The Need for Clarity in Marketing

Clarity is needed now more than ever. Bringing technology out of the lab successfully means finding ways to have meaningful conversations about very sophisticated issues with non-scientists.

The American Medical Association and Medco Health Solutions (a pharmacy benefits manager) recently surveyed more than 10,000 US physicians. A few of the results: the number of doctors who expect to order a genetic test in the next six months is expected to double (from 13 to 26%). Yet only 10% of physicians felt they have the necessary training and knowledge to put pharmacogenomics testing to good use in treating patients. In other words, a significant percentage of doctors report that they will be ordering genetic tests without the necessary training to put the testing to good use in patient care.

This is not a technology issue (the tests already exist), or an adoption issue (the number of physicians using the test is expected to double in the next six months) but it sure is an explanation issue. Physicians need clear explanations and education about using genetic testing in treating patients. Patients need this also – maybe even more than clinicians.

The successful adoption of new assays, new drugs and new drug/assay combinations in the future will be highly dependent upon education. Personalized medicine is highlighting the incredible diversity of the human animal – this drug will work for patients with this condition/marker, but not for patients with that one. The number of treatable conditions is going to increase and the treatments are going to splinter. With it the need to clearly distinguish between them will skyrocket.

Clarity is needed now more than ever. Bringing technology out of the lab successfully means finding ways to have meaningful conversations about very sophisticated issues with non-scientists.

The race will be won not by the fastest, but by the clearest.