Ben Steele talks with Clement Chan, Director of Digital Marketing at Janssen in Canada about patient empowerment, the dos and don’ts of online platforms, and what he sees as the future of pharma’s digital interaction with patients and physicians.

Since the rise of social media and Web 2.0, pharma has been making tentative steps to reach out to patient communities online. So far, progress has been hampered by the lack of FDA regulations for the reporting of adverse events mentioned on social media pages, and for dealing with patient requests for off-label information. In this article Clement discusses the potential benefits of patient engagement via social media, and also gives tips on how to steer clear of pitfalls that may be encountered along the way.

As Clement explains, “one of our key concerns at Janssen is to enhance patient healthcare. Patient engagement and patient education are some of the key ways we can improve the lives of patients. One of the best ways to gain that engagement and facilitate patient education, and to drive results, is through social media.  One example of this is our program to reach out to the caregivers of patients with schizophrenia.  Caregivers play a big role in the lives of schizophrenic patients, so we have created a platform to give them a voice, where they can talk to other caregivers and share best practices. Setting up an online platform for discussion can show these people that they are not alone. »

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