Advocacy landscape and engagement to better understand the advocacy environment
Industry:
Pharmaceuticals and Biotech
Offering:
Advocacy Engagement
Challenge
As Relypsa prepared to launch a first-in-class therapy for hyperkalemia, it sought to better understand the advocacy environment in chronic kidney disease (CKD), heart failure (HF) and diabetes (T2DM) and how best to reach at-risk patients. The company also needed to create an approach for operationalizing advocacy engagement.
Approach
Discover
We began by conducting a landscape assessment of the advocacy environment in CKD, HF and T2DM. Via executive interviews and desk research, we identified specific initiatives relating to chronic kidney disease that had the potential to elevate hyperkalemia and the discussion of how to best treat these patients.
Utilizing a proprietary ranking and mapping approach, we determined which advocacy groups had the greatest alignment and influence in terms of their ability to engage patients at risk for hyperkalemia and elevate the conversation.
Develop
- We created a plan for advocacy engagement, prioritizing the most aligned and influential organizations identified in the Discover stage.
- In preparation for engagement, we developed internal policies and procedures for evaluating advocacy funding proposals and established an operational approach for a cross-functional team at Relypsa charged with coordinating advocacy activities.
Deploy
- We conducted a listening tour and road show with the top advocacy groups and determined opportunities to work together or sponsor efforts to increase the inclusion and promotion of hyperkalemia within research, policy and education/awareness activities.
Results
- Comprehensive assessment of all advocacy organizations in CKD, HF and T2DM in the US
- Established relationships with all the top tier groups
- New and updated patient and HCP materials made available from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) on hyperkalemia
- A unique partnership with CKD-PC that led to increased focus on the natural history of the disease
- Sponsorship of the Kidney Health Initiative, a public-private congress to build consensus on the treatment of people living with kidney disease
