The Corporate Reputation of Pharma in 2021- The Patient Perspective - France Edition - The Views of 109 French Patient Groups

The ‘Corporate Reputation of Pharma’ survey - the 2021 France edition is now in its 2nd year, and two years into the Covid-19 pandemic. Between November 2021-February 2022, the survey collected the opinions of 109 France-based patient groups on the performance of the pharmaceutical industry during 2021.

Patient groups responding to the ‘Corporate Reputation of Pharma’ survey are uniquely positioned to comment on the pharma industry’s performance during the pandemic. Patient groups not only understand the perceptions of patients, but are also the only healthcare stakeholder to network with all other stakeholders in the healthcare system.

Continue reading on for details of: 

• How the analyst measures pharma’s corporate reputation from a patient perspective; 
• The headline results of the 2021 France element of the ‘Corporate Reputation’ survey; 
• The companies included in the 2021 France analysis; and 
• The profiles of 2021’s respondent French patient groups. 

Companies assessed for corporate reputation in the 2021 France report 

AbbVie - Amgen - AstraZeneca - Bayer - Biogen - Boehringer Ingelheim - Bristol Myers Squibb - Eli Lilly I Gilead Sciences - GSK - Janssen - Merck KGaA - MSD - Mylan - Novartis - Novo Nordisk - Pfizer - Pierre Fabre - Roche - Sandoz - Sanofi - Servier - Teva - UCB

SUMMARY OF RESULTS FOR FRANCE, 2021 

FINDINGS AT PHARMA-INDUSTRY LEVEL
The annual surveying has found the overall reputation of the pharmaceutical industry in France to have remained poor since 2018. In 2021, only 39% of French patient groups responding to the ‘Corporate Reputation of Pharma’ survey stated that pharma’s reputation was either “Excellent” or “Good” - against 59% of respondent patient groups worldwide that said the same.

The Covid-19 pandemic may have had a negative impact on French patient-group perceptions of pharma during 2020; the same, though, cannot be said for 2021. In 2021, as many as 61% of 2021’s respondent French patient groups stated that pharma was “Very effective” or “Effective” at supporting patients during the Covid-19 pandemic - a significant increase on the 31% saying the same in 2020, and on a par with the 2021 global figure of 66% reported by respondent patient groups worldwide. Yet the majority (61%) of respondent French patient groups in 2021 also went on to judge pharma as having either a “Fair” or “Poor” corporate reputation (or they “Did not know”).

The impact of the pandemic
As it did in many countries, Covid-19 exposed structural weaknesses in the French healthcare system (already under considerable strain from before Covid-19). 2021’s respondent French patient groups believed that not just government, but also the pharma industry, has a role to play in improving France’s underperforming healthcare infrastructure. The patient groups emphasise four main areas of weakness that need addressing:

• French patients’ access to medicines;
• patient-doctor relationships in France;
• the levels of innovation in the pharma industry in France; and
• pharma’s relationships with French patient groups.

Patient access to medicines 
The pandemic put on public view the fragility of France’s supply chain for essential medicines - given that the vast majority of the country’s medicines are manufactured, not at home, but in Asia. Unsurprisingly, the supply-chain’s delicacy led to unexpected drug shortages exacerbated by the pandemic - a fact referred to by a number of 2021’s respondent French patient groups. These patient groups, and the patients they represent, seek urgent solutions to the problem of security in France’s supply of essential medicines. 

“Do what it takes to ensure the medications are available. Make sure that manufacturing is done as close to patients as possible - so, for French patients, in France.” 
- Regional aphasia patient group, France 

Patient-doctor relationships 
Remote telemedicine consultations increased in number significantly in France during the pandemic (particularly as the costs to patients became refundable within the social-security system). Thus, ehealth in general drove change in the style of patient interactions with healthcare providers.

French patient groups supported online initiatives.
A 2020 survey on the way in which patient groups coped with the Covid-19 pandemic (results published in September 2020) found that 24% of the 84 respondent French patient groups had worked at setting up new online patient support, with a further 19% stating that they would like to do so. 

French patient groups responding to the 2021 ‘Corporate Reputation’ survey reiterate the point by arguing that pharma could help these online initiatives of theirs - through the provision of training, resources, and networking opportunities with health professionals.

“Organise webinars with doctors on medical issues of interest to patients.” - Association Pierre ENJALRAN Fibrose Pulmonaire 

Innovation 
Vaccine development has, historically, been a strong component of French pharma’s capabilities. French pharma companies, however, were unable to meet the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic (although French companies did step up as key partners to the programmes on global vaccine roll out). 54% of the 109 French patient groups responding to the 2021 ‘Corporate Reputation’ survey thought pharma “Excellent” or “Good” at innovation. However, the written feedback they offered in the survey suggested the scope for improvement from pharma. Respondent French patient groups were interested, not just in greater investment in innovation, but in pharma raising public awareness of industry’s R&D activities, and “holding public-information campaigns to encourage patients to support clinical research.” In addition, respondent French patient groups called for “greater reinforcement of [ed.: pharma] relationships with academic and biotech researchers.” 

Provide more information on their latest knowledge and research, by encouraging more communication initiatives.” - National psoriasis patient group, France 

Patient-group relations 
A number of 2021’s respondent French patient groups reported to the survey that pharmaceutical companies cut relations with them during the period of Covid-19 - just at a time when these patient groups faced extra demand from French patients for services. In the previously-mentioned September 2020 survey on patient-group experiences of Covid-19, 70% of the 84 respondent French patient groups experienced a decrease in expected annual revenue in 2020. French patient groups now simply want pharma to resume relationships with them, and to understand the pressures faced by the country’s patient groups throughout the pandemic. 

“At least reply to letters, and help us to inform our patients better.” - Fondation du Rein 

COMPANY RANKINGS IN FRANCE IN 2021 

• The top-three pharma companies in France in 2021, out of 24 companies, ranked for their overall corporate reputation (as assessed by respondent French patient groups familiar with the company): Pfizer, 1st - UCB, 2nd - Boehringer Ingelheim, 3rd.
• The top-three pharma companies in France in 2021, out of 14 companies, ranked for their overall corporate reputation (as assessed by respondent French patient groups working with the company): Pfizer, 1st - Boehringer Ingelheim, 2nd - Sanofi, 3rd.
• The top-three ‘big-pharma’ companies in France in 2021, out of 12 ‘big-pharma’ companies, ranked for their overall corporate reputation (as assessed by respondent French patient groups familiar with the company): Pfizer, 1st - Novartis, 2nd - Amgen, 3rd.

Who should read this report? 

Customer Types (Organisations)

• Pharma companies
• Biopharma companies
  • Regulatory authorities (e.g EMA, FDA) 
  • NGOs and health charities (usually FOC) including Patient Groups
  • Research and academia

Job titles/functions for Pharma and Biopharma Organisations

Core: 

• Patient Relations
• Corporate Reputation
• Public Affairs
• Professional Affairs
• Patient Advocacy
• Communications
• Market Research

Secondary: 

• R&D
• Health economics
• Outcomes Research
• Medical Affairs
• Marketing
• Brand teams
• Market Access 
• Regulatory