Our Industry’s Public Image

Last week the Public Affairs Council released a new pulse survey on what Americans think about business and government.

Unfortunately for us – the industry considered the most untrustworthy was pharmaceuticals.

This finding was unsurprisingly consistent with a Gallup poll last year reporting that a record-high 60% of those surveyed view our industry negatively.

The recent Public Affairs Council survey also shared that 40% believe pharma needs more government oversight.

OK, so far all that tracks, right?

Well, if we look at the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, we see that two-thirds of those surveyed in the US say that science has become politicized in our country.

Rates are similar in other countries, too.

Moreover, confidence in innovations like gene-based medicine increases when shown to be vetted by scientists and ethicists.

To us, who are on the front lines of the scientific breakthroughs we see every day, there’s a huge discrepancy here.

On one hand, we have deep distrust of our industry – or at least, what they THINK they know about biopharma – but on the other many say that science is too politicized.

What gives?

For starters, any ground we gained during the pandemic painting our industry as being on the bleeding edge has pretty much been lost.

What’s more is that the general public doesn’t equate pharma with science, that those are two words that don’t even belong in the same sentence.

That’s a problem – not just for the industry’s future, but perhaps more importantly, for the medicines that our orgs and clients are developing.

How do we reconcile deep distrust of our industry with society’s appetite for less-politicized and more highly vetted science?

Best Part About Being a Biopharma Communicator

Is our job as biopharma communicators for the faint of heart? No. But is it one of the coolest, under-the-radar professions of all time? Inarguably, yes!

We often hear things from the T2B community like, “I just sorta stumbled into this role, and that was 20 years ago.” Or “We kinda need to know a little bit about everything.” Let’s dig into that.

First of all, this is a niche role, but we suspect that’ll change as the organizations advancing the science become more and more visible. Think about it – in the past few years, we’ve gone from asking “Pfizer or Moderna?” at the dinner table to reading about Ozempic, well, everywhere, even in the tabloids.

Our industry is only expanding, and with it is coming the necessity for leadership teams and boards steering these companies to be even more planful and strategic, and work hand in hand with well-versed, highly specialized corporate affairs practitioners like us.

We don’t see why this shouldN’T be a career option that our college advisors tell us about, or better yet, hear about in high school or middle school.

But, but… to actually be successful, there’s a looong list of hard and soft skills acquired through both textbook and experiential learning, to hone. While you don’t have to have a formal science background, you DO need to have a passion for it and a willingness to read a LOT and most of all, to listen.

Listen to scientists gossiping in the breakroom. Listen to your CEO present the corporate deck. Listen to your head of IT’s vision. Listen to your program manager’s milestone plans.

And THAT, my friends, is the best part: Sanctioned opportunity to be embedded across the organization so that you can help drive the conversation and ultimately, tell the story to the world.

Do you agree?

Explaining the Science to Lay Audiences

It’s true that many of the corporate materials–like earnings announcements and medical meeting posters–we put out into the world are consumed by a lay audience, including patients, even though they may not be the primary intended target.

However, this should not preclude efforts to explain our science and technology in more accessible ways for patient communities.

These are a few of the opportunities we invite life science comms peers to evaluate.

Launch a dedicated patients and families section on your corporate website. Include content like community profiles and patient advocacy organization resources. Don’t forget to use lay language, and avoid jargon and acronyms.

When meeting with patient groups or welcoming community guest speakers onsite, think twice before whipping out the corporate deck. Take the time to develop a tailored presentation.

Create a version of your mechanism-of-action video that’s not overly technical and appropriate for a patient audience.

Partner with trusted HCPs and KOLs who already have established relationships with the community on a campaign or webinar series. You may also explore unbranded disease awareness campaigns, which sometimes can run in conjunction with a patient registry, but not always.

It’s never too early to attend PAO family summits and other community events, even if you’re not sponsoring. Establishing a consistent presence is key to building long-term relationships.

And, perhaps needless to say, work very closely with your medical, legal and regulatory colleagues to ensure compliance.

What strategies have you successfully employed to educate patient and caregiver communities and other lay audiences on your company’s or clients’ science?