REPORT

Industry perspectives: Expanding awareness of patient support programs

Pharmaceutical companies invest billions of dollars each year into patient support programs, aiming to help patients using their drugs with disease education, financial support and more. There’s just one issue: Patients aren’t getting the memo.

New research conducted through Phreesia’s PatientInsights platform reveals that just 3% of potentially eligible patients are currently using support programs, and that just 8% have ever used support programs in their lifetimes. One potential reason? Nearly 3 in 5 patients (59%) report having little to no knowledge of these programs at all.

Summarizing survey data from nearly 5,000 patients, this report dives deep not only into which patients are and are not using support programs and why, but also into which types of programs are getting the most use, what types of drug-related information patients are looking for, and where patients are going to search for additional resources.

Based on these insights, the report provides clear, actionable steps pharma companies can take to get the word out on patient support programs and maximize their investments.

Report highlights include:

  • 3% of potentially eligible patients are currently using support programs, and 8% have used them in their lifetimes
  • 59% of patients have little to no knowledge of patient support programs
  • 61% of patients thought patient support programs would be “somewhat,” “a little,” or “not at all helpful” for them
  • Most patients who had used support programs used them either at first diagnosis or when starting medication
  • Only 10% of patients said they had learned about support programs online, but 44% said they’d like to learn about support programs online