Authored by Alyssa Bowling, PharmD, Medical Information/Medical Affairs Fellow 2016-18, MCPHS University. The views and opinions represented below are those of the author alone, and should not be attributed to any organization with which the author is employed or affiliated.

A decade ago, the idea of “patient-centricity” in pharmaceutical industry was brand new; however, it has quickly become commonplace in nearly every company. It seems that conversations take place daily to evaluate how companies can shift focus from viewing patients as merely customers to instead seeing them as the group that drives and directs company initiatives. Rather than communicating solely with healthcare professionals to discuss products, the industry is moving toward engaging patients to better understand their personal experiences and to uncover unmet needs.