Latest News

Right now, the U.S public health officials, vaccine makers and other groups are striving to educate the public – and combat misinformation – about COVID-19 vaccines in a drive to improve vaccination rates and end the pandemic. But as new data show, it’s not just COVID-19 shots that patients need to learn more about.

A pair of recent Phreesia surveys, given to a combined total of nearly 345,000 patients when they checked in for doctors’ appointments, found that although patients largely recognize the importance of vaccines, many have concerns around safety and side effects -even when it comes to older, more established products. And that’s where pharma marketers need to step in.

In the first of the two surveys, taken by nearly 10,000 parents of adolescents between Nov. 30 and Dec. 10, 2020, respondents generally believed that childhood vaccines were effective, with 62.5% strongly agreeing and 28.6% agreeing. Caregivers concurred in similar percentages that childhood vaccines were important for their children’s health and that getting vaccines was a good way to protect children from disease.

But the survey also yielded worrying results for vaccine makers and public health officials. Close to 16% of parents either agreed or strongly agreed that their children didn’t need vaccines for diseases that are no longer common, and 25% didn’t have an opinion either way about such vaccinations.

Combined, those figures indicate that more than 40% of parents aren’t sure they need to vaccinate their children for diseases that aren’t currently prevalent – even though the rarity of those diseases hinges on vaccines and the herd immunity they confer. In recent years, outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and mumps have shown that even small pockets of unvaccinated people can drive significant spread of contagious disease among both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations. That’s why it’s critical that healthcare professionals and vaccine makers continue to stress the importance of childhood vaccination.

Another troubling statistic in an era of unparalleled vaccine hesitancy: Nearly 46% of surveyed parents said they were concerned about vaccines’ side effects, with another 28.2% expressing no opinion about side effects either way. Together, those figures showed that 74% of parents were either worried or uncertain about the side effects of vaccines – despite an overabundance of evidence that vaccines are safe and rarely cause serious adverse reactions.

Finally, perhaps in reference to the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines that were making their way toward widespread adoption at the time, 27.1% of surveyed parents either agreed or strongly agreed that new vaccines carried more risks than older vaccines – and a whopping 47.6% neither agreed nor disagreed with that statement.

Those stats mirror results from a second, ongoing Phreesia survey, which has been taken by more than 335,000 adult patients since March 2021. Among those who answered, slightly more than half of polled patients (51%) said they were concerned about the safety and long-term side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, and 23.5% did not agree that it was important to receive all recommended vaccines.

The results clearly illustrate that pharma marketers have their work cut out for them, not only to convince patients to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but also to make sure the vaccine hesitancy the country is currently seeing doesn’t spill over further to impact the rate of childhood vaccinations. While patients may be generally aware of vaccines’ role in staving off disease, it’s up to marketers to ease patients’ fears about vaccine safety and side effects and to highlight the continued importance of vaccination, no matter the disease area.

To encourage women to take an active role and have more open conversations with their gynecologists, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a new web series, Under the Paper Gown. The six episode series will feature comedian Amber Ruffin and her sister Lacey Lamar, showcasing Amber’s growth “as she gains the knowledge and confidence to speak openly with her OBGYN,” as per the news announcement.

Leveraging Ruffin's relatability and comedic star power, the campaign uses levity to help women overcome the awkwardness many may feel when it comes to gynecological health. The agency behind the work, Ogilvy DC, transforms the paper gown into a “symbol of strength and confidence” for women everywhere.

As stated in the news release, “Libby Dwyer, Group Strategy Director for Ogilvy DC, said: ‘Feeling awkward and uncomfortable, even at the best of OGBYN checkups, keeps women from speaking openly about their health.  We found that if we can lean into laughter as an antidote to awkwardness, and put more women at ease about understanding their health, we can unlock more positivity and conversations about gynecological health.'”

Click here to view the full web series, Under the Paper Gown.

To address issues of health disparities and advance health equity, the CDC Foundation and its partners pledged over $30 million in support to more than 150 community-based organizations (CBOs) “to promote COVID-19 vaccinations and reduce the disease’s burden.” As noted in the news release, “CBOs are uniquely positioned to provide culturally appropriate and community-tailored information about mitigation measures, including the importance of vaccination.”

“This funding will support CBOs across the country to engage with local partners, including their state and local health departments, to address vaccine-related concerns, develop innovative and culturally appropriate communications strategies, and promote timely vaccination both for the COVID-19 vaccine and the seasonal influenza vaccine. The work of CBOs receiving support may include developing vaccine resources, hosting community events, engaging in neighborhood-level outreach and managing local communication campaigns, among other activities,” shared the press announcement.

The Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF) has partnered with the Ad Council and the COVID Collaborative to create an innovative, new campaign aimed at educating Asian Americans with “information and resources they need to make informed decisions about getting vaccinated against COVID-19,” stated the news release. Launching this week exclusively on Asian media in the US will develop and produce “culturally relevant, in-language” content.

As part of the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative's COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative and the “It's Up to You” campaign, :30 and :60 second spots have been created in multiple languages (English, Korean, Filipino/Tagalog, Hindi, Hmong, Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Mandarin) to provide information on vaccine eligibility and availability, efficacy, and safety.

As stated in the news release, “Indrajit Majumdar, 3AF President, said, ‘At 3AF, we believe in the power of Asian American media. They are a critical conduit to our Asian American community. [After all], they know best how to reach their viewers, listeners, subscribers, and readers. What better way to produce targeted campaigns to reach the various Asian segments on this incredibly important vaccine initiative than using the expertise and the voice of Asian media? It was a great, strategic collaboration with our friends at the Ad Council, COVID Collaborative and our media members, and we look forward to future efforts.'”

The first vaccine for COVID-19 was approved by the FDA on Aug 23, 2021. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will now be marketed as Comirnaty for those aged 16 and older. For those aged 12-15 years as well as immunocompromised individuals needing a third dose, the vaccine is still available under emergency use authorization (EUA).

Click here to read the full FDA press release.

IQVIA analyzed four key areas in regards to digital health trends: innovation, evidence, regulation, and adoption. The report, by the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, found that “more than 90,000 digital health apps [were] added [to app stores worldwide] in 2020”, bringing the total apps available to consumers to over 350,000. Apps can be typically split into two categories: health condition management, which now account for 47% of the market, and wellness management. “Mental health (22% of apps), diabetes (15%), and cardiovascular disease-related (10%) apps [account] for almost half of disease-specific apps.”

Yet, “while software developers of digital health apps initially commercialized through public app stores under a direct-to-consumer business model, apps providing the most significant health benefits focus increasingly on payers and employers.” The US market, in particular, is starting to see increased reimbursement by payers and employers as they are often looking to offset health costs and ensure health and wellness among its users. This may further entice software developers to focus more on this sector, rather than consumers directly, when it comes to their commercialization pathways.

Additionally, in the US, nearly half of physicians (44%) are interested in prescribing medical apps for patients as are more than two-thirds (70%) “of formulary decision-makers within hospitals, IDNs, MCOs and PBMs — who either currently provide coverage for [digital therapeutics] (25%) or have expressed interest in providing coverage (45%).” Major barriers prevent more widespread adoption though, including a lack of criteria standardization for app evaluation by governing bodies as well as a clear reimbursement process yet to be established by Congress and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Click here to read Digital Health Trends 2021: Innovation, Evidence, Regulation, and Adoption.

UnidosUS and AARP have teamed up to educate hard-to-reach Latinos on the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines through a mobile tour. As a part of UnidosUS' Esperanza Hope for All campaign, this tour will provide attendees with answers to their questions and distribute bilingual educational materials at their various stops, which will also be held in “rural and socially vulnerable areas,” according to the news announcement.

“It’s a somber fact that older Hispanics are more likely to suffer health complications or die from COVID-19 than their white peers,” said Julie Marte, AARP New Jersey Associate State Director of Community Outreach in the news announcement. “By working with UnidosUS, we are helping to ensure the Hispanic community is included equitably in vaccine education and helping the community get the information they can trust.” The New Jersey tour stops will run every Saturday and Sunday through August 8th.

The Esperanza Hope for All campaign has reached more than 25,000 people nationwide with its mobile tour, “helping build trust in the COVID-19 vaccines and ensure that the older Hispanic adult community is included equitably in vaccine distribution efforts across the country.” As Rita Carreón, Vice President of Health at UnidosUS further explained, “Latinos are disproportionally concentrated in ‘essential' occupations where they face higher risk of exposure to the coronavirus—exposure that often results in their hospitalization or death when unvaccinated. That is why fostering trust in the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines and combating vaccine misinformation and disinformation is paramount. Only by reaching out to Latinos where they live and engaging trusted community leaders to deliver this important information, can we meaningfully advance our community and country’s recovery.” For more details about the mobile tour, click here.

Five months after opening a special enrollment period for via HealthCare.gov, two million more Americans signed up for health insurance. In mid-July, The Biden-Harris Administration launched “Summer Sprint to Coverage” for the final 30 days before special enrollment closes. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will run a series of testimonial ads during prime-time television, featuring real individuals (Dorothy from Charlotte, NC; Darrell & Erica from Duluth, GA; and Jeremy from Houston, TX) who were able to sign up for zero-cost or low-cost health insurance. Television commercials, in both English and Spanish, will air during high-profile sporting events, such as the Olympics. Digital and social media ads, and other educational materials available in multiple languages, were created to “[increase] outreach directed to underserved and minority populations” and populations with high uninsured rates, stated the news release on U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' website. Community outreaches are being employed, too, by partnering “with Navigators, licensed agents and trusted messengers. Additionally, CMS has created a 30-day toolkit for partners to amplify the message of coverage options available during the SEP and the importance of signing up before the August 15 deadline.”