By Chris Bath, Managing Director at Aurora Healthcare Communications
The world is in shock.
Pandemic ‘recovery’; cost of living crisis; rising inflation and geopolitical instability at an all-time high for a generation. We’re in the middle of a polycrisis, and that’s not all.
Around 1.5 billion people will be going to the polls this year, as significant elections are taking place in more than 50 countries which between them hold almost half of the world’s population.
Uncertainty, then, is a constant we have come to live with. The result of this, is that we have come to crave something many people shy away from: change.
Global change coming to life science is good for all.
The life science industry, often proving to be resistant to most existential crises and pressure, has faced unprecedented low levels of investment, M&A activity and, as a result, lagging clinical pipelines. 2023 saw the lowest number of clinical trial starts since 2018.
If the world is in shock, the industry needs a shock of its own to ignite the change that innovation needs. This change is round the corner.
‘Pipeline in a product’ therapeutics, along with new and complex modalities, that will transform medicine, and, if given the right access environment, will also necessitate a reset, or change, in how we treat disease. Countries are rapidly standing up modern health systems that can accommodate these new innovations (let’s park capacity for a second, because that’s an altogether different challenge) and this rapid expansion requires genuine global expertise.
According to Deloitte, one of the main reasons why larger biopharma organisations miss their growth targets is because of an inadequate understanding of market dynamics and a complete misunderstanding of customer needs. A shameful finding given the hyperconnected world we live in. In today’s world, there really is no excuse, and change is not being embraced to stay in sync with the world today.
A true worldview and ‘global’ expertise then are paramount. But there really is no such thing as ‘global’ when it comes to life sciences. With every border comes a new culture to embrace, a new set of compliance considerations to consider and a new health system to navigate. The reality is that our work needs to resonate with countries and regions far more diverse than the term ‘Global’ allows.
For global strategy to be a success, you need to think ‘Glocally.’
Overcoming tunnel vision by thinking ‘Glocal’
How we tell stories about breakthrough science and the value this delivers to countries with unmet needs, demands a worldview on a range of issues to make sure medicine gets into the hands of those who need it.
Recent changes to EU regulations (for example, the Clinical Trial Regulation and new Medical Device/IVD Regulation) and other market uncertainties, such as cross-border collaborations and their potential impact on market access, are making it increasingly difficult for biopharma and biotech to forge ahead.
For programmes to resonate (and results to follow), multiculture, diversity and the need to consider all stakeholders in the care pathway are important, and that requires more than just a local presence, it necessitates a true understanding of local market dynamics. That means:
- Ensuring clinical trial recruitment materials are trans-created, so they not only resonate in-market, but also, they engage sites and recruit patients, and protocols co-designed with patient experience data.
- Commercial strategies are built with worldwide insight, supporting activities designed to drive uptake of medicines and new technologies through creative-led medical communications.
- Market access plans need to be shaped with payors years in advance of a commercial launch, and the right data generated through clinical development programs to gain reimbursement.
- Building global integrated teams that deliver across time zones to deliver at pace with cultural and compliance understanding built in.
As innovation lays a path for companies to expand internationally, we need to re-calibrate our understanding of the needs of nations and regions and people in a way that demands genuine expertise.
Our clients need partners who understand all these challenges, and in fact are purposefully designed to address and embrace them. So, that’s what we’ve built.
A Global vision with local precision
With decades of experience across every region of the globe, we’ve witnessed firsthand how the nuances of local geographies and cultures influence each phase of drug development and commercialisation. These insights have shaped our approach, leading us to create a platform of services that operate in harmony across the globe, delivering results that are truly greater than the sum of their parts.
By integrating solutions from clinical trial enrollment and medical communications to consulting and advertising, we’ve created an ability to take a wide-angle view, offering comprehensive, end-to-end support that spans the entire lifecycle—from early clinical milestones through to launch and global expansion.
This strategic offering is deeply ingrained in our heritage and our long-standing commitment to Global Health Marketing and Communications (GHMC)—the world’s largest network of independent healthcare agencies. Together, we’ve seen the difference a strategic and sensitive approach to multi-market programmes can make, as part of a deep understanding of healthcare across markets, cultures and codes.
As we seek to deliver change, we need to embrace it. And that’s what a truly ‘global’ partner like Spectrum Science is designed to do. If you want to see what this difference looks like, get in touch.
Aurora joined forces with ‘slow news’ website 
VIVA!’s COVID Comms Cast is a strategic communications solution aiming to support the pharma and healthcare industry members and stakeholders during this unprecedented time. The initiative is comprised of senior, health-literate communicators well-versed in navigating issues and crisis-rich environments and offers support for identifying effective, authentic and accurate health-oriented messages, communication campaigns and collateral throughout COVID-19.
Tino’s initiative features Brazilian doctor and journalist Luís Fernando Correia. In this partnership, Tino and Luís Fernando developed a channel geared towards fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and limiting the spread of misinformation in the country. The initiative’s website is integrated with the most popular and factual news sites in Brazil, including the Ministry of Health.
FischerAppelt helped launch a “Germany Against Corona” initiative at the beginning of the crisis to raise awareness of the security measures the country put in place to flatten the curve. Although the pandemic brings many challenges for the world to face, everyone can actively contribute to overcoming them. The campaign encourages individuals to use the hashtag #allforall on social media, hopefully motivating others to keep the necessary safety distance in public spaces.
Connexia confirmed its concrete commitment during the pandemic by launching a Communication Compass dashboard. The dashboard can be used to monitor solidarity between companies during the emergency—it integrates an international map of all communication initiatives implemented in response to the pandemic, collecting global campaigns with a COVID-19 lens.
In partnership with the Communication and Advertising association in Mexico, PRP worked to develop a campaign encouraging people to stay at home. The campaign began before official lockdown orders were in place in the region and continues to spread positive messaging around social distancing.
To bring awareness to the unseen struggles that many doctors, nurses and other medical professionals are enduring during this pandemic, Guess What created a campaign that focuses on making those challenges visible. On healthcare workers faces you can see the exhaustion and creases of the masks that serve as their armor after long shifts. With a marker, pencil or ink pen, Guess What wants people to write #AMARCADOSHERÓIS on their faces and share the images on their social channels, so that those who are sacrificing their lives to help are not forgotten.
Earlier this year, the F/NE Group launched an initiative geared towards using communications to help nonprofits. When the COVID-19 pandemic reached their country, they decided to use their platform and develop additional resources for NGOs in need of COVID-19 communication.
As an agency focused on connecting humankind to its best healthlife, Spectrum Science wanted to develop a call to action that communicates the urgency around staying home and the criticality of “out-sitting” of events. “Beat the Sit Out of COVID-19” encourages people to share how they’re sitting out on social media, using the #BeatTheSit hashtag.