The Ecosystem of Patient Support Programs (PSPs) in India

Abstract

The incidence and prevalence of non-communicable diseases are on the rise. Such diseases require prolonged treatment and it is of utmost importance to be compliant to treatment. Pharmaceutical companies are moving from traditional marketing to “beyond the pill” marketing to foster patient centricity. These companies also have a motive to conduct sustained sales of their products for the prolonged treatment tenures. For this reason, pharmaceutical companies have come up with support programs to promote treatment adherence. In India, support programs are also conducted by the Government, peer support groups, home healthcare and animal-assisted therapy. Detailed primary research and its analysis have been conducted to look at different parameters discussed in the study. A model for an ideal patient support program has been provided.

Prevalence and nature of manufacturer-sponsored patient support programs for prescription drugs in Canada: a cross-sectional study

“…1 Pharmaceutical company-sponsored patient support programs, designed to lessen financial and clin ical barriers for patients and prescribers to starting and sustaining treatment, exist in high and middleincome countries globally. [2][3][4][5][6][7] Once prescribed the treatment, patients are referred to the pro gram by their health care provider or they may selfenroll. They are then contacted by a program coordinator, typically a regis tered nurse who may help the patient navigate insurance cover age options, coordinate home drug delivery, teach selfinjection techniques, answer questions on an oncall basis and conduct follow up to support patient treatment adherence.…”