Health Psychology Consultancy Ltd.

Behavioural Science is Crucial in the GLP-1 Era GLP-1s are transforming the treatment landscape for obesity and metabolic disease. Yet for all their clinical promise, their full impact depends on something that can’t be prescribed, manufactured, or titrated — human behaviour. Here's how behavioural science and GLP-1s act in partnership: 1️⃣ Adherence isn’t just about reminders Even the most effective medication can fail if patients disengage. Real-world GLP-1 discontinuation rates can exceed 50%, often for behavioural, not biological reasons: 🎯 Motivation fades once early goals are reached (Goal Gradient Effect) 😟 Side-effect fears amplified by social narratives 🤔 Identity conflicts (“If I need a drug, have I failed?”) 2️⃣ Overcoming stigma and self-blame People with obesity can internalise stigma, making treatment emotionally complex. 🖼️ Behavioural framing can reframe obesity as a chronic condition, not a moral failure. 💬 When HCPs use motivational interviewing and empathetic messaging, conversations spark engagement, not resistance. 3️⃣ Bridging intention and action Behavioural science closes the gap between knowing and doing. It makes healthy behaviour the easiest choice through friction reduction and smart design. 📲 A timely digital nudge normalising mild nausea (“Here’s what helps”) can prevent early drop-off. 4️⃣ Personalisation beyond the ,olecule Not all disengagement looks the same. 🧭 Behavioural segmentation — mapping beliefs, emotions, and contexts — enables tailored journeys that meet people where they are. ⚙️Behavioural science is the engine behind true personalisation: blending emotional intelligence with clinical precision. 5️⃣ Designing for long-term change Sustained outcomes require lasting habits. 💪 Behavioural insights help patients move from medication to maintenance, reinforcing self-efficacy and identity (“I manage my health”). The goal isn’t just adherence to medication; it’s adherence to progress. GLP-1s may be a scientific breakthrough, but behavioural science determines whether they become a societal one. Success will depend not only on molecules and mechanisms, but on mindsets, motivation, and meaning. Would love to hear what my behavioural science and obesity colleagues think.

Compassionate Directness: The Leadership Skill We Need More Of 💬🤝 In workplaces everywhere, one of the biggest unspoken challenges isn’t strategy or resources. It’s communication. Too often, feedback gets diluted to the point of being unclear, or delivered so bluntly that it causes unnecessary harm. Both extremes limit growth, erode trust, and create disengagement. I've been thinking about how compassionate directness might help balance the two forces that are too often, and in my opinion mistakenly, seen as opposites: truth and care. What Compassionate Directness Looks Like: 💡 Clarity with empathy: Saying what needs to be said, but recognising the other person’s perspective. ⏱️ Timeliness: Offering feedback when it matters, not storing it up until frustration spills over. 🛠️ Constructive framing: Focusing on behaviours and outcomes, not personal traits. 🔄 Shared accountability: Making space for dialogue so both people take ownership of the path forward. Why It Matters 🤝 Builds trust: Honesty + respect mean people don’t have to second-guess your intentions. 🚀 Accelerates growth: Clear feedback helps individuals improve faster. 🧘 Reduces tension: Prevents resentment from festering. 🛡️ Creates psychological safety: Candour without fear of humiliation. Practising Compassionate Directness 🧐 Check your intent: Are you helping employees succeed, or offloading frustration? 👂 Lead with curiosity: Are you listening before you speak? 🎯 Be specific: Are you making feedback actionable, not vague? ❤️ Balance honesty and humanity: Are you saying the hard things, but in a way that shows value and respect? A Final Thought ✨ - Compassion without directness risks being ineffective. - Directness without compassion risks being destructive. Together, they create cultures where people feel seen, respected, and challenged to grow. 💬 I would would love to hear your thoughts on what compassionate directness looks and feels like. Inspired by Arianna Huffington who recently shared Jim VandeHei's 'Tell Them Theory."

FDA Signals New Era for GLP-1 Combination Therapies 1️⃣ Regulatory shift from silos to syndromes The FDA increasingly views obesity and T2D as interconnected, with flexibility on co-primary endpoints and surrogate markers speeding dual-indication development. 2️⃣ The “Wegovy / Zepbound effect” These drugs have reset the bar for efficacy and durability. Strong CV outcomes data and earlier intervention for high-risk patients are now expected. 3️⃣ Crowded & complex pipeline GLP-1/GIP, GLP-1/glucagon, and triagonists are flooding the pipeline. Trial design, patient selection, and dosing strategies are more complex than ever. 4️⃣ Safety vigilance is rising Overlapping risks (GI, thyroid, pancreatitis) demand proactive safety monitoring, robust post-marketing commitments, and transparent reporting. 5️⃣ Strategic implications for sponsors - Think in metabolic syndromes, not silos. - Use RWE to strengthen labels, market access, and safety profiles. - Plan early for dual-indication trial design and regulatory engagement. - Prepare for payer demand for real-world value, not just statistical wins. 6️⃣ Trends to watch - Accelerated approvals for high-impact obesity combinations. - Label harmonisation across dual indications. - Greater scrutiny on biosimilars, interchangeability, and manufacturing scale-up. Bottom line: The FDA is aligning its regulatory playbook with the convergence of obesity, T2D, and related metabolic diseases. Sponsors that adapt early will be best positioned to lead.

🗺️ We need to stop drawing patient journeys as neat lines. Over the past few years, I’ve helped map journeys across 15+ countries and multiple conditions: obesity, Alzheimer’s, asthma, lung cancer, NMOSD, COPD, Tinnitus, and many more. One thing is consistently clear: Real patient journeys are anything but linear. Real patient journeys loop 🔁, stall 🛑, restart 🔄, derail 🚧. They’re emotional as much as clinical❤️ They’re shaped by uncertainty, hope, systems, culture, and behaviour 🌍🧠 Yet in pharma, we still tend to map them like conveyor belts: 🚫 It’s time we ditched the straight lines. ✅ It’s time we embraced the messy reality and designed solutions that work with the twists and turns, not against them. Because patients don’t move from Point A ➡️ Point B. They circle Point A 🔂. They jump to Point F ⤴️. Sometimes they get stuck in limbo 🌀 Let’s meet patients where they actually are. 💬 I'm curious how others approaching this? How are you capturing complexity in journey work? #PatientJourneyMapping #BehavioralScience #PharmaStrategy #HealthInnovation #PatientCentricity

🚨 Just out! For anyone working in #pharma or #strategy, I’ve just wrapped a new FirstWord report on The Role of Real-World Evidence in Shaping Pharma’s Digital Future. 🗣️ I spoke with experts across the industry to explore how #RWE is shifting from supportive data to strategic driver, impacting regulatory, market access, medical, and commercial decisions alike. 🔍 Key themes: ✔ RWE as a core strategic engine ✔ Regulatory interest vs. methodological scrutiny ✔ HTA and payer demands for localised, bias-controlled evidence ✔ AI and data integration as future accelerators 🙏 Huge thanks to the experts who shared their insights, including: • Abhishek (Abhi) Dabral • Clara Marquina, PhD • Florent F. Richy • Veronica S. 📘 Full report here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eFHQ2HFG #RWE #PharmaStrategy #RealWorldEvidence #DigitalHealth #AIinPharma #HTA #MarketAccess

My 2025 has started with a strong focus on #RWE, for which I am currently writing two reports on: 💻 The role of digitised healthcare data in enhancing RWE 💡 Pharma’s use of RWE in clinical and commercial strategy If you are an expert in RWE or know someone who is, I'd love to chat and to include your insights in one or more of these reports.