Edward Banfe, Associate Director, Neurology Marketing, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Over the course of his career leading consumer marketing for brands like Abilify, Plavix, and Orencia, Edward Banfe has demonstrated an ability to understand patients and develop innovative programs which help them advocate for their own good health. This proved true again with his work on Mallinckrodt’s H.P. Acthar Gel, which is indicated to treat acute exacerbations (aka flares or relapses) of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
The key to success for marketing Acthar: Reach a rare patient at the right time to drive request for the product. To achieve this, Ed looked to both traditional relationship marketing (RM) and innovative geo-targeted marketing. RM allowed appropriate patients to raise their hand and request information about an alternative treatment for MS Flares. Geo-targeted marketing reached a broader group of patients but at a time they most likely need a treatment. The geo-targeted media included both mobile display ads delivered to patients while they browsed the internet in neurologists’ offices and advertising in MS-specific patient guides published by Health Monitor Network and distributed in neurology offices. In a subset of high-priority offices, the guides were paired with Health Monitor Digital Exam Room Posters providing an additional interactive channel to learn about the brand.
Both the Acthar RM program and the Health Monitor program have been measured independently and shown to generate a strong ROI. Interestingly, the Health Monitor program demonstrated its greatest impact in the offices of prescribers who had lapsed from using the drug in recent years.
Acthar marketing has succeeded by efficiently reaching a very targeted audience. The success is due in large part to Ed’s leadership, business and marketing acumen, and drive to make patients advocates for their own health.
