For a global pharma company we investigated how companies in the wider biopharmaceutical, medtech and healthcare industries are trying to build platform business models on existing or new products and services.
Healthskouts scouted for cases that best illustrate the three platform strategies as elucidated by Andrei Hagiu:
– Open the door to 3rd parties
– Connect existing customers (same product or different products)
– Reach out to customers’ customers
We managed to compile approximately 15 inspiring cases that illustrate what the future of care will look like for any specialized therapeutic area: i.e. patient-centric hybrid care, combining in-person, virtual and digital services, and driven by data, analytics and a connected ecosystem of stakeholders.
Key questions to address in this area include among others: Who will “own” the patient? Healthcare providers are supposedly best positioned to access individuals with existing health problems, while tech companies have the edge when it comes to prevention, due to the behavioral data that they hold on users. And from a pharma perspective, what is the best basis for a platform: the pill, the disease, the therapeutic domain, or the medical specialty?
This is clearly an important strategic issue for pharma and med-tech companies. Fortunately there is plenty of inspiration out there!