Drug spending on the brain – Our top 3 tweets of Q2 2018

As Q2 ends and summer gets into full swing, it’s once again time to take a look at our top tweets from the quarter that just passed, to get a sense of what our followers are thinking about, and hopefully, to glean some insights as to why. We do this to better understand our audience, and to plan for the kind of content that will keep them engaged going forward.

Top tweets are based on engagement, not just impressions which is basically the number of eyeballs that see a tweet. Engagement means that people saw the content and then took action to reply, like or retweet it to their own networks. A much better measure of impact than just counting eyeballs.

In February, we launched a new monthly video feature called Ask the Pharmacist. Real Express Scripts Canada Pharmacists answer Canadians’ questions about prescription medication, managing chronic conditions and healthy living. The feature has been growing in popularity, and we were happy to see a tweet about our April segment on asthma and allergies grab the number 3 spot. Let’s start there.

Tweet #3

This was our third most popular tweet of the quarter, and the YouTube video was the most viewed of the three Ask the Pharmacist episodes released during Q2. This feature continues to gain momentum, especially among our pharmacy members, who appreciate the opportunity to put faces to the names of the dedicated health professionals who they usually only speak with on the phone. The topic of seasonal allergies also likely contributed to the popularity of the post, with many Canadians aching to get outdoors after an unusually harsh winter.

Tweet #2

The second quarter is when Express Scripts Canada releases its flagship annual publication, the Drug Trend Report. This year, the report was launched on May 9th, and produced our number two tweet of the quarter.

The Drug Trend Report has been a must-read for insurance professionals and benefit administrators across the country for many years, as it provides valuable insights into the factors that drove an increase in overall drug plan spending. Perhaps even more importantly, the report offers solutions for benefit plans that may be facing difficult decision about how to continue to provide the drug benefits that employees rely upon, while reining in spiralling costs.

In summary, the report found that overall drug spending continued to trend upward moderately, driven by an increase in the use of high-cost specialty drugs that are used to treat complex conditions like cancer, MS and hepatitis C. This trend shows no sign of slowing down with a large number of new specialty medications now awaiting government approval. The guidance provided to benefit administrators revealed that they can maintain their employee benefit programs AND control costs at the same time by implementing comprehensively managed prescription drug plans. These plans focus more attention on plan members with multiple complex conditions, leading to healthier outcomes and lower costs.

Tweet #1

Staying with prescription drug trends, our top tweet of the quarter came on the same day as #2, May 9th. No surprise. The industry-leading data in the Drug Trend Report is officially unveiled with additional insights for a select group of invitees during our annual Pharmacy Outcomes webinar. We had our highest turnout yet for this much-anticipated event. And apparently, Twitter too was paying attention.

The fact that our top two tweets of the quarter were both related to our Drug Trend Report is telling. With leaders and policymakers around the country looking for innovative ways to ensure affordable drug coverage for all Canadians, our experts’ industry-leading analysis of the current prescription drug landscape is a vital piece of this important national conversation.

Enjoy the summer! See you in the Fall for our Q3 update.