• by April 7, 2009

As household income decreases during the economic crisis, people place more value on their health and also think more about it, according to a new international study from Omnicom Group units DDB Health and M/A/R/C Research. And, while consumers are preoccupied with their health, pharmaceutical companies need to take measures to gain public trust.

Titled "Health Is the New Wealth," the online survey of 1,831 consumers and doctors ages 35+ in 11 countries found that 42% of them ranked health as a major preoccupation. "Around the world," the study states, "s-i-c-k is a four-letter word."

The top health priority, cited by 31% of respondents, was "living without illness," with only 9% ranking "achieving my potential" as a priority.

Indeed, "living without illness" led the list of priorities in every country except Mexico and Brazil. In the U.S., it was tabbed by 26% of respondents, followed by "feeling strong in both mind and body" (22%), which ranked first in Mexico, and "living a long life" (18%), the top scorer in Brazil.

So, to whom do consumers turn for direction in health matters? According to the research, 75% of respondents trust their doctor's assessment of a drug over information disseminated by traditional media.

Yet 45% of consumers believe that pharmaceutical companies exert too much influence over doctors, and 49% feel the same way about health insurance companies.

Distrust in the pharmaceutical companies may be fueled by negative coverage in those same traditional media that consumers also don't trust. The survey found that 39% of consumers believe there is more negative press about pharma today than five years ago. In the U.S. and Canada, this figure jumps to 49%.

This "media swirl," the report asserts, is "likely a root cause" of another trend -- "while half the consumers surveyed believe medicines are more effective today than five years ago, 70% would rather take a medicine that has been around a while than the latest in its field."

Since the pharmaceutical industry's mission is "to discover and provide breakthrough therapies," the report sees a conflict here. The solution? New products will "need to educate physicians and patients on benefits and differences" in order "to build a brand with real purpose and value."

Adding to the woes of the big pharmaceuticals, consumers surveyed also prefer generics over branded medications at 54% to 46%, except in Mexico, Brazil, India and Singapore -- markets "where brands matter even outside pharma." In the U.S., generics ruled, at 69% to 31%.

Pharmaceutical companies also took a beating in whom consumers trust for health info outside of the doctor's office. Around the world, the most trusted sources outside of doctors and nurses are friends and family members (46%), followed by the Internet (33%) and then mass media (TV, magazines, newspapers) at 22%. But on the Internet, pharmaceutical companies ranked dead last (7%) as a source of trusted health information, followed closely by insurance companies (and national health services, where applicable) at 8%.

The Internet actually outranked friends and family as trusted sources in the UK and Australia, while in Mexico, Brazil and India, mass media in aggregate beat the Internet; but the latter still outranked each individual mass media channel. In the U.S., friends and family were preferred by 44%, the Internet by 41%, and mass media by only 14%.

The most trusted Internet sources worldwide were medical associations and organizations (25%), government (23%), general health sites like WebMD (20%), and patient groups and communities (18%). In the U.S., however, general health sites led the race, at 46%.

The authors state that pharma companies "should actively listen to these [Internet] communities and forums, because by listening they will better understand the patients' needs. And if they understand the needs of patients, communications can better serve patients, the information can empower patients and, ultimately, medicine can help patients."

Overall, the study concludes: "we need to ensure that our brands and the products/compounds they represent help resolve any conflict people may have around medication in a positive way. In effect, we should look to position medicine as a way for them to seize control, not abdicate it -- as a means, not an end unto itself ...

"The goal should not be to sell a product, but rather to help patients gain the understanding and motivation vital to asserting control over their own health. We must bridge the gap between doctor and patient to help them have a more effective partnership. We should help doctors understand patients' language and further encourage patients to be their own advocates."

DDB Health and M/A/R/C conducted its survey in late 2008 of consumers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, China, India, Australia and Singapore.