Demand Vigilance™ compares channel data to demand data in order to identify and rectify data quality and accuracy problems in either data set.  Only when these data quality and accuracy challenges are addressed can the data be integrated and enriched properly. 

Limitations of Demand Data

Manufacturers have been purchasing 3rd party demand data for many years and have built many processes and mechanisms to work around a variety of issues with this data including:

• Data completeness.  All demand data sets are projected and lack 100% outlet coverage in the channel due to a variety of limitations in data collection and contractual comittments by provider.
• Data accuracy.  Data providers utilize a variety of smoothing and projection methods to improve outlet coverage.  The accuracy of data has always been an issue when utilizing the data.
• Data quality. While demand data quality is relatively good, newly emerging channel data sets have significant qualty issues yet to be resolve.
• Data timeliness.  3rd party intermediaries introduce delays in the provision of data.

Each of these limitations causes manufacturers to create work-arounds in an effort to enrich the data to a point in which they can use it to make informed commercial decisions and monitor product activity in the channel. 

Distribution Performance Agreements (DPAs) and Fee for Service (FFS) agreements are arming manufacturers with internal data from the channel that offers more granular and timely information than is currently provided by 3rd party vendors. 

In fact, channel data, when enriched properly and linked to demand data, can provide significant clarity to channel activities.  Benefits of this enrichment and linkage include:

• Increased outlet and point of care coverage.  Virtually 100% outlet and point of care coverage can be achieved.
• Increased timeliness.  Because channel data is available daily, it can provide more timely information to the manufacturer than 3rd party demand data.
• Validation of current demand data sets.  Manufacturers can now validate their 3rd party data, avoiding costly problems with demand data, quality and accuracy.

Each of these benefits can manifest itself in a variety of ways within the manufacturer including:

• Improved forecast accuracy.  Achieve higher resolution to every outlet and point of care in the channel resulting in better knowledge of inventory and product movement.
• Improved sales and marketing decision support.  Track the impact of sales and marketing spend to each outlet, doctor, hospital, clinic.
• Understand activities and monitor the non-retail channel.  Understand the impact of formularies, MCOs, PBMs and mail-order operations on sales.
• Identify illicit trade activities and entities.  Distinguish between data integrity issues and actual illicit activities. 
• Enhance manufacturing planning and scheduling.  Better understand actual demand and inventories by outlet, class of trade, parent/child and zip code.

Activities such as new product launch, packaging changes, patent expiration, black box warnings, formulary changes and others drive a need for significantly increased data timeliness and granularity.  Linking sales channel data to demand data enhances the clarity of pharmaceutical channel integrity. 

Demand Vigilance™ consists of a series of enriched data files and reports that provide insight into each of the benefits outlined above.  This service is made available from IntegriChain's highly secure data center in a hosted ASP model.  Demand Vigilance™ supports:

• Weekly dashboard and reporting updates.
• Unlimited data volume.
• Customizable alert and reporting thresholds.