Novo Nordisk and Sanofi brands rank best for the digital type 2 diabetes patient experience, study finds

23 October 2018

Denmark’s Novo Nordisk (NOV: N) and French pharma major Sanofi (Euronext: SAN) lead the pack when it comes to delivering a standout online experience to US patients in the crowded marketplace for type 2 diabetes treatments, a study from DRG Digital Manhattan Research reveals.

A review of 41 consumer-directed websites and apps created by six pharmaceutical companies for type 2 diabetes patients found that the drugmakers' digital properties provided the best user experience in the category. Based on the study findings, DRG Digital recommends that type 2 diabetes brands take the following steps in developing digital assets around a product:

Seamlessly integrate digital assets by fielding a range of digital assets, bound together with solid asset integration strategies. For example, the navigation bar on Apidra's (insulin glulisine) product website directs users to sibling assets, including other branded sites, along with unbranded disease education and social components.
Connect with patients emotionally by leveraging the patient voice in disease education and condition management assets. For example, unbranded assets supporting Novo Nordisk's diabetes brands feature patient-centric messaging to communicate to patients: "You're not alone."
Personalize patient support by offering customized treatment reminders, doctor discussion guides and health tracking tools in order to boost repeat visits, and by segmenting online content by stage of the patient journey. For example, Sanofi's Lantus (insulin glargine) website tailors content to patients who are new to insulin or those who are experienced users.
Facilitate deeper engagement through the use of automated tools like chatbots to triage inquiries and get patients the answers they need faster, and through interactive content like quizzes and questionnaires that pull patients in and help them navigate health decisions. For example, Novo Nordisk's unbranded diabetes website includes an automated chat feature dubbed "Ask Sophia," helping patients access disease and condition management information more quickly, while Merck & Co's unbranded website for Januvia employs interactive quizzes to educate patients and caregivers.

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