Compliant Connections: Making Instant Messaging Work for Biopharma Field Teams

Aug 25, 2023 | Sebastien Noel

Instant messaging apps are often the go-to method for keeping in touch with friends, family, and colleagues. Some biopharma field teams now routinely use consumer-grade chat applications to stay in contact with healthcare professionals (HCPs), even though the rules in a professional environment are different and have serious consequences when ignored.

The financial and reputational risks of non-compliance in record-keeping are significant. In 2022, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) fined 11 of the world’s largest banks between $16 and $125 million each for using unauthorized messaging apps, violating record-keeping rules, and engaging in “pervasive off-channel communications.” Instead of keeping a record of their text messages, many bank employees deleted conversations entirely.

Text communications must be retained and monitored for auditing purposes in highly regulated industries like finance and biopharma. This means that companies need capabilities to capture, timestamp, and archive messages and associated metadata.

Right balance between benefits and risks

There are tangible benefits to instant messaging. On one hand, the biopharma ‘push’ side can become more effective: recent findings show that compliant chat messages have a 90% read rate compared to an open rate of just 40% for field-generated emails. Chat messages also have three times the click-through rate of email (40% vs 16%), underscoring the value of getting this right. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) on the ‘pull’ side benefit from immediate answers to their questions, so they can confidently prescribe a drug instead of being limited by insufficient information.

However, strict EFPIA regulatory requirements relating to language and record-keeping govern how field teams interact with HCPs. Even seemingly simple instant messages must adhere to current data privacy regulations and abide by ethical rules.

The EFPIA Code applies both to promotional channels and promotional content presented to HCPs. In a survey conducted by the life sciences learning platform Citeline for ATCO, 92% of biopharma professionals surveyed said the practice of field reps using unapproved content has a direct negative impact on the company. When asked why field teams use unapproved content, respondents cite a lack of understanding of the risks, being overwhelmed by the volume and complexity of content, or struggling to find or access approved content.

Instant messaging can help recapture lost prescriptions by raising and resolving HCPs’ queries through speedy service, but both business and compliance teams need to ensure they are building a compliant two-way channel.

How to make instant messaging work for field teams

Consumer consent, data privacy, and data transparency lie at the core of GDPR and the EFPIA Code for every channel. At present, biopharma field teams are using various tools with HCPs, but not all are equal in compliance terms.

SMS messages are used sporadically to answer HCPs’ requests and to follow up between meetings. But SMS is not end-to-end encrypted, which means sensitive information isn’t private. It is up to each compliance team to define whether SMS can be used in specific use cases that won’t put the organization at risk. At the very least, field teams should be advised to use compliant and traceable content links if the content is shared through SMS.

Messaging apps built into social media platforms and smartphones were not designed for use in a highly regulated industry. Some consumer messaging apps encrypt data, but they usually do not provide enterprise-grade data protection. Not only do non-compliant tools and platforms fail to adequately protect biopharma companies across several areas, but they are also unlikely to evolve with the needs of the industry.

Benefits of a purpose-built platform

In contrast, technology dedicated to life sciences can adhere to the highest standards of data privacy and security, add customer value, and increase field team efficiency. Compliant messaging platforms mitigate privacy and security risks. Field teams can easily access approved templates and content, reducing the need to resort to personal apps on personal smartphones.

A compliant messaging platform also includes guardrails to avoid common pitfalls. Life sciences-specific workflows and text monitoring can flag excessive promotional messages and help compliance review. Traceable content links display the latest version of approved content, ensuring HCPs can only access up-to-date information. Links expire when content is removed to avoid confusion.

Embedding a culture of compliance

Company staff must understand the requirements of the EFPIA Code in addition to the safety and efficacy of the products they promote. Comprehensive training on both the code and the company’s instant messaging platform helps foster a culture of compliance. A robust digital communication compliance training program helps field teams to understand how to send compliant instant messages and the risks of doing otherwise. Ongoing monitoring and supervision limit risk exposure in the long term.

But smooth implementation and field team buy-in also hinge on collaboration between commercial, IT, and legal teams. Together, leaders from each of these areas can develop best practices and necessary controls. They can also compose a list of company-specific phrases to use and avoid, which can be implemented into a compliant messaging tool.

Through enhanced teamwork, biopharma companies can adapt their instant messaging tools and platforms to meet regulatory, security, and data privacy requirements, as well as their company’s specific needs.

Making the right switch

HCPs are no different than most other consumers: they have become accustomed to on-demand service and rapid access to information. Field teams are tempted by instant communication to keep in touch with HCPs, but more caution is needed when evaluating the benefits and risks of messaging tools and platforms.

Adapting the same consumer-grade tools that field teams use in their personal lives to life sciences requires additional consent, compliance safeguards, and technology to monitor and track communication. Biopharma companies that take this route must be aware of the higher IT and labor costs involved compared with technology designed for life sciences.

Veeva CRM Engage and Veeva CRM Approved Email come with full traceability by default, so you have an end-to-end view of every conversation that occurs with a customer over these platforms. For additional risk mitigation, both solutions are fully integrated with Veeva PromoMats and Veeva MedComms, which provide guardrails to ensure only MLR-approved content gets to field teams.

Veeva CRM Approved Notes can monitor text input going into any free text field in Veeva CRM (including for CRM Engage’s instant messaging capabilities) for a list of sensitive words, and then automatically notify compliance teams.

Learn how to connect with HCPs instantly while remaining compliant in this video.

Learn more about recent US regulation changes.