The unseen side of MDR:
3 crucial aspects for Marketing Teams
The first in a series of three articles
The discussion around implementing the Medical Device Regulations (MDR) continues, especially after the European Parliament voted to extend its transition period because of concerns about device supply, notified body capacity and manufacturer readiness.
Still, most medical technology companies are not being proactive in assessing their portfolios, preparing documentation, or even liaising with notified bodies. The MDR extension does not intend to give the industry more time but only to allow notified bodies to be better prepared for the significant number of applications received. The clock is still ticking.
Marketing and Sales teams struggle to understand the MDR process’s relevance for their commercialization plans. Of course, it will come to a moment when companies will not be able to place devices on the European Union market until they obtain the MDR CE. However, having an MDR CE allows for the commercialization of a product and creates a huge opportunity to generate value and create solid differentiation factors from the competition.
With this newsletter, we start to dive deep into the three reasons why Marketing and Sales teams should follow the MDR and how the process can revolutionize how medical technologies are commercialized.
The reasons are:
- The MDR leverages Value Messages
- Companies will transform technical features into unique value messages
- Marketing collateral will go to a different level
Let’s start with the first point.
Reason 1: The MDR leverages Value Messages
A product claim can be anything said about a particular medical technology. On the other hand, a value message is a validated description of how the product can create clinical, economic, and organizational value.
Anyone can prepare claims, but a value message goes much further in convincing payers, providers, and physicians. And the difference between one and the other is the supporting evidence, and that’s where MDR makes a big difference.
Due to following the MDR process, companies will inevitably have to organize their evidence almost identically to a Value Dossier. And that brings two positive consequences.
First, instead of scrambling through papers to understand what they are saying, it will be much easier after the MDR process to find which evidence supports specific claims, upgrading them into value messages. Second, this structure may allow the company to identify new value messages and explore new ways to communicate the unique aspects of the technology and its value.
Moving forward
As we had described in a previous blog post, Market Access is more than a department. It is the responsibility of an entire medical technology company. And maybe there has been no better moment to align Marketing, Regulatory and Clinical, as well as other departments, on how to prepare for and use the MDR process to differentiate and demonstrate value.
Stay tuned for our following newsletter, where we will discuss the impact of MDR on how companies will transform technical features into unique value messages.
Have you obtained your MDR approval, or want to know more about how the MDR process can help your company demonstrate value?
