Connecting people living with rare neuromuscular conditions to a groundbreaking therapy

Situation

While approximately 60,000 people in North America are battling this rare autoimmune condition, many feel invisible, misunderstood and alone – fighting for validation, information and support. They needed and deserved better care – seeking empathetic conversations about symptom management, treatment options, and setting goals.

Our biopharmaceutical client endeavored to break down barriers to care, building trust with a vulnerable yet resilient community in advance of a first commercial launch. They set out to co-create an ambitious and radically empathetic campaign and execute an impactful launch – with the goal to reach every person with unmet need.

 

Solution

We began by building a foundation of trust and authenticity, partnering with patient advocacy groups early on and co-creating with them. This approach led to uncovering deep insights and unmet needs, which would translate into patient activation and accelerated brand adoption post approval. Importantly, it allowed us to lay the groundwork to foster valuable and enduring relationships, ensuring every patient was seen, heard, and supported.

Our robust disease awareness campaign was fueled by relatable content created with and for the community, including original documentary film series, an omnichannel publication, and experiential virtual events.

As people engaged eagerly and opted-in to learn more, we were able to build a community of hand-raisers, and galvanize them with the news of approval of a novel therapy at launch.

This data helped us design omnichannel experiences that continuously engaged the patient community, including building a model for media targeting of patients and caregivers based on interests and behaviors.

At launch, we had built a highly engaged and connected community of hand raisers. Our integrated digital campaign shone a spotlight on people living with a rare condition, including a virtual event to introduce the product, along with high-impact DTC efforts, resulting in record-level awareness.

 

Success

Our omnichannel campaign maximized the adoption of a novel rare disease therapy at launch and galvanized the community.

• Demand fueled by prelaunch database exceeded forecasted opt-in goal by 220%
• 4 out of 5 patients were aware of the brand after just 6 months on the market
• Patients were approaching their doctors to ask about a new treatment option and doctors were willing to grant their requests