Entering 2020: how can the pharmaceutical industry prepare for the silver boom?

Patients can play a greater role in medical care Many of the things that medical care involves are changing With spreadsheets, websites, and all the evidence that can be gathered by patients themselves, some patients have quickly entered new roles But other patients or relatives are not, they can not make necessary choices around medical care interventions in a strange system Self caregivers with relevant knowledge reserves: these pioneers have really entered the consumption era of medical care In this era, if we need to make wise decisions in medical care, we can't do without the required data, comments, and the crucial price transparency Patients with relevant knowledge reserve, who enter the role, will often know their symptoms through a variety of applications, according to online comments, select a few favorite doctors, call in advance, compare prices; finally, on the smartphone, input a series of questions and discussion items in an orderly manner to complete the operation Look back at the people who are in a hurry The reason why these people are unprepared is that they have not realized that they will become consumers of medical care These people are often forced to join the medical care system out of necessity Because I don't know the details of my medical insurance and am afraid of clinical language, I often have to ask for directions However, when it comes to cancer treatment and care, it is very realistic for patients Patients often need to make their own decisions on expensive treatments, but it is not easy to understand the safety, efficacy and impact on quality of life of these treatments Such absence has become a fault that we have to face There are many differences between those who have relevant knowledge and those who are ready to work For the communication and exchange of medical care, as well as medical care tools and services, the industry needs to support these diversified medical seekers by adopting a differentiated approach Before adopting these flexible ways, the relevant parties should recognize the work and professional knowledge being promoted by self caregivers with relevant knowledge reserves; on the other hand, the ways taken should also be able to help those patients who are prepared in a hurry to supplement the corresponding knowledge The real purpose of these approaches is to customize the information you need according to the channel and patient type Different types of patients should be clear and able to meet their reasonable needs of the experience Relevant aspects can neither regard patients as consumers, nor assume that patients have nothing to do with consumerism Consumerism, connectivity, and co morbidity are, on the face of it, not new to all; but it will be some time before we can understand them in depth and use them freely With the increase of life expectancy, the low fertility rate is changing the population composition Changes in the composition of the population at different ages will also affect the pharmaceutical industry The arrival of silver tide is inevitable In some countries, the arrival of silver tide will affect many aspects of society, including the form of labor force, housing supply, globalization, medical care and other important aspects Innovators and leaders around the world are preparing for the average life expectancy of the population to move towards 100 In the related medical care services, home design, income security, all walks of life are calling for effective innovation Japan is the fastest ageing country, followed by Germany, Italy and France Japan's population, aged over 65, already accounts for a quarter, and by 2050 it will be more than a third In the United States, the number of elderly people will rapidly exceed that of children On the other hand, because of the average life expectancy of women, it is 5-7 years higher than that of men This situation promotes expectations, experiences and required services, which need to be changed accordingly Source: reference [11] Leaders in the healthcare industry are responding positively to these changes In 2020, these leaders will talk about three main forces driving change: shaping a changing workforce; meeting the needs of a long-lived economy, releasing the "talent dividend"; and building a health care system that is consistent with demographic changes In the next 10 years, there will be a scene where people born in baby boomers, generation X, generation Y and generation Z work together Although by that time, all the baby boomers will have reached the retirement age, not everyone will choose to retire and need to create new roles and new career paths As the population becomes longer, it needs to provide corresponding new services and products Therefore, the industry needs to reconsider and improve the product portfolio to adapt to the changing customer base The brand needs to regard the population over 65 years old as an important customer base, constantly expand market promotion and promotion, and put medical care as a priority Finally, with the growth of the aging population, the scale of the products needed has changed accordingly, and the manufacturing and purchasing of related products will become the focus of attention Source: reference [12] With the advent of silver tide, loneliness is not uncommon, partly because of aging, but more often because of social isolation As far as connectivity is concerned, the current conditions are far from comparable to any previous era However, it is not uncommon for people born in baby boomers, generation X, generation Y and generation Z to feel isolated and lonely Whether staying at home or on the screen, if you feel lonely, such an experience will have a significant impact on the health of the people involved, even fatal Almost half of Americans report sometimes or always feeling lonely A quarter of Australians say they feel lonely In Japan, half a million people live in social withdrawal In the UK, 40% of people are lonely In 2018, then British Prime Minister Theresa May pointed out that many people feel lonely, which is one of the biggest public health challenges facing this era Therefore, the British government initiated a cross government strategy to solve the problem of loneliness; the Secretary of state in charge of sports and civil society was responsible to determine the strategy that could enhance the real connectivity The new cabinet post was called "Minister of loneliness" by the press The University of Michigan has conducted many years of health and retirement research, and has conducted a six-year follow-up survey of 1600 people to find out whether loneliness poses a threat to the independence and mortality of the relevant population The results showed that the risk of physical function decline increased by 60% and the risk of death increased by 45% Social isolation and loneliness have the same effect on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day A recent study even linked social isolation and loneliness to cancer and the risk of death Demographic changes (such as a decline in the birth rate and marriage) suggest that the challenge of loneliness will become increasingly acute as the average age of the population increases From Seattle's intergenerational learning center to home sharing programs, to the Dutch supermarket's "chat checkout", many companies around the world are taking active actions to maintain and strengthen people's ties ▲ intergenerational Learning Center in Seattle (photo source: reference [3]) Mental health problems, often become a combination of a variety of diseases In the past few years, the focus on mental health issues and related dialogues have greatly developed and changed; they have become part of open dialogues on various topics such as family, popular culture, politics and employment How to solve mental health problems, how to provide necessary help, has been widely concerned According to the World Health Organization, one third of people will suffer from mental or behavioral diseases in their lifetime Globally, depression is the main cause of disability There are 450 million people suffering from mental illness around the world Future demographic changes will affect all aspects of the business in the pharmaceutical and health industry It's a good time to look into the future and make long-term plans for future changes Patients belong to the traditional sense of consumers, the industry needs new services and higher transparency, aiming at different groups, effectively improve patient participation Whether it is loneliness, depression, anxiety or addiction, it will bring mental health challenges to patients, doctors and caregivers It is necessary to treat these complications as an important part of the whole medical care process Disclaimer: This article is only for the purpose of information exchange The views in this article do not represent the position of Wuxi apptec, nor do they represent the support or opposition of Wuxi apptec reference material: [1] Jason Daley The U.K Now Has a “Minister for Loneliness.” Here’s Why It Matters Jan 19, 2018 Retrieved Dec 29, 2019 from https:// [2] Prime Minister's Office PM launches Government’s first loneliness strategy Oct 15, 2018 Retrieved Jan 3, 2020 from https:// [3] Sami Edge Retirement home meets day care at Providence Mount St Vincent June 26, 2015 Retrieved Jan 7, 2020 from https:// [4] Chris Welch Daycare inside a nursing home? Yes, and it’s a big hit in Seattle Feb 20, 2019 Retrieved Jan 7, 2020 from https:// [5] Michiel De Gooijer Dutch supermarket introduces a unique "chat checkout" to help fight loneliness Oct, 2019 Retrieved Jan 7, 2019 from https://megaphone.upworthy.com/p/supermarket-chat-checkout [6] WHO Mental and neurological disorders Fact Sheet: The World Health Report 2001 2001 Retrieve Jan 7, 2020 from https:// [7] Cigna CIGNA'S BRAND PLATFORM MESSAGE: 'TOGETHER, ALL THE WAY' Sept 9, 2014 Retrieved Jan 7，2020 from https:// [8] Laina Richards Instagram Is Officially Making Its Users’ Well-Being a Priority April 4, 2018 Retrieved Dec 8, 2020 from https://thriveglobal.com/stories/instagram-is-officially-making-its-users-well-being-a-priority/ [9] Dhani Mau Madhappy is Building a Brand around Hoodies and Mental Health Mar 14, 2019 Retrieved Jan 7, 2020 from https://fashionista.com/2019/03/madhappy-streetwear-brand-mental-health [10] Syneos Health® Insights Hub 2020 Health Trends Dec 6, 2019 Retrieved Dec 7, 2019 fr