Smart Moves at Year-End
Patient Advocacy Strategies To Set You Up for 2026 and Beyond
This time of year, many in pharma and biotech are looking at budgets with an eye toward action: what can we do before the year ends to advance our work, spend wisely, and set the stage for success next year?
Now is the time to invest in the kind of patient-centered work that will clear barriers and continue to add value far beyond 2026. Examples of these activities include:
- Examining patients’ lived experiences around a new indication
- Mapping the existing patient advocacy landscape to fine-tune priorities and partnerships
- Creating tools that speak to patients in their native language
- Embedding ongoing patient feedback into trial or launch planning
We frequently see positive results compound to add great value when clients invest proactively (and early!) in patient-centered work. Here are some common scenarios that will likely sound familiar to you, and how we’ve worked with clients to navigate them:
Misconceptions About Disease Burden That Hurt Trial Enrollment
- CONTEXT: A client faced slow enrollment in a clinical trial to test a treatment for weight loss associated with cancer.
- ACTION: Through KOL interviews and stakeholder mapping, Rx4good uncovered multiple factors impeding trial success.
- PATH TO SUCCESS: Lack of investigator knowledge of the condition and its impact on cancer mortality, the influence of family interactions on patient morale, and the complexity of trial requirements were all factors identified in our research, pointing the client to solutions to improve trial success.
Rethinking How Patients Weigh Treatment Risks In Conditions With High Unmet Need
- CONTEXT: A rare neurodegenerative disease with no known cure and multiple gene therapies in development — some requiring invasive procedures — carried many unknowns, including questions about uptake.
- ACTION: Rx4good managed a patient advisory board and conducted care partner interviews to understand the dynamics affecting treatment decisions.
- PATH TO SUCCESS: Our research illuminated a patient/care partner tension about treatment interest at various stages of the disease that could derail trial enrollment for a gene therapy. The research also identified corporate reputation, honesty, and transparency as key factors in patient and care partner decision-making.
Shifting Away From Checkbox “Engagement” Toward Long-term, Trust-building Relationships
- CONTEXT: A new patient advocacy leader at a client company lacked a framework for advocacy decision-making. Ad hoc and uncoordinated relationships with patient organizations prevailed, increasing risk for the company.
- ACTION & PATH TO SUCCESS: Rx4good managed an internal working group that developed principles for advocacy interactions, SOPs, and funding criteria, and rolled out a training initiative to ensure the company had a coordinated approach.
As the year begins to wind down, it’s worth asking: what would it take to enter next year with deeper insights, stronger relationships, and fewer unknowns? Patient-centered initiatives don’t just support the moment: they lay groundwork for more effective trials, launches, and long-term trust that supports your whole enterprise. If you’re thinking about how to make the most of year-end resources, we would welcome the opportunity to share what we’ve learned and help you think through what’s possible.
To learn more about Rx4good’s services and how we can support your patient and advocate engagement, reach out to Chris Schultz at chris.schultz@rx4good.com.
