New Study Finds European Consumers Show Considerable Interest in Learning from Pharma Companies – But Not on Facebook or Twitter

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Despite heavy restrictions on DTC advertising in Europe, nearly two in five online Europeans would like to be able to learn more about prescription drugs directly from a pharmaceutical company, according to the new Cybercitizen Health^® Europe study from pharmaceutical and healthcare market research company Manhattan Research.

Cybercitizen Health^® Europe 2011 explores how European consumers use digital health and pharma information and tools. The study was fielded online among 3,020 adults (ages 18+) in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain in Q3 2011. Major topics in the 2011 research include multiscreen online health behavior, online health information discovery, digital health media mix, prescription drug information seeking, and online pharma resources in Europe.

Key highlights around consumer interest in patient education from pharma companies include:

Demand for Learning about Rx from Pharma Varies: Online consumers in Italy show the strongest desire to learn about prescription drugs from pharmaceutical companies, while their counterparts in Germany are the least likely to be interested. Additionally, certain patient groups across Europe overall, such as online consumers diagnosed with acute pain, osteoporosis, and arrhythmia, show a higher interest in this type of information from pharma than the average online consumer.

Opportunity for Pharma to Provide Practical Patient Education: Online consumers show much higher demand for practical online resources from pharmaceutical companies, such as disease and treatment information and condition management tools, than for online contests and games.

Lack of Interest in Pharma on Facebook and Twitter: Among consumers who are already using or interested in online information and tools from pharmaceutical companies, only 13 percent want to access this content on Facebook and 5 percent on Twitter. In contrast, 43 percent of this audience would like to obtain pharma resources from websites about conditions and diseases.

About Cybercitizen Health^® Europe 2011

Cybercitizen Health^® Europe 2011 was fielded online in Q3 2011 among 3,020 adults (ages 18+) in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. More than 25 therapeutic categories are tracked in the research, including patient and caregiver populations.

Key questions addressed in the research include:

Multiscreen Online Health Behavior: How advanced are European consumers in terms of their digital health behaviors across devices?
Health Information Discovery Online: Which pathways and devices do consumers use to actively seek out online health information, as well as how do they casually come across this content?
Online Health Media Mix: Which types of online health resources and media do consumers use and to what extent do they rely on global websites?
Pharma Online Touch Points: Which types of online information and services do consumers want from pharma and where do they want to access these resources?

For more information, please email sales@manhattanresearch.com, call 1.212.255.7775, ext 2 or visit www.manhattanresearch.com/ccheu.

About Manhattan Research

Manhattan Research, a Decision Resources Group company, conducts annual research studies covering eHealth trends among healthcare professionals and consumers in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Broad research can be segmented by target specialist and therapeutic audiences. For more information please contact sales@manhattanresearch.com, call 1.888.680.0800, ext 2, or visit www.manhattanresearch.com.

About Decision Resources Group

Decision Resources Group is a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers best-in-class, high-value information and insights on important sectors of the healthcare industry. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed decisions. Please visit Decision Resources Group at www.DecisionResourcesGroup.com.

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