Beyond Claims: The True Value of Lab Data in Prostate Cancer Therapy Commercialization

Prostate cancer (PC) remains a significant men's health concern, demanding innovative treatment strategies and precise commercialization approaches. While claims data offers a cost-effective starting point for understanding patient journeys and treatment patterns, it often lacks the granular detail needed to optimize the commercial success of new therapies. Strategic integration of lab data becomes invaluable in bridging this gap.

Claims data, readily available and relatively inexpensive, provides a broad overview of patient demographics, diagnoses (ICD-9: 185 / ICD-10: C61, Z19.1, Z19.2, R97.21), and treatment encounters. It can reveal prescribing patterns for common therapies like ADT (Lupron, Zoladex), first-generation anti-androgens (Casodex), and newer agents like second-generation anti-androgens (Xtandi, Zytiga, Erleada). Researchers can use claims to track chemotherapy (Taxotere, Jevtana) and radiopharmaceutical (Xofigo) use in mCRPC, understand market share, identify key prescribers, and analyze treatment sequences.

However, claims data has limitations. It often lacks critical information about disease progression and patient response. For example, while claims data can indicate a GnRH agonist prescription, it doesn't reveal the patient's PSA level—a crucial biomarker for monitoring disease activity and treatment efficacy. Similarly, a PC diagnosis might be present, but the Gleason score—a key factor in risk stratification and treatment decisions—is rarely included. This gap in clinical detail hinders understanding a therapy's true impact on specific patient subgroups.

Lab data, conversely, provides a wealth of actionable insights. PSA levels, Gleason scores, and other critical biomarkers (e.g., genetic mutations like BRCA1/2, ATM, dMMR) offer a nuanced view of the patient's disease state. This data empowers:

• Precise Patient Identification: Lab data enables targeting specific patient subgroups, such as those with rising PSA despite ADT (biochemical recurrence) or those with specific genetic mutations who may benefit from targeted therapies like PARP inhibitors. This precision is crucial for optimizing clinical trials and commercialization strategies.
• Treatment Response Tracking: Serial PSA measurements reveal how patients respond to therapy, allowing early identification of treatment failure and the need for alternative approaches. This information is invaluable for demonstrating real-world effectiveness and informing treatment guidelines.
• Unmet Need Identification: Analyzing lab data in conjunction with claims data identifies gaps in current treatment paradigms and uncovers unmet needs within specific patient populations, driving innovative therapy development.
• Enhanced Market Segmentation: Lab data allows for granular market segmentation based on disease stage, risk stratification, and genetic profiles, enabling targeted marketing and sales efforts for maximized reach and impact.

The current PC treatment landscape is rapidly evolving. While traditional hormonal therapies and chemotherapy remain important, the emergence of second-generation anti-androgens, immunotherapies (Provenge), radiopharmaceuticals, and targeted therapies based on genetic mutations is transforming the paradigm. Understanding the complex interplay between these therapies and patient characteristics requires detailed lab data. The increasing role of genetic testing in PC management further emphasizes integrating lab data into commercialization strategies. As more targeted therapies become available, identifying patients with specific genetic mutations will be critical for ensuring the right patients receive the right treatment at the right time.

Beyond understanding patient populations, lab data is instrumental in identifying and profiling healthcare providers (HCPs) actively involved in treating patients with recurrent and/or resistant PC. This information is invaluable for commercial teams optimizing sales and marketing efforts. Lab data facilitates:

• High-Volume Prescriber Pinpointing: Analyzing lab data with prescription data identifies HCPs frequently ordering specific tests (e.g., PSA, genetic testing) and prescribing relevant therapies (e.g., second-generation anti-androgens, chemotherapy). These HCPs likely treat a significant number of patients with recurrent and/or resistant disease and represent key commercial outreach targets.
• Specialist Identification: Lab data helps identify HCPs specializing in advanced PC treatment. For example, HCPs consistently ordering complex genetic tests or prescribing targeted therapies are more likely to be oncologists or urologists with expertise in this area.
• Treatment Pattern Understanding: Analyzing lab data alongside treatment information provides insights into different HCPs' treatment patterns, identifying early adopters of new therapies or those with specific preferences for certain treatment approaches.
• HCP Practice Profiling: Lab data creates detailed profiles of HCP practices, including patient types, tests ordered, and therapies prescribed. This information segments HCPs and tailors commercial messaging to their specific needs and interests.

Example: A company launching a new targeted therapy for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and a specific genetic mutation can leverage lab data to:

• Identify patients with mCRPC and the specific mutation.
• Determine the HCPs treating these patients.
• Profile these HCPs based on prescribing patterns and other relevant characteristics.
• Focus sales and marketing efforts on HCPs most likely to prescribe the new therapy.

By leveraging lab data to identify and profile key HCPs, commercial teams significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their outreach, ultimately leading to greater market success.

In conclusion, while claims data offers a valuable starting point for understanding the PC market, lab data is essential for unlocking the true potential of new therapies. By integrating lab data into commercialization strategies, companies gain a deeper understanding of patient needs, optimize treatment approaches, and ultimately improve outcomes for men living with prostate cancer.

Looking to add lab data to your commercial targeting efforts for prostate cancer? Connect with a Prognos Health clinical team member to learn more today.