pharmarc smma insights about rheumatoid arthritis from twitter data

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PharmARC SMMA

Insights from Social Media Data Jan 2011 to July 2011 – Twitter data for rheumatoid arthritis

Tanmay Saraykar

Manager, Social Media Analytics

© PharmARC Analytic Solutions Pvt. Ltd., 2011. All Rights Reserved. Slide 2

Every Sunday, RA patients chat on Twitter using #rheum on

various topics related to rheumatoid arthritis

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Sunday, March 06, 2011

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Sunday, June 05, 2011

Sunday, July 24, 2011

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Daily count of tweets – Jan 2011 to July 2011


RA Activities on Twitter – Overview

Twitter hashtag Definition: Words or phrases prefixed with a # sign,

used as text indicators to organize around an idea, tweet about certain

subjects, group posts around topics

Popular Twitter hashtag for rheumatoid arthritis: #rheum

Duration: January 2, 2011 to July 31, 2011

Total no. of tweets using #rheum – 16,524

Total tweeting accounts – 1160

No. of tweets for top 10% accounts – 13,049

(80%)

Top 10 % accounts are the most influential.

#rheum - Chats on Rheumatology topics:

Sundays at 3pm EST/8pm GMT. Use the

hashtag #rheum for rheumatology tweets

This hashtag is a Tweet Chat


Sample tweets from patients of rheumatoid arthritis

mouth sores from

Methotrexate

#rheum // if folic

acid doesn't work,

try folinic acid. A

rhubarb extract

may help healing.

So far I've been on

Plaquenil, MTX,

Arava and Enbrel.

My rheumy has

now prescribed

Humira. #rheum

Perfect post today. I

have PsA and

#rheum just put me

on Methotrexate

recently since my

Enbrel stopped

working. Need

positives.

P Enbrel works for

me! Humira gave

me headache all

day everyday for

entire 2 mos. I

used it. #rheum

commented on

your Humira post;

I had no luck with

it either, but

Rituximab has

changed my life,

so there is hope

#rheum

#Rheum doc appt

went well. Switching to

injection & upping

dose of Methotrexate.

Go back in 2mths; 2

consider Remicade in

place of Enbrel.

Uggity.

Painsomnia stinks.

Been up 5 hrs

after sleep for 3.

This is gonna be a

JOY of a day. And

Enbrel delivery!

#rheum

MTX: 3 years,

Rituximab: 3 years,

Prednisolone: 6

years. Tried

everything from

Anti-TNF to

plaquenil in-

between #rheum


Chat Topics – January 2011

(Sundays – 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th)

1. How many RA patients manage to work full time, part time? For

how many years? How about working from home?

2. New year resolutions for RA patients

3. Patients bringing in information about RA, does it bother

doctors? What about writing to doctors or commenting on blogs?

4. Favorite stress relievers for patients, rewards and comforts

5. Do you do what the doctor says? If not, do you tell the doctor?

6. Are online support groups better than local support groups?

Why?

7. Annual RA meet-up

8. Depression from chronic pain

• Suggestions to avoid or combat depression

• What can friends, family members, doctor do to help

depression from chronic pain?

9. Most important suggestions to patients newly

diagnosed with RA

Chat Topics from Chats on Twitter with #rheum Standard Twitter Chat Rules

1. Tweets assumed to be your

own opinion

2. Do not sell

3. Politely stay on topics

Social Essence

1. Professional life of RA

patients

2. Pain management

3. Stress relief and hobbies

4. Compliance to prescription

drugs

5. Social information sharing

and support groups

6. Annual events

7. Emotional issues related to

chronic pain from RA

8. Helping newly diagnosed

patients


Social media data reveals valuable insights about

critical parameters of prescription drugs

The insights

revealed through

social media

monitoring and

analysis can act

as decision-

making points for

consumers

Drug consumption/Comments

about Drug Brands

Drug efficacy, Side effects

Switch-overs

Convenience of dosage

Combination with other medication


Social media reveals – Drug Consumption data for

various drug classes

#1

Which prescription drugs are being consumed by patients of rheumatoid

arthritis?

Drug Class Brands

DMARDs

Biologics

NSAIDs

Enbrel, Humira,

Remicade, Rituxan,

Orencia, Actemra,

Cimzia, Simponi, etc.

Drug consumption


Analysis of tweets reveals buzz around rheumatoid

arthritis brand names – Tag clouds for brand names

Enbrel Humira

Remicade

Orencia

Actemra

Rituxan

Simponi Cimzia

Methotrexate


Methotrexate is by far the most discussed, amongst

drugs (not surprising)

11

22

45

50

54

86

189

226

517

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Cimzia (certolizumab)

Simponi (golimumab)

Rituxan (Rituximab)

Actemra (tocilizumab)

Orencia (abatacept)

Remicade (infliximab)

Humira (adalimumab)

Enbrel (etanercept)

Methotrexate

Total Mentions


Social media reveals – Comments about efficacy

of drugs

Which prescription drugs work better than others? How do drugs compare on

efficacy as mentioned by patients?

Efficacy

Biologics - Half life of the drug

Positive efficacy

Negative efficacy

#2 Drug efficacy and Side effects


Tweets by patients of rheumatoid arthritis reveal

insights regarding efficacy of biologics

22

18

2 3

2 2

9 9

0

3

0

2

0

5

10

15

20

25E

nb

rel

Hum

ira

Re

mic

ad

e

Ore

ncia

Acte

mra

Ritu

xan

Drug works for me Doesn’t work/worsened condition


Social media data contains patients’ comments about side

effects of various drugs (methotrexate example)

10 10

9

6 6

4

3 3

2 2 2 2 2

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Fatig

ue

Sto

ma

ch A

ch

e/Issu

es

Na

use

a

Ha

ir lo

ss/th

innin

g h

air

Sic

kn

ess

Fla

res

Biz

za

re d

rea

ms

Ab

do

min

al cra

mp

s

Insom

nia

Bre

ath

ing d

ifficu

lty

Vo

mitin

g

Alle

rgic

re

actio

n

Feve

r

Side effects of methotrexate from Twitter data


Side effects of various biologics as mentioned by the

patients who are consuming them

Cough/Chronic respiratory

infection

Painsomnia

Joint and muscle pain (3)

Burning sensation (2)

Fatigue

Flares (2)

Fever

Gastrointestinal symptoms

Thinning hair

Nausea

Paleness

Mouth sores (2)

Flu like symptoms

Burning sensation (2)

Lowers ability to fight infection

Upper respiratory problems

Headache (2)

Nerve shock and numbness?

Lupus like and MS like symptoms

Inflammation

Sickness

Excessive was build-up in ears

(3)

Flares (2)

Lightheadedness, hot flashings,

chills

Fever

Rashes and bruising

Side effects - Enbrel Side effects - Humira

Sickness (1)

Side effects - Rituxan


Side effects of various biologics as mentioned by the

patients who are consuming them

Hangover

Headache (2)

Ill feeling, fatigue

Allergic reaction (3)

Queasy and crackly feeling

Drop in blood pressure

Itch and bruises

Cough (4, with one

mentioning persistent, severe

cough)

Hives (2)

Allergic reaction (1)

Side effects - Remicade Side effects - Orencia Side effects - Actemra


Social media reveals – comments on switch-overs

When one biologic drug or DMARD stops working for an RA patient, which

one do they switch to?

Switch-overs

Reasons for

switching drug class

Reasons for

switching brands

within a drug class

#3 Drug switch-overs


For patients of rheumatoid arthritis, social media data reveals switch-

overs from one drug class to another (From DMARDs to Biologics) as

well as within a certain drug class (within biologics)

Switchover to Enbrel from Switchover from Enbrel to

Methotrexate

Humira

Unspecified

3

1

2

Methotrexate

1

5 Humira

Remicade

2

1

Unspecified

Orencia

1


Summary of switch-overs between RA brands (38) – Combining insights from all social media platforms should reveal substantial insights (example below is from twitter)


Analysis of 38 switch-overs mentioned in tweets indicate

that efficacy is a significant reason for switch over

Helps with other

indication 3%

Previous drug stops working

24%

Not specified 68%

Side effect 5%


Social media reveals – what drug combinations the

patients are on

For treatment of RA, which combinations of drugs are taken by patients?

Switch-overs

DMARDs and

Biologics

NSAIDs and Pain

Killers

Anti-depressants

#4 Drug combinations


Methotrexate is used in combination with various

biologics for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

1

1

2

3

12

18

0 5 10 15 20

MTX and Actemra

MTX and Cimzia

MTX and Rituximab

MTX and Orencia

MTX and Humira

MTX and Enbrel

Combinations of methotrexate with biologics

NSAIDs/Pain

Killers/Others

Sulfasalazine

Prednisone

Mobic

Ibuprofen

Naproxen

Anti-acidity

Anti-depressant

Folic Acid


Social media reveals – comments on convenience

of dosage for RA drugs

What are the issues associated with administering biologics to RA patients?

Convenience

DMARDs

Biologics

#5 Convenience of dosage


RA patients post comments about convenience of dosage for

DMARDs and biologic drugs

DMARD - methotrexate Biologic - Enbrel

Positives Negatives

Methotrexate stays

longer in the body

Methotrexate

injections cause

less stomach

problems

Methotrexate takes

time to become

active in the body

Methotrexate oral

medication causes

nausea

Enbrel can sustain

in good condition

for 4 days at room

temperature, easy

to carry during

travel

Often causes

swelling at the

injection site

If injected in the

stomach, leaves

bruises

Patients need to

put ice at the

injection site which

is inconvenient

Doesn’t stay for

long in the body

Needed in more

volumes and

frequent injections

Positives Negatives


Trends from social media data - Conversations about rheumatoid

arthritis on social media platforms revolve around three main topics

Drugs/Brands for treating RA Pain/inflammation management Emotional issues

• Parameters of RA drugs

(such as DMARDs and

Biologics), on the basis of

which, patients take

decisions, e.g.

• Efficacy

• Side effects

• Switch-overs

• Convenience of

dosage

• Costs

• Discussions around

reasons for switching over

between drug classes as

well as switching brands

within a drug class


medication and alternative

therapies needed to treat

the side effects of RA

drugs

• Patients discuss the drugs

consumed for managing

chronic pain and

inflammation such as

NSAIDs and pain killers


household therapies and

alternative therapies for

relieving pain

• Patients share tips for

managing the

inconvenience during

biologic infusions

• Patients share information

about precautions to be

taken against

pain/inflammation during

different seasons, as

severe weather conditions

may elevate RA-related

symptoms

• Patients show strong

empathy and concern on

social networks about

fellow RA patients

• They encourage sharing

issues relating to family,

livelihood, friends,

important events (e.g.

undergoing some surgery,

pregnancy, etc.) to gain

emotional and social

support

• RA patients express

depression due to chronic

pain and immobility as a

major concern


Conclusion

Continuous monitoring and analysis of healthcare-related social

media data reveals insights into critical aspects of prescription

drugs, and helps understand the consumers better

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© PharmARC Analytic Solutions Pvt. Ltd., 2011. All Rights Reserved.

For further information on this document, please contact:

Tanmay Saraykar

Manager, Social Media Analytics

+91 7829909766

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

pharmarc smma insights about rheumatoid arthritis from twitter data

Health & Medicine

rheum chats

rheum positives

rheum onvarious topics

drug brands

drug efficacy

social media datajan

pharmarc smmainsights

rheum doc appt