In an ongoing battle for dominance in the eyes of healthcare professionals for their work developing heart-disease-focused drugs, Novartis has now snatched the top spot from Pfizer, according to a recent report from ZoomRx.
For the latest iteration of its biannual “perception tracker,” the company surveyed more than 250 HCPs, among whom cardiology was tied with neurology as the most common specialty, making up 20% each. The clinicians were asked to rank pharma companies based on several metrics—spanning their promotion efforts, patient centricity, HCP centricity, innovation and reputation—with points awarded based on whether they ranked in the top three. The results were then used to calculate a comprehensive perception score.
When the HCPs were asked specifically about companies making drugs to treat cardiovascular disease, Novartis earned a perception score of 91, up from the 82 it earned in ZoomRx’s last such survey, conducted in the third quarter of 2023. That placed it in the top spot on the list, outranking Pfizer’s score of 77, a decline from the 91 it had earned in the last go-round.
According to ZoomRx, the doctors surveyed hailed Novartis’ “patient commitment and engagement” and pinpointed its heart failure drug Entresto as a “key reputation driver.” Entresto took over the top spot in Novartis’ portfolio in 2023 as it raked in more than $6 billion in net sales for the year, a 30% annual increase. In addition to that blockbuster, ZoomRx suggested that a recent label expansion for cholesterol-lowering drug Leqvio and Novartis’ efforts to further expand its cardiovascular pipeline likely also played a role in improving its perception score among cardiologists, specifically.
Meanwhile, though Pfizer’s perception score fell behind Novartis’, it did edge out the Swiss pharma as the “top of mind” leader in the cardiovascular space, meaning that more doctors were able to recall Pfizer than Novartis without any prompting or help.
Pfizer’s solid performance in the survey came largely from its vast and still-expanding portfolio, as well as its “patient-centricity and collaboration with MDs,” per ZoomRx. In the breakdown of perception score components, Pfizer tied with Novartis for the percentage of HCPs who ranked it in the top three on the “reputation” front, and it took the top spot for HCP centricity.
Rounding out the top five were AstraZeneca—hanging onto the No. 3 spot it previously claimed in ZoomRx’s last perception report—followed by Johnson & Johnson and Bristol Myers Squibb.
AZ, with a perception score that jumped from 36 in the previous report to 50 this time around, is a particularly strong “challenger” to the two leaders, per the survey results, because of its “good patient support programs and product portfolio.” The latter includes heart failure treatment Farxiga and antiplatelet med Brilinta, both of which the HCPs surveyed highlighted as key drivers of AZ’s reputation.
Though J&J and Amgen remain key cardiovascular drug makers, both saw their perception scores fall: from 33 to 25 for J&J and from 17 to 15 for Amgen.
Overall, according to ZoomRx, doctors’ perceptions of drugmakers in the cardiovascular segment are particularly influenced by the affordability and accessibility of their drugs. Their portfolios also play a significant role, as do their “best-in-class patient support programs,” if any.