ZHI Debuts Patient Support Benchmark Service

Life science and pharmacy industry specialist Zitter Health Insights (ZHI) has launched a new benchmarking report comparing the effectiveness of patient support programs used by millions of pharmaceutical and biotech consumers.

ZHI offers syndicated research and business intelligence tools on issues of access related to patients, providers, payers and pharmacies. The firm says its new Patient Support Program PRO (PSP PRO) is the first service to provide brand managers with an independent assessment of how well their program satisfies patients, compared to the competition. Patients evaluate their overall satisfaction with their brand's support program, and provide specific reviews of program elements such as the enrolment hassle factor, the effectiveness and emotional impact of financial and telephone support services, and whether welcome materials are reassuring or overwhelming.

Typically, the reports feature the most dominant brands in each therapy area, but subscribers can also request specific brands for inclusion. In addition, Zitter can customize and create special category reports, for unique situations such as rare therapies and new product launches.

Yvonne Brill, VP New Product Development, comments: 'In recent years, drug manufacturers have invested heavily in building more, and more robust patient support programs, but they have not had a way to objectively evaluate the program effectiveness, especially as compared to competitors. PSP PRO gives brand managers an independent and unbiased assessment of how well their program satisfies patients compared to the competition, pinpoints areas for improvement, and identifies the support services that are most valued and needed by patients'.

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