Documenti di Didattica
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Pharmacovigilance
With Social Media Listening
And Competitive Intelligence
About Digimind
Digimind is the leading social media monitoring and competitive intelligence software, designed for brands and agencies who want to
accelerate digital transformation through an insights-driven approach. Recognised by Forrester and Gartner, Digimind’s best-in-breed
technology transforms social and online data into actionable business insights, enabling marketers to effectively plan, execute, and
analyse their marketing strategy.
Founded in 1998, Digimind is headquartered in New York, Paris, Singapore, and Rabat, serving more than 600 customers worldwide
including LinkedIn, Sony, McCann Worldwide, and Lexus.
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Introduction
What is pharmacovigilance?
Pharmacovigilance (PV) has evolved significantly since it was first
implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1961, in
response to the thalidomide disaster. Thousands of babies worldwide
were born with malformed limbs due to mothers consuming this
mild sleeping pill, which was marketed as safe during their
pregnancies. To avoid similar disasters from happening, rigorous
testing and monitoring of every new drug before and after its release
became mandatory.
Furthermore, the rise of the Internet and social media has given consumers a newfound wealth of choice and autonomy about
treatment options. Patients now have unprecedented access to information about different types of drugs and treatments, as well as
the potential risks associated with new ones.
With people taking to the Internet to share personal experiences and opinions about the medicines they use, brands and
pharmacovigilant services also have a new channel to monitor drug use to gather important insights on drug consumption and
adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Pharmaceutical companies are faced with increased vulnerabilities to their online reputation, as
social media networks and forums facilitate the rapid spread of information and opinions about drug use and adverse events.
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Pharmacovigilance
and Adverse Event
Reporting
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Pharmacovigilance and Adverse
Event Reporting
A reportable adverse reaction (AE)2 constitutes any untoward Countries with well-developed national PV centres3 which are
medical occurrence that may present during treatment with backed by a medicine regulatory authority (MRA), have:
a health product, such as western drugs, vaccines, biologics, - Well-structured PV programs and dedicated staff for
medical devices, complementary medicine or cosmetics, but disease specific programs
which does not necessarily have a causal relationship with - Accurate and unbiased information directed at both
this treatment. prescribers and patients
- A well-resourced health agency that can assess
It should have four basic criteria: information supporting the quality, safety, and efficacy
of medicines
An identifiable
patient A specific symptom Those that lack well-established or resourced MRAs, may
or effect not require assistance from regulatory agencies and experts from
caused by more advanced countries.
An identifiable
accidental or - Public health departments may employ the same staff
reporter
deliberate to manage different disease programs
overdoses and - PV centres may be rudimentary or absent entirely
A specific drug medication errors - Patients may not have access to information about
medicines, even WHO prequalified products
2. Health Sciences Authority, Report Adverse Event Related to Health Products, 21 Feb 2019
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3. World Health Organization, Global Meeting of Emergency Medical Teams, 2019
PV Legislation by Region - APAC
Worth over $140 billion4 and projected to grow at an annual rate of 9.1% from 2017 – 20215,
the APAC pharmaceutical industry is the third largest in the world after North America and Europe. However, diverse PV systems
and an overall lack of standardization creates several complexities for pharmaceutical companies. This is further exacerbated by
differing levels of economic growth in each country.
4. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, Pharmacovigilance in Asia, Dec 2013
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5. Brink News, How To Ensure Safe Medicines in Asia, 25 May 2018
PV Legislation by Region - APAC
● Run by the Malaysian Adverse Drug ● Registration holders who have registered a product
Reaction Adverse Committee (MADRAC) containing a new chemical entity (NCE) after 1 January
2002 must routinely submit Periodic Safety Update
Reports (PSURs) on that product every 6 months for the
first 2 years after approval, and annually for the
subsequent 3 years
● The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) ● PSURs are required to be submitted to the Product
appointed a Pharmacovigilance Advisory Evaluation and Registration Branch (PERB), bimonthly
Committee (PAC) to assess the impact of for the first two years after marketing approval, after
major drug safety issues and advise on the which they are to be submitted on a yearly basis for the
appropriate regulatory actions to be taken subsequent three years
● The ADR reporting system was established ● Adverse events are either unrecognized, or
in August 1994 by the Bureau of Food and misconstrued as part of the healing action by
Drugs (BFAD) with a primary focus on case practitioners of folk medicine, who are unlikely to report
reports, health advisory, and preemptive them
warnings to HCPs and the public
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PV Legislation by Region - European Union (EU)
The foundations of the EU’s PV system can be traced back to 19766, to the first EU legislation on medicines. In 2005, the
European Commission (EC) began a review of the European system of safety monitoring; extensive public consultation in 2006
and 2007 led to the adoption of a new legislation in December 2010. European legislation entered into practice in July 2012,
with further enhancements introduced in 2017.
The overall goals of the EU’s PV system are health promotion and health protection, with European
Medicines Agency (EMA) / Pharmacovigilance and Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) assessment and
recommendations put in place during pre and post launch stages.
Together, the national PV systems of the member states make up the EU’s PV system. This system cooperates in a network
structure under the coordination of the EMA, and in association with the European Commission (EC). Each country is
responsible for monitoring the safety profile of a product in its territory and taking action when necessary.
EMA
National
CAs (from European
31 EEA MSs) Commission
In France, activities carried out by drug companies take place under a very strict framework imposed by the public health
code. As a result, manufacturing, importing, exporting, and distribution of drugs can only be carried out by pharmaceutical
institutions.
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Pharmacovigilance in the Pre-Launch Phase -France
DEVELOPMENT SURVEILLANCE
Development of the
molecule in the Committees for the National Agency for the
laboratory and Protection of Persons Safety of Medicines and
toxicology studies before
(CPP) give opinions Health Products issues
testing on human
an authorization
subjects
Group #3:
Large
population of AMM
patients Authorization to place the product on the
market specifying adverse effects, indications,
and precautions
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Pharmacovigilance in the Post-Launch Phase - France
Spontaneous Notifications
Two third of
notifications:
Patients and Laboratory
patient pharmacovigilance
associations service
Proposal to
Medical modify the Commission of the
visitors information of AMM
medicines
Health
professionals One third of
notifications:
Regional Transfer of opinion
Patients can directly report pharmacovigilance
adverse effects to healthcare centres
professionals via the website of
their choice
trades Director
SURVEILLANCE National Agency for the Safety of
General of
ANSM
Decision
Medicines and Health Products
Suspension
Withdrawal
Retention
VS VS Transfer of opinion
Epidemiological Studies
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PV Legislation by Region - United States of America (USA)
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)7 is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control
and supervision of multiple categories of consumer products, including dietary supplements, prescription and
over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines, and medical devices.
Support post-marketing
Identify new safety concerns Evaluate drug manufacturers’
safety surveillance programs
that might be related to a compliance with reporting
for drug and therapeutic
marketed product regulations
biologic products
The FDA receives voluntary reports from healthcare professionals, consumers, and manufacturers. Manufacturers are also
required to send reports submitted by healthcare professionals and consumers to them about their products.
7. Food and Drug Administration, Questions and Answers on FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System, 6 April 2018
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PV Legislation by Region - United States of America (USA)
How Drug Postmarketing Reports Get to the FDA However, the FAERS’ ability to calculate the incidence
of an adverse event in the US population is limited by:
- Lack of requirement by the FDA for a causal
Patients, Consumers & relationship between a product and event to be
Healthcare Professionals proven
- Not all adverse events being reported, due to
the time a product has been marketed or
publicity about the event
Voluntary Voluntary
With a more recent initiative called the Sentinel
System – a national integrated electronic system for
monitoring drug safety through shared healthcare
FDA MedWatch Manufacturer
databases.
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PV Legislation by Region - Latin America (LATAM)
The LATAM PV system developed considerably since the early 1900s and has continued to strengthen within the last
decades. Dealing with mostly emerging markets, the PV regulatory requirements governing these countries vary quite a bit.
When approaching pharmaceutical drug products,
As the implementation of PV programs is relatively recent in LATAM compared to other regions in the world, the PV
programs in LATAM will have to be more proactive than reactive against the ever changing legislation in the region and
withdrawals of medicines from the market, while generating and encouraging cooperation for the development and
expansion of a functioning LATAM network of PV.
As of now, there is no Latin American equivalent to the EMA- no common body with power to facilitate PV regulation across
all countries. Currently, the WHO’s Pan American Network for Drug Regulatory Harmonization seeks to assist Latin American
countries to develop a harmonized PV.
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The Value of Social
Media and Analytics
to Pharmacovigilance
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Evolving Brand-Customer Relationships on Social Media
Traditionally, post market surveillance 80% of internauts are specifically looking for health
(PMS) has consisted primarily of information, and nearly 50% are searching for information
notifications from healthcare about a specific doctor or health professional8
professionals, drug companies, regional
PV centers, and epidemiological studies.
Pharmaceutical companies rely mostly
on healthcare professionals to report AEs
via channels such as email 42% of individuals viewing
correspondence, company websites, health information on social
and physician hotlines. media look at health related
consumer reviews9
8. NBC News, More People Search for Health Online, 16 Jul 2019
www.digimind.com 9. PWC, Social media "likes" healthcare: From marketing to social business, 7 Jul 2017 17
10. We Go Health, Pharma Social Media Best Practices: Reaching Out Within Regulatory Restrictions, 7 May 2018
It’s Time to Step Up on Social
It is important for brands to adopt a more proactive and transparent approach to social media. Connecting customers with
accurate, digestible information about medicines and treatments is vital to preserving a brand’s trust and reputation among
consumers.
According to Ogilvy Health’s Social Check-Up 201811, pharmaceutical companies are reaching social maturity. Posting strategically
to maximize follower acquisitions and engagement across all four major social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube)
was a move employed by many top pharmaceutical companies in 2017.
Developing and releasing a new drug is a complex process that can span years, even decades. To ensure your drug’s success and
maximize returns on your research and investment, it is crucial to detect and prevent ADRs from developing into a crisis.
Social media discussions are rife with conversations and honest insights on how consumers’ lifestyles are impacted by your drugs.
Monitoring posts and discussions on social networks and forums can lead pharmaceutical companies to discover new safety
information related to the use of medicinal products. Such information can be used to supplement data obtained from other
channels, including clinical trials and medical surveys.
For example, analysis of 100,000 public Twitter posts12 discussing glucocorticoid therapy from 2012 - 2015 revealed frequent mentions
of insomnia and weight gain as side effects. This trend corroborated with a separate survey1³ carried out on members of an online
health community.
11. Ogilvy Health, The Social Check-Up 2018: Pharma in the Social Space, 16 Mar 2018
12. Nature, Frequent Discussion of Insomnia and Weight Gain with Glucocorticoid Therapy: An Analysis of Twitter Posts, 2019
www.digimind.com 13. US National Library of Medicine, Patient Perceptions of Glucocorticoid Side Effects: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Users in An Online Health Community, 2016 18
Deploying Digital Networks,
Social Media Intelligence, and
Competitive Intelligence for
Pharmacovigilance
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Social media activities for PV can be classified under three broad categories14:
While each aspect is governed by different complexities and regulations, the aim of using social media for PV should be to:
● Enhance patient safety by disseminating accurate and concise information in a timely manner
● Ensure efficiency and accountability of PV activities
Here are some steps pharmaceutical companies can take to elevate their social media engagement and monitoring strategies for PV:
● Automate information dissemination and engagement via chatbots
● Match insights gathered to the drug lifecycle
● Monitor hotspots on social media
www.digimind.com 14. Sciformix, The Impact and Use of Social Media in Pharmacovigilance 20
Automate Information Dissemination and Engagement via
Chatbots
Chatbots have the potential to save companies USD $8 billion15 in organizational costs
annually. With popular platforms like Facebook Messenger supporting chatbots,
implementation is crucial and a strategic approach for pharmaceutical companies.
www.digimind.com 15. Juniper Research, Chatbot, A Game Changer For Banking & Healthcare, Saving $8 Billion Annually By 2022, 9 May 2017 21
Monitor Hotspots Online
Collect data on unmet needs, malpractice, and ADRs on social media by setting up your social listening tool to:
Identify who is talking about your product: Segregate online posts by socio-demographic or geographical categories to
detect concerns and complaints from different patient groups and caregivers.
Analyze discussions around your brand or drug: Identify commonalities in consumer complaints. Compare this data against
findings from official data from healthcare professionals, clinical trials, and laboratory tests to determine if you need to
disseminate more educational content, or withdraw your drug from the market.
Extract ADR mentions: Identify the original source and investigate further to identify if it is an AE.
Enhance crisis management: Obtain relevant information in real time, and receive customized alerts on ADRs to increase
reactivity. Pharmaceutical companies can also be alerted to emerging cases around the clock, and minimize the risk of ADR
cases that might otherwise go undetected.
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Match Insights Gathered to the Drug Lifecycle
A listening and analytics tool can help you keep track of and process large volumes of data about multiple products at different
stages in the cycle, enabling you to provide intelligence to various departments in your company to make informed strategic
decisions:
Critical stages
- Disease and target selection - Registration and approval of drug - Lifecycle management
- Research and development of new - Drug distribution - Patent extension or expiry
drug - Label/packaging approval
- Preclinical studies - Drug pricing and reimbursement
- Clinical trials
- Identify patients’ unmet needs - Monitor scientific breakthroughs in the - Identify and mitigate potential
- Identify target segmentation pharmaceutical industry cases of pharmacovigilance
- Analyze consumer perception of - Monitor updates in local legislation - Detect commonalities in
competitors’ products regarding drug pricing and patients’ complaints
- Detect potential ADRs of reimbursement - Manage potential crises in cases
competitors - Monitor pricing trends for similar drugs of drug misuse or failure
- Updates to legislation for future - Monitor how competitors product is - Insights in medical care and real
opportunity and risk detection perceived life experiences of patient when
- Identify preferred method of using products
administration
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Match Insights Gathered to the Drug Lifecycle
Depending on which stage in the drug lifecycle (development, pre release/release, post release) you are at, you can use these
insights to also:
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Gather and Share Data
PV is a fundamental aspect of pharmaceutical operations that impacts multiple departments, from research and development to
marketing and legal. To enable teams to make future improvements for drug safety:
Therefore, the potential of social media as an added channel for monitoring ADRs should be matched with internal regulations and
investigations to ensure quality and accuracy of data.
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Summary
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Summary
The Internet and social networks have changed the way consumers express and connect directly with brands. However, consumers
often post online anonymously and without the guidance of healthcare professionals, making it harder for PV departments to verify
claims.
Therefore, while online data (from sources such as but not limited to social media, forums, and news sites) can provide consumer
insights, it should not replace traditional channels for PV. Rather, it should be combined with primary sources such as journals,
claims reported through official channels, and used as secondary data for monitoring trends in consumer usage and claims.
Monitoring tools can help centralize data collection and analysis, as well as disseminate critical updates through automated
reports and newsletters. When managing different groups of interest, having access to real-time information about PV can make a
difference for your drug monitoring projects.
If used appropriately, the Internet and social media can help companies elevate PV practices by:
Functioning as an
Facilitating safety analysis
additional data source on
reports through direct
ADRs and treatment
consumer engagement
impact
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Determine Where Deploy Intelligence at Filter and Use Mentions
Intelligence Tools Fit Relevant Stages of Your Efficiently
Within Your PV Strategy Drug Lifecycle
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Our resources
On managing KPIs to optimize your social media and digital marketing strategies:
Building Effective Social Media 20 KPIs for Your Social Media ROI
Reports for Your Boss Download here
Download here
On best practices and key trends for the industry on social media:
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Authors & Resources
Kevin Tran
Marketing (Pharmaceuticals)
Kevin is pursuing his masters in biotechnology and pharmaceutical management. A pharma enthusiast, he has 3
years of experience in quality assurance and regulatory affairs within pharma and biotech industry. Work aside, he
enjoys traveling and visiting art museums.
Melissa Chue
Content Specialist APAC
Melissa is a digital advocate who loves discovering the latest digital and social media trends. When she is not
telling stories about data, she can be found delving into her favourite sub-forums on Reddit.
Sophia Guan
Marketing Manager APAC
With a background in marketing and psychology, Sophia loves the challenge of understanding consumer
behaviour through observations and data. After hours, you’ll find her creating LED or fire inspired art, or roasting
coffee.
Digimind resources
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evaluate your marketing strategies. To use our resources to understand the evolution of markets and brands on
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