While most of the applications I covered in my most recent post relate to pharma sales activity, clinical trials is another area where mobile is providing innovation that is well worth mentioning.
When a company is trialing a drug, the value of immediate information for reactions is tremendous. And that is an understatement. By placing the right mobile app on the devices of the trial subjects, doctors and internal teams I can insure that the necessary communications loop is closed and I can insure that real-time feedback is provided. This speed allows a pharma company to process and react to issues very quickly. There is also an audit trail from the reporting of the issue to the receipt of it by handlers – also captured in real time.
Then there is the case of marketing. When it comes to handling publicity and advertising, pharma marketing is moving to new mobile frontiers. In recent months, Apple has acquired a mobile advertiser, which it intends to implement as the advertising control for its devices. Android has taken the opposite approach by leaving advertising open.
Can pharma use these and other capabilities to market their products and create a large awareness of related messaging? Absolutely! There are many possibilities, including sponsored applications, application banners and making use of the mobile Web, to name just a few. Emerging techniques for marketing to the mobile user WILL create significantly more responses. Keep in mind as well that marketing by way of mobile devices will also be able to take advantage of location awareness and personalization to provide ever greater positive user experiences.
Mobile is taking the business world and its data to consumers directly, and this is indeed powerful. A good example of this is to note how pharma fulfillment companies are providing not only order capabilities, but drug interaction notification, medication lookup and alternative recommendations. Pharma companies that want to maintain their competitive edge will have to plan for reaching consumers and the best way to do this is clearly through mobile applications.
In the next five years, pharma companies without a mobile strategy will be exposed in ways never before imagined. Get the Mobile Masters on your team started today in planning your mobile future – mobile laggards will not survive!
Tags: Deep Dev, Development, Ken Parmelee, Mobile Apps, Pharma
I was interested in this post since we are gearing up for a comprehensive mobile strategy in my company. What advice would you have for the Data privacy and Part 11 concerns for apps that are mobile enabled?
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