating sustainable profitability for hospitals and physicians. Last year, Stryker welcomed Mako Surgical Corp. to its family, adding robotic arm-assisted surgery to its already comprehensive orthopaedic surgical offerings. Stryker partnered with world-renowned architect Michael Graves to develop a patient transport chair that is simple to operate and reduces the likelihood of injuries associated with patient transport and positioning activities. Recent innovation awards include the Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry’s 2014 Medical Design Excellence Awards (MDEA) finalist for the Isolibrium critical care air support surface, First Place Best in Show from Surgical Products magazine’s Excellence in Surgical Products awards for Stryker Endoscopy’s SDC3 and the Top Hospitalar Award in the Orthopaedics category of Brazil’s Health Business award program.

Stryker continues to lead the way in medical technology by collaborating with healthcare providers to develop innovative educational opportunities that transform the clinical education experience. Recently, Stryker was instrumental in broadcasting the first live surgery in China in the field of orthopaedics using Google Glass. In 2014, the PGA TOUR designated Stryker as the “Official Joint Replacement Products of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour.” The partnership advances Stryker’s commitment to the health and wellbeing of joint pain sufferers, and features opportunities for golf fans to learn about Stryker products. The centerpiece of Stryker’s on-site tournament presence is a “joint health” destination, called The Stryker Mobility Zone, designed to educate tournament attendees about hip and knee treatment options.

Stryker is focused on developing and engaging their talented employees and that is why they have designated People, along with Integrity, Accountability and Performance, as one of their core values. They know that making employees one of their top priorities leads to a great culture, which translates into customer loyalty and ultimately to better patient outcomes. And their efforts in creating a great company culture have paid off. In 2014, Stryker was recognized as one of the Best Companies To Work For for the fourth consecutive year by Fortune Magazine, was one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies for the 13th straight year, was recognized by Glassdoor’s Employee Choice Awards, was the winner for the seventh year of Gallup’s Great Workplace award and is placed on countless other lists around the world that celebrate workplace excellence.

Making healthcare better means more than developing great products and services. Stryker is also committed to operating a more sustainable business and improving the communities in which their employees work and live. In 2014, they added more facilities to their list of U.S. Green Building Council LEED-certified locations. Their Sustainability Solutions division helped customers eliminate nearly nine million pounds of medical waste last year and redirect those financial resources toward patient care. Last year, Stryker contributed financial, product and people support to many countries in need of disaster relief. More than that, Stryker employees partnered with national and local organizations like United Way and Big Brothers Big Sisters to make a direct impact in their communities.

The principles that Dr. Stryker set forth so many years ago have served as a guide for the company ever since: Doing what’s right, offering high-quality and innovative products and services and making a difference in the lives of people around the world.

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Specialty Pharma/Biotech

Cubist

Specialty Pharma/Biotech Company of the Year

What once was a cautionary prediction has quietly grown into a serious global threat. Bacterial infections—caused by pathogens such as C. difficile, MRSA, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, E. coli and others—have all gained enough strength to become “superbugs”—that is, they have become increasingly resistant to many of the antibiotics healthcare providers have had on hand to fight them. In fact, the epidemic of antibiotic resistance in the European Union (EU) and the U.S. is staggering, resulting in an estimated 25,000 deaths and another 23,000 deaths respectively—every year.

According to the World Health Organization, treatment-resistant superbugs are now in every region of the world—114 countries to be exact—and can affect anyone, of any age, in any country. This global public health crisis has been years in the making. Over time, many larger pharmaceutical companies have scaled back on development of new drugs to beat these bugs, all but abandoning the fight. One that has stalwartly remained on the battlefield is a mid-size and growing biopharma with corporate headquarters in Lexington, Massachusetts, and now international headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. It’s called Cubist, and it is a powerhouse.

Tackling The Global Public Health Crisis

This bold company is tackling one of the most dangerous and difficult epidemics the world has ever seen and has been doing so single-mindedly for more than 20 years. According to Michael Bonney, Chief Executive Officer, this is what Cubist is purposed and designed to do. Now, in 2014, the company is well positioned to tackle this global public health crisis, and continues to be committed to the discovery, development and commercialization of new antibiotics. Cubist currently expects to invest approximately $400 million on antibiotic research and development (R&D) during 2014, and continues to focus its late-stage pipeline on addressing what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) categorize as serious and urgent public health threats. This company is hoping to deliver at least four new antibiotics in support of the Infectious Diseases Society of America’s (IDSA) stated goal of developing 10 new antibiotics by 2020.

Going Above and Beyond to Find New Treatments

The company has antibiotics on the market that address MRSA and Clostridium difficile—and a candidate in the pipeline to address hospital-acquired infections caused by Gram-negative pathogens. Cubist has a good grasp on the healthcare settings in which these infections most often occur, and this unique knowledge allows it to deliver comprehensive approaches to help the right patient get the right medicine at the right time—with the goal of fighting resistance through appropriate use of existing and new antibiotics.

Researchers at Cubist are continuously looking for the next best treatment. They search some of the earth’s most remote areas, going deep into the caves of New Mexico, exploring marine life in Fiji, and collecting soil samples from dormant volcanos in Turkey in search of new potential medicines. Cubist has a holistic approach to antibiotic discovery that goes beyond natural products and includes pursuing best and first-in-class approaches, which includes medicinal chemistry and the use of cutting edge technologies—for this company there are no limits.

A Strong Mission Attracts New Employees

Approximately 960 employees currently work globally for Cubist, up 35% from 2012, when it first introduced the Building Blocks of Growth, its five-year strategic goals plan. Now, approximately three out of every four employees are focused on the research, development, commercialization and support of antibiotics.

At a time when the global community is coming together to fight some of its greatest medical challenges, Cubist is making important investments in R&D, expanding collaborations with partners and fostering a differentiated culture. It is growing its footprint worldwide to deliver much-needed therapies to patients with potentially life-threatening sicknesses. As Cubist expands globally, it expects to have approximately 200 internationally-based employees.

“The need for effective antibiotics is critical for everyone’s health,” a PM360 judge commented. “With the increase in hospital-acquired infections, we will need a company that is dedicated to innovating in this space.” In this pursuit, you could call Cubist “relentless,” as it is poised to tackle treatment-resistant bacteria that arises. And as superbugs continue to evolve—with a company like this on the job, they had better take notice!

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Supplier/Vendor

Health Monitor Network

Supplier/Vendor of the Year

In today’s world of empowered patients, pharma companies need to continuously evolve their strategies to ensure they are engaging with patients in relevant ways. No company over the past 30 years has done more in the direct-to-patient (DTP) space than Health Monitor Network. The company’s platform of DTP offerings reach more than 200 million patients and condition sufferers through 120,000 medical offices, more than 360,000 physicians and healthcare professionals, and has a presence in millions of patients’ homes.

Health Monitor Network’s high customer retention rate and ability to generate very positive ROI has led to exponential growth over the years. This growth can also be attributed to the company’s incredibly talented employees who are able to thrive in a culture that encourages entrepreneurship, flexibility and creativity. At a time when patient centricity is at the heart of everything pharma does, there is no better partner than Health Monitor Network.

Changing the World of DTP

While Health Monitor Network is already well known for its ability to deliver DTP programs through its magazines, condition guides, exam room posters, relationship-marketing materials and direct mail, it has started to branch out into other new and innovative mediums. In 2010, the company launched Arthritis Health Monitor TV, a digital screen network in rheumatologist offices nationwide. Programming provides patients with rheumatology-specific health information designed to promote an effective dialogue between patients and their healthcare providers. The company is currently in the process of launching additional digital screen networks.

In the digital category, Health Monitor Network offers video player and tablet programs that are designed to save HCPs time and promote patient-physician dialogue. Programs can be customized for any practice, allowing HCPs to easily connect to the patient community that they serve. Health Monitor Network’s custom mobile apps—Chemo Calendar and ITP Tracker—are changing the way patients and physicians access health information, manage conditions and communicate with each other. These types of engaging and interactive tools help support new patient acquisition, retention and increased adherence and compliance.

Nurturing the Top Talent

In order to produce exceptional DTP programs, you need a talented group of people behind them. Health Monitor Network ensures all its employees can seamlessly work together through excellent communication, mentoring, professional development and team-building outings. Last year, employees, managers and executives traveled to Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY, where they participated in fun group exercises such as building boats out of cardboard and racing them in the resort’s lake. These types of outings promote a family-like environment and a culture brimming with creativity, flexibility and passion. The company also has employee appreciation days to thank everyone for their hard work at an Italian villa in Westchester County, NY, where employees are treated to massages, manicures, a painting class, yoga, wine tasting and lunch.

Giving Back to the Community

Social responsibility is at the core of Health Monitor Network’s values and corporate culture. For the past five years, employees have volunteered at Bright Side Manor, an assisted living home in Teaneck, NJ, that provides older adults with affordable, accessible housing.

The company gives back to the community through numerous school initiatives. Along with former New York Giant Rodney Hampton, Health Monitor Network provides funding to Houston Gardens Elementary school in Houston, TX, to create after-school programs for at-risk youth. The company also partners with Hampton and Napier Academy in Paterson, NJ to donate sports equipment and provide an adopted kindergarten class with gifts during the holiday season.

In 2012, the company launched the Health Monitor Community Health Ambassador Program. More than 700 volunteers nationwide attend health fairs, hospital open houses and more to distribute patient-education materials and raise disease awareness. At the end of the day, improving patient outcomes is at the heart of all that Health Monitor Network does and continues to work for in the future.

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2014 Judges

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2014 Sponsors

Premier Brand Champion Sponsor

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Health Monitor Network is the nation’s leading patient-education company. With a digital and print platform reaching 120,000 doctor offices, 300,000 physicians, 12 million households and 40 million patients, Health Monitor Network’s ROI-driven pharmaceutical marketing programs include targeted advertising, awareness & acquisition, compliance & persistency, lead generation, new product launches, patient education and physician engagement. Trusted by physicians, major medical associations and other healthcare providers, Health Monitor Network’s award-winning media facilitate dialogue between patients and their healthcare professionals to help improve patient outcomes.

Brand Champion Roundtable Sponsor

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MediScripts

What medium is more interactive than interactive media? What’s more direct than direct response? MediScripts. MediScripts is the only medium that puts your message right at the center of the physician-patient engagement. MediScripts’ point-of-prescription advertising is the ideal complement to your digital marketing programs. It moves you beyond simple awareness to actual interaction with your audiences. It puts your message in the hands of prescribers on a daily basis, keeping your brand top-of-mind during the doctor-patient dialogue. Marketing teams rely on MediScripts to generate revenue. In over 50 brand-specific IMPACT studies performed by Wolters Kluwer Health, MediScripts on average delivers over a 20:1 return on investment. With a database of more than 150,000 prescribers, MediScripts delivers precise targeting by decile, by specialty and by market. And because it’s a paid subscription service, MediScripts is PhRMA Code compliant.  That’s why we’re an approved partner of eight of the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies.

Diamond Sponsor

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About Publicis Healthcare Communications Group 

Publicis Healthcare Communication Group

(PHCG) is the largest health-oriented agency network in the world. A division of Publicis Groupe, PHCG manages top-tier agencies specializing in promoting innovative solutions in advertising, medical education, sales and marketing, digital, market access, and medical and scientific affairs. PHCG is dedicated to delivering ideas of purpose that compel action, change lives, and amplify business outcomes. With nearly 5,000 employees, PHCG manages 10 agency brands through 58 offices located in 11 countries. PHCG’s global brands are Saatchi & Saatchi Health, Publicis Life Brands, Digitas Health, Razorfish Health, Publicis Healthware International, Publicis Touchpoint Solutions, and Publicis Medical Education Group, as well as strong regional brands.

Web: www.publicishealthcare.com | Facebook:  www.facebook.com/publicishealthcare

Platinum Sponsor

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The Snow Companies  

What started as a devastating diagnosis of multiple sclerosis for Brenda Snow, Founder and CEO of the Snow Companies, became the impetus for a groundbreaking boutique agency specializing in direct-to-patient marketing. The Snow Companies’ Patient Ambassador® platform has reached thousands of patients in dozens of different disease categories through powerful stories and real life experiences. It brings authentic human voices to healthcare marketing initiatives and inspires people to be their own health advocate.

The agency reliably delivers best-in-class to pharma and biotech clients, thereby earning a place on the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing companies. The Snow Companies, it’s leaders and employees, as well as the programs they run have been recognized industry-wide for their contribution to innovative patient communication, winning prestigious awards, such as MM&M All-Stars, PM360 Pharma Choice, PharmaVOICE 100, DTC National Advertising Awards, and the CAN DO Multiple Sclerosis Award, to name a few.

Gold Sponsor

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Dudnyk is a full-service healthcare advertising agency that supports biotech, biopharma, and medical device companies. Respected in the advertising industry for Inciteful Healthcare Marketing™, Dudnyk leverages strategic, scientific, and highly creative capabilities to develop branded and unbranded multichannel communications. Dudnyk is the PM360 Advertising Agency of the Year and the winner of Best Professional Campaign from Med Ad News. In addition, the agency was cited by Inc. as one of the nation’s 5000 fastest-growing private companies. Founded in 1993, Dudnyk remains fiercely independent and has offices in Philadelphia, San Diego, and San Francisco.  Learn more at dudnyk.com or @DudnykHealth.

Silver Sponsor

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Lifescript is the most-visited online resource for women’s health. Reaching ~10M UVs each month, we’re the first place women go for trusted content, information, and connections that will help them make the most informed health decisions possible – for themselves and their families. Our core commitment is to educate, empower and inspire women to set achievable health goals for longer, more fulfilling lives.

Lifescript is a trusted, single site destination, with the largest social media following in health. Our in-house team of editors, physicians, and health experts produces original, engaging health and healthy living content each and every day. As content partners with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, we are always up-to-date on what is cutting edge in health and wellness. Our 75+ in-depth Health Centers provide not only clinical condition information, but also resources and tools that will enable women and their loved ones to live their healthiest, happiest life.

Our suite of partnership opportunities provides scale across a spectrum of solutions ranging from broad awareness media campaigns, to robust, interactive educational destinations, and acquisition-focused lead generation programs. We partner with the leaders in research and analytics to prove success in meeting our clients’ campaign objectives.

Want to learn more? 

Visit Lifescript.com

or  contact:

Bob Cecere, SVP Pharmaceutical Sales
Email: rcecere@lifescript.com
Phone: 212.364.2485
271 Madison Avenue, Suite 1108
New York, New York 10036
Jeri McHenry, VP, Pharmaceutical Marketing
Email: jerimchenry@lifescript.com
Phone: 212.364.2493

271 Madison Avenue, Suite 1108
New York, New York 10036

Lifetime Achievement Award Sponsor

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Havas Health owns the Havas Life, Health4Brands (H4B), and Havas Lynx networks. A global leader in promoting positive health and wellness experiences, Havas Health is connecting people to brands everywhere. With more than 60 offices in 50 countries, Havas Health offers a unique approach to unified marketing, with a full range of services—medical, strategy, promotion, managed markets, medical education, digital, DTP/DTC, social media, advertising and PR—all under one P&L. Havas Health is a global subsidiary of Havas, a world leader in communications (Euronext Paris: HAV.PA).

Official Public Relations Agency of the 2014 Trailblazer Awards

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Founded in 1979, Makovsky + Company is one of the nation’s leading independent global public relations, investor relations and branding consultancies, specializing in integrated communications programs for the financial, professional services, health, technology and business services sectors. Our tagline, the Power of Specialized Thinking™ underscores the deep knowledge and relevant relationships we bring to client engagements. Our approach has enabled Makovsky to achieve one of the industry’s highest client retention rates: 80 percent. Our specialized focus has drawn not only a certain type of client, but a certain type of professional as well: analytical, entrepreneurial and passionate, with a deep understanding of sector-specific business issues. For more information, please visit: www.makovsky.com.

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