The Tempest – A Category 5 Medical Mystery

Client: EUSA Pharma

A Beat-the-Clock Patient Case Diagnostic Experience

In just 4 days during the ASH Virtual Conference (December 05-08, 2020):

340 visitors to the site

4:08 average time on site

108 HCPs learned the importance of SYLVANT and how to diagnose iMCD

The Tempest remained live following the conference and served as a prominent rep tool.

Idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) is a rare and difficult disease to diagnose, with fewer than 1000 cases of iMCD diagnosed in the United States each year. iMCD is the abnormal overgrowth of cells of the lymph system, similar to other autoimmune and malignant disorders.

The dysfunction of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in patients with iMCD causes a cytokine storm that can lead to organ failure and death. SYLVANT® (siltuximab) is the only IL-6 neutralizing agent approved by the FDA, and it is recommended by both the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN) for the treatment of iMCD so that once a patient is diagnosed, the treatment decision is clear.

Marketing Insight

Because awareness of cytokine storms was already being generated due to COVID-19, we wanted to emphasize the concept in our initiative.

Solution

With the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic brought on in 2020, the pharmaceutical marketing landscape shifted. Sales reps were limited in their ability to meet with their customers, and all major congresses went completely virtual. This forced any new engagements to be done digitally, leaving companies scrambling to find new ways to reach their targets. When it became clear that we would not be returning to in-person visits for the foreseeable future, we talked to several of our key opinion leaders to find out what types of engagements they found helpful during these unique times where they have been inundated with new content from industry.

We saw the opportunity to create an interactive virtual learning experience to educate on the disease and mechanism of action (MOA) for the approved treatment. In order to make the experience engaging and something that healthcare professionals (HCPs) would want to interact with, as well as make it an accurate depiction of real-world experience, we based it on a real patient case and worked closely with the hematologist-oncologist and pathologist who diagnosed it.

The Tempest – A Category 5 Medical Mystery was created to generate engagement among remote attending hematologists and oncologists during the virtual setting of the 2020 ASH Conference. The name references how the disease can cause a “storm” in one’s immune system, creating a suspenseful theme while emphasizing that a correct diagnosis is critical and time-sensitive.

Along with banner ads and social media, a direct mail piece was sent out ahead of the event, putting out a call to join an elite team to help solve a case. Taking the form of a letter from a mysterious colleague, it included a full patient report to get attendees thinking about the possibilities based on their expertise. The challenge allowed participants to apply their existing knowledge to identify/eliminate choices to “diagnose” a patient and to recognize SYLVANT as the treatment of note in a successful conclusion.

Post-ASH, versions of the driving pieces were created to reach out to customers and give reps an opportunity to break through the clutter of emails HCPs had admitted to receiving and not engaging with, providing reach and engagement even though they couldn’t meet live.

CAPABILITIES PROVIDED/CAMPAIGN DELIVERABLES
- Virtual gamification of patient case study
- Landing page development
- Video development (KOL discussion about real patient inspiring case)
- Media drivers, including unique direct mailer to get attention
- Media planning and placements