Treatment-sponsored patient community  - Case Study Hero Image

Treatment-sponsored patient community 

Supporting adherence at every stage of the patient journey.

Client

Aubagio

Overview

When Sanofi’s relapsing MS treatment, AUBAGIO® (teriflunomide), launched in the US it was a strong treatment option for patients. However, with a very crowded market and a lot of competitive noise, the team knew that getting patients onboarded—and keeping them adherent—posed some unique challenges. They called Cramer Health for some new ideas.

The Situation

With a crowded market, a lot of noise, and some misconceptions in the marketplace, Sanofi wanted to breakthrough with something different for its patients who were prescribed AUBAGIO.

When a patient was prescribed AUBAGIO, the Sanofi team wanted to validate the patient’s treatment choice with peer stories and helpful information. They wanted to:

  • Quickly connect patients with positive treatment experiences
  • Combat misconceptions formed from competitive relapsing MS treatment side effects.
  • Support adherences for patients over time.

To address these challenges, we built a communications strategy that connected with patients at the time of prescription. The communications plan delivered clear information on treatment goals, expectations, and the importance of staying on treatment—plus lifestyle content and tips that supported outcomes and kept patients engaged over time.

The Strategy

Adherence improves when patients onboard smoothly and feel continually supported.

Our multi-channel program was designed to reach and support the patient at pivotal points in their treatment journey via email, mailings, in the doctor’s office, in live virtual programs, or in their prescription box when possible.

From day 1 on treatment, and for or as long as the patient remained active, we had a communications strategy to reach and engage them. Analytics also helped us know when patients were engaged – and when they might need a nudge to engage via a different channel.

At the center of all communications was an online community where people taking AUBAGIO and their caregivers could find practical information, webinars, expert videos, and helpful tips and inspiration.

It was designed to help the patient be informed, understand the importance of MS treatment, and build skills for self-agency in managing the disease and their treatment journey.

The Result

Strong impact on patient retention

The program had a clear, positive impact on patient retention. Through these strategies, Cramer Health was able to help our client drive faster starts on treatment and longer stays with treatment.

For over five years in the market, patient engagement in the retention program consistently outperformed industry averages in healthcare across all digital performance metrics: email open rates, repeat user visits, time on site and direct traffic.

Recent Works